Throughout April, Make My City Work has taken to the streets and airwaves of Brisbane to collect 1000 to create a brilliant Brisbane.
There were no boundaries or restrictions; we wanted to hear any idea – big or small, practical or implausible – that had the potential to make our city better.
We ended up with over 1000 ideas and throughout the process found that people were eager to engage in a discussion about how to make Brisbane a brilliant city.
As the ideas came in we saw clear patterns emerge about what people feel works, where we can improve or where we are lacking.
In terms of the local economy, people see growing our tourism industry as one of the city’s biggest opportunities.
Creating jobs through innovative tourism ventures was a recurring theme and the ideas included proposals for a range of unique tourist attractions for the city such as a permanent light show or CDB zoo.
When it came to housing it seems that above all people want choice and affordability. The ideas included a range of creative locations or forms of housing to combat issues such as proximity to public transport, shops and workplaces.
Plans to improve the service and cost of our city’s public transport system dominated the infrastructure focused ideas.
A number of people provided ideas to create a better connection from Southbank through the city to the valley. An above ground monorail and skywalk was just one innovative idea in this area.
There was also a strong push for safer, more direct, bike infrastructure with many people advocating for programs like City Cycle as long as there was a safe place to ride.
Brisbane’s famous lifestyle attracted the majority of innovative ideas. Making the most of our climate was a recurring theme with ideas around outdoor dining, rooftop bars and creating new family-focused infrastructure around the Brisbane River.
Brisbane has spoken. These ideas, and reoccurring themes they represented, provide an excellent platform from which to develop the conversation around how we want Brisbane to evolve and grow.
This process has proven that the people of Brisbane want a say in the future of their city, and they have innovative ideas.
It’s time to share that community voice to ensure our city has the housing, jobs and infrastructure needed to handle growth – without sacrificing our sustainable values and unique Brisbane lifestyle.
To join the conversation visit www.makemycitywork.org.au/brisbane and sign up for action.
The full list of 1000 ideas can be found here
