Future Cairns: Council’s town plan vision for CBD inspired by tropics, rainforest and reef

Integrating elements of the rainforest, the reef and the rainwater into the urban landscape is an emerging vision for Cairns. Find out what’s driving the evolution.

Tropical urbanism is the centrepiece of Cairns Regional Council’s vision for the CBD in coming decades.

Division five Cr Amy Eden said that meant nurturing the physical characteristics of Cairns that made it unlike any other place in Australia.

The master plan strategies have an emphasis on greenery as part of buildings, upper level terraces and skyline, with urban verandas and tropical terraces.

Streetscape treatments for laneways are on the cards, along with building on the heritage of verandas and colonnades, and enhancing the existing arcade network.

Cairns Regional Council division five councillor Amy Eden. Picture: supplied.

“Green spaces in our city will play an important role in bringing communities together and our urban rainforest leaf index will increase as we make way of some on street parking for increased green spaces,” Cr Eden said.

“Increasing the leaf index in our city will play an important role in cooling the city as we face the challenges of climate change.

“We will be the arts and cultural capital of Northern Australia and our city will be enhanced with a range of public space art installations, both static and dynamic, that reflect our cultural heritage and diversity,” she said.

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“Cairns will be a smart city with digital and interactive information way finder signs, art, environmental and cultural trails that are navigated from personal devices.

“Cairns will be known as a leader in tropical and sustainable living.”

Council director of planning, growth and sustainability Ed Johnson said future popular growth would be partly accommodated in infill development including the CBD.

“Signature elements of the Council’s tropical urbanism policy include a focus on integrated lush tropical planting at all levels of the streetscape in the CBD, with rainforest-like street canopies to create cool, shaded public spaces and retaining views to the surrounding mountain ranges and waterfront,” Mr Johnson said.

Cairns Regional Council's planning director Ed Johnson. Picture: Supplied

“A number of these elements can be seen in the design of the Esplanade dining precinct.”

“With emergent industries, new technology and continued migration, our CBD will look different,” he said.

CBRE managing director Danny Betros said people living in the CBD was vital for a vibrant future and high density residential development was essential.

He said it was time to think big and “dare to be different”.

Mr Betros would like to see less traffic and more emphasis on shaded walkways.

By 2050, the city will be the national capital of Indigenous art with Mayor Bob Manning championing the concept of three interconnected heritage galleries – the existing Cairns Art Gallery on the corner of Abbott St and Shield St, the Court House Gallery and the Mulgrave Shire Council building on the Esplanade.

Vertical Garden – Green Wall – BioWall

The $40m project has received $10m federal funding and council has budgeted $8m for it this year.

It has already spent $5.75m buying the court house in Abbott St and $6.6m restoring it and work is underway on the old shire council building.

Indigenous art and Indigenous cultural tourism is a fast-growing sector, with art sales of $250m in 2020-21 and Indigenous tourism growing by nine per cent annually to about $10b, with strong demand from Asian visitors.

Originally published as Future Cairns: Council’s town plan vision for CBD inspired by tropics, rainforest and reef