As the environmental attributes of South East Queensland are critical not only to its attractiveness but also its sustainability, we need to understand the patterns of urban development that have happened in the past and how they might be better directed in the future. And we need to retain and hopefully extend its guaranteed green space.
One of the best ways to consider future options is to compare Brisbane with another coastal city of a somewhat similar urban shape. Both Sydney and Brisbane are built on semi-circles, with the Pacific Ocean to the immediate east. Both have seen linear development to the north, the south and the west.
This paper audits the gravity of the situation that confronts south-east Queensland in terms of green space planning and options for the future. Dramatic intervention and infrastructure provision in regional planning and sustainable environmental management is needed to preserve what’s left
of SE Queensland’s green spaces and to create the transport spines and employment centres so desperately needed if we want to go on enjoying living here.