Planting the Seeds for Queensland’s Green Future: A Call to Action for the Design and Development Industry.

As the design and development industry in Brisbane, we stand at a pivotal moment. The Green Pathways Gold Places initiative, a collaborative effort between the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), and the Design Institute of Australia, represents a unified vision for a sustainable and vibrant future. This coalition, representing over 25,000 professionals, is dedicated to creating public interest outcomes through strategic planning and design. Our collective expertise has culminated in the Green Pathways, Gold Places framework, launched in April 2024, which outlines how major sporting events can leave lasting social, economic, and environmental benefits for future generations.

One of the four key recommendations of this framework is to invest in a Green Grid and in Sustainable Connectivity. This strategy aims to enhance active transport, reduce the impacts of urban heat island effects (UHIE), and foster a net-positive environmental impact. The importance of this initiative cannot be overstated, as it aligns with the sentiments of key industry leaders and decision-makers. Many of whom that were lucky enough to attend the Paris Games noted that it was not the venues that left the greatest impression, but the streets that connected them. The energy of the streets and the overall vibe of the city were what truly stood out.

To achieve a similar outcome in Brisbane and other regions throughout Queensland, we need vibrant, shady tree-lined streets of reasonable size to create a comfortable environment for visitors and locals alike. Despite the Games scheduled to occur during the winter months, South East Queensland - let alone our regional counterparts further North - are still prone to 30-degree-plus days with a sun that can still harm and makes low impact walks uncomfortable. The reality is that we have a limited runway to create meaningful impact to connect our venues - wherever they end up being - of about 1-2 years that takes us approximately to the back end of 2026, on the basis that we effectively need 5-6 years of growth once installed.

Many of the streets that would likely make up the green grid already have street trees, but we need to work as a collective to ensure we can install additional street trees into the existing urban fabric to create something truly memorable. This will require coordination between infrastructure providers, local government areas (LGAs), engineers, architects, planners, urban designers and landscape architects. It can be done. There are real and tangible examples, such as Quay Street in Rockhampton, which was redeveloped as part of Rockhampton Regional Council's waterfront revitalisation project completed in 2019. This delivered outcome involved the adaptive re-use of the existing street that already included nine significant fig trees in various forms of size, shape and quality. A further 54 trees were introduced with the view to creating an enclosed canopy that would provide respite from the hot and humid - almost year-round - conditions, which made the existing street unbearable to walk down in the middle of the day prior to the redevelopment.

What is significant about this example is that the vast majority of trees adapted into the Quay and Denham Streets as part of the revitalisation project - now 5-6 years on - were primarily 200-litre container species. There was also a splattering of 400-litre container stock and ex-ground species in key locations. Success for this project was due to a proper understanding of the correct soil conditions required. This included volumes and soil types conducive to the environment, allowing the trees to attain their mature sizes without damaging the civil infrastructure. Additionally, the right drainage, the right irrigation regime, and the right species for the Rockhampton climate - Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig), Harpulia pendula (Tulipwood), and Waterhousea floribunda (Weeping Lily Pily) - were crucial. Finally, a client in who shared a vision for a shady and welcoming edge to the city's CBD that would reactivate the river's edge was essential.

Aside from the visuals that clearly illustrate a dense canopy with beautiful dappled light shining through, analysis of the environmental conditions carried out by Office of Planetary Observations identified a 66% increase in canopy area between 2019 and 2024, which influenced a 3.59-degree reduction in mean land surface temperature. Achieving a similar outcome to connect venues in Brisbane and other host cities and towns would be an amazing outcome for the period of the Games, but the true legacy would be for the city and its residents post Games. An 'Urban Olympic Forest' would mitigate the impacts of Urban Heat Island Effects, increase biodiversity, create greater opportunities for streetscape activation, and assist in protecting our enviable way of life that we are all so blessed to have.

Like everything, we need to consider this challenge within the framework of cost, value, and impact. The value and impact of street trees are undeniable; they significantly enhance the value of spaces. However, most of our public realm investments are undertaken within the realities of tightening budgets due to increasing construction costs, but this doesn't have to restrict what we can achieve. While it is true that with an unlimited budget, we could recreate canopies outcomes a year or two out from the event, but this is not feasible and it definitely isn't the smart way of going about it. Large ex-ground stock the likes of 8-10m tall that would provide immediate shade and visual impact are often limited by availability (if available at all) and the high costs associated with transporting and installation. It is essentially a band-aid solution. I always enjoy quoting fellow Brisbane Landscape Architect - and all round good guy - Nader Ibrahim from O2LA when he once mentioned to me that "...it is the trees that we plant today that provide the shade of tomorrow." Truer words have never been spoken and should provide a constant reminder that we can't let this issue slide for much longer - the clock is ticking.

Recently, AIA QLD Chapter President Caroline Stalker and I, in my role as AILA QLD Chapter President, were invited to talk about our advocacy work and proposals to implement a green grid on ABC's "Brisbane Mornings with Steve Austin" last Friday the 28th of January. I would like to thank Steve Austin and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for the opportunity to present our advocacy work and for a great conversation we had about trees in South East Queensland.

I encourage everyone in the design and development industry, and amongst all levels of State (David Crisafulli MP) and Local Government (Adrian Schrinner), and the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) and its delivery partners, not to lose sight of the green grid once the dust settles on the confirmation of the Games venues after the 100-day review. Together, we can plant the seeds for a greener, more sustainable Brisbane and an Olympic legacy that will benefit future generations of Queenslanders.