Better Suburbs - Places and Spaces

The Better Suburbs – Places and Spaces (BSPS) program takes a holistic and site-specific approach to the design of spaces within Brisbane’s local neighbourhoods. Improvements delivered will be informed by the following four values:

People

Design neighbourhoods that are inclusive places for everyone to enjoy and access. Possible improvements may include upgrading sections of footpaths, reclaiming under-utilised spaces, and ensuring pedestrians are prioritised to improve and promote walkability.

Sense of place

Celebrate local character, community, and identity, creating distinctive places where everyone can connect and belong, improving the quality of public open space. Possible improvements may include installing public art, creative lighting or creative placemaking outcomes such as murals, pavement surface treatments and wayfaring.

Green

Create well-designed public open spaces, capitalising on Brisbane’s subtropical climate and existing character. Possible improvements may include increasing tree canopy coverage to create more comfortable and walkable environments by planting street trees, understorey and ground coverings, and installing unique and standard Brisbane City Council street furniture.

Connect

Create neighbourhoods that are connected, safe and comfortable for everyone to access and enjoy. Improved connections to and through neighbourhood precincts by delivering gateways and markers, providing wayfaring and orientation cues, resolving underutilised or missing links and increasing tree canopy coverage.

Site opportunities and improvements will vary for each site, depending on community feedback – including community values and interests, project budget and the site constraints of each project area.

Tailored community engagement is an important component of the Better Suburbs – Places and Spaces (BSPS) program with onsite information sessions, targeted workshops and activations taking place throughout the project launch, design development, construction, and project completion. Please note, specific engagement approaches will vary for each project.

The involvement of the community at the project launch and during the design development process endeavours to build a sense of community ownership and identify the values and interests of those who work or visit at the identified local neighbourhoods. Depending on project budget and scale, Council provides the community opportunities to provide feedback at various project stages both face-to-face, on-site, and online community surveys. This occurs prior to the development of the final improvement plan.

Project completion is celebrated through community activation events. The completion event is a great opportunity for local businesses and community organisations to promote their business and for the community to showcase local talent, network and enjoy the revitalised, upgraded neighbourhood precinct.

Council is unable to influence the retail mix of private businesses within neighbourhood precincts. Through the Better Suburb – Places and Spaces (BSPS) program, Council works closely with the local community and business owners to deliver public space improvements that collectively improve amenity, safety, functional and overall attractiveness of the neighbourhood precinct. These improvements also contribute to, and encourage, local economic development at the identified neighbourhood precincts across Brisbane.

No, the Better Suburb – Places and Spaces (BSPS) program does not deliver new toilet block facilities. The focus of the BSPS program is to revitalise local neighbourhood precincts, creating quality public open space, improving local character, identity, and sense of place, and creating a city of vibrant neighbourhoods which includes improved connections between, and walkability within Brisbane’s neighbourhoods.

Council generally does not undertake works or improvements on private buildings or spaces, however there may be works required at business property boundaries to assist the transition between public and private spaces for accessibility and compliance reasons. This is determined individually for each site and each property.

Each BSPS project will have creative placemaking outcomes incorporated and community feedback along with key stakeholders engagement will inform the site-specific creative placemaking opportunities, which may include public artwork, creative lighting – projections, art murals, pavement treatments and integrated outcomes. Find out more about creative placemaking outcomes.

The BSPS program investigates a range of public and open space improvements, and while not every neighbourhood is able to gain additional parking, the project may include the consolidation or formalisation of parking bays, as well as modifying parking times and restrictions. This is done in partnership with Council’s road traffic engineers to ensure a safe and accessible neighbourhood for pedestrians and motorists.

The BSPS program does not deliver new parking areas or multi-storey parking facilities. Each individual project aims to minimise parking loss however, in some instances, parking bays may need to be removed for safety and compliance reasons, for example, sight lines to pedestrian crossings.

The choice of day or night works may depend on the type of road adjacent to the identified work areas. In some instances, construction traffic management and/or road closures may not be feasible during the daytime. In addition, undertaking works at night minimises impacts to local businesses, daytime traffic through the area and existing on-street parking. It can also be safer for pedestrians and motorists.

Every effort will be made to minimise the impacts on the local community throughout the works. Council is committed to keeping residents and businesses informed of construction activities in their local area and will provide advance notification of activities likely to have impacts, during the construction period.