‘Desire paths’: Where pedestrians rebel in Brisbane

There is a path on Brisbane’s northside, worn through tall grass and high shrubs, where pedestrians have rebelled.

Their destination: Q Roasters in Stafford.

Over time, pedestrians seeking out their daily caffeine hit have created a shortcut through the thick vegetation alongside Kedron Brook to the popular cafe and roasting house.

Anna Campbell takes the desire path alongside Kedron Brook towards Q Roasters.Credit: Marissa Calligeros

Why take the longer route along a dusty road, past warehouses and car mechanics, when you can cut straight through the grass to get from A to B more quickly?

This is one of many unofficial thoroughfares across the city known as “desire paths” or “paths of desire” where – over time – pedestrians’ footsteps wear a track into the turf.

A dramatic example of a desire path in Stafford, created by walkers. Credit: Marissa Calligeros

Right across Brisbane – whether it’s through Centenary Park in Fortitude Valley, beside Riverside Drive in West End, or alongside Kedron Brook in Stafford – you’ll probably find a desire path taking you on the most direct passage to your destination.

Anna Campbell, executive officer of Queensland Walks, sees desire paths as an opportunity to make Brisbane a more pedestrian-friendly city by connecting destinations.

“We have a bit of a driving culture in our city,” she said.

“As we shift towards the 2032 Olympics and try to get more people moving easily, we’re going to have to start getting walking and riding.”

Desire paths are a source of fascination for people who like to ponder how a city should work.

On Reddit, a community devoted to desire paths takes great delight in highlighting often illogical examples of footpaths that have been subverted by walkers who refuse to be dictated to.

Campbell hopes the council will heed the message from walkers as part of the Kedron Brook Vision and Master Plan project.

Anna Campbell hopes Brisbane City Council will consider desire paths in its revitalisation plan for Kedron Brook. Credit: Brisbane City Council

“This is a classic case where it’s underestimated how many people are walking up here from across the creek, from the shopping centre, from across the road, and other local businesses as well,” she said.

The Kedron Brook corridor that runs through 14 northern suburbs will be rejuvenated with flood-resilient bikeways and walking trails under the 20-year, $85 million master plan.

Campbell pointed to another track worn through the grass outside Q Roasters leading down to a bridge over the creek as an example of urban planners not thinking about how people will actually move when designing footpaths.

“You can see exactly where people are wanting to go,” she said. “A quick link can make a big difference.”

Sometimes, authorities or private business owners try to stop desire paths from forming by using fences to block walkers from crossing where they shouldn’t.

Elsewhere, locals have to lobby councils to pave the path residents want to take.

Campbell pushed Brisbane City Council to put down a stretch of asphalt on the other side of Q Roasters.

The additional path has benefited residents like Iesha Moulden, 33, who regularly walks to the coffee shop, pushing her four-month-old daughter Mya in the pram.

Iesha Moulden with daughter Mya and friend Melissa Martens on the path outside Q Roasters that was once a dirt track.Credit: Marissa Calligeros

“We used to have to walk this when it was grass,” Moulden said. “This makes it easier. It means we get out for a walk in the fresh air, and I can meet with friends for coffee.”

Campbell said this demonstrates that making suburbs better for walkers is also better for business. A 2011 Heart Foundation report found the economic benefits of creating walkable suburbs had been long underestimated.

The report’s author, Dr Rodney Tolley, concluded that a large proportion of retail expenditure comes from local residents and workers who walk or cycle, whereas those travelling by car are more likely to be “drive-through” shoppers, stopping to pick up one item on the way to another destination.

While the idea of people and animals slowly forming their own paths is an ancient one, the term “desire path” is often attributed to French philosopher Gaston Bachelard in his 1958 book, The Poetics of Space.

The reasons for desire paths forming are not always about finding the fastest way.

Along Riverside Drive in West End, pedestrians have created a desire path underneath the shade of the trees, and away from the main route used by cyclists.

Planners should heed the lessons offered by desire paths, Campbell said, particularly around the city’s green spaces like Kedron Brook.

“By creating connected paths, people can walk with comfort and with ease,” she said.

Anna Campbell on a desire path leading to a bridge over Kedron Brook.Credit: Marissa Calligeros

Nearly 40 per cent of journeys in south-east Queensland under one kilometre are made by car or private vehicle, according to the Department of Transport.

The 2019 Walking in Queensland Report found only 23 per cent of residents walk “because it is convenient”.

It listed “lack of suitable paths to destinations” as one of the key reasons, after distance and lack of shade, that more people choose to get in their car rather than walk.

Councillor Tracy Davis, Brisbane City Council’s chair for environment, parks and sustainability, said designing footpaths was about finding the right balance.

“While desire paths can show where people naturally want to walk, we want to make sure we get the balance right for our community,” she said.

“Over the past year, we’ve built nearly 30,000 square metres of footpaths.”

The community consultation period for the Kedron Brook master plan ended on June 29, with the council now due to review the feedback. The council said connectivity and accessibility would be a strong focus of the final plan.

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