Why King George Square should be Brisbane’s living room
As Brisbane City Council scouts private redevelopment proposals for an inner city site, a Brisbane landscape architect tells why it should be a shared backyard.
Last Friday, the Brisbane City Council launched a tender process inviting commercial operators to submit their ideas for redeveloping King George Square.
With the Pig ‘N’ Whistle pub lease expiring at the end of this year, the inner-city public square now poses a blank canvas for development ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.
City Council’s tender launch has drawn some community criticism for commercialising a public space without community consultation.
InDaily spoke with Brisbane-based landscape architect Callum Simpson about what he thinks Brisbane is missing when it comes to the iconic site’s redevelopment.
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Simpson clarifies that the debate shouldn’t be framed simply as development versus no development, but that the bigger question is what we want one of Brisbane’s most important public spaces to achieve over the next 20 to 40 years.
“Community consultation should play a central role in shaping that vision for the site,” Simpson says.
“We should begin with the outcomes. Do we want a civic space that remains flexible for major events, but is also comfortable on an ordinary summer day? Do we want people to move through or choose to stay?”
He adds that while private development isn’t inherently a bad thing, the important distinction is between commercial involvement contributing to a better public space and commercial interest determining what that public space becomes.
“King George Square is a major civic space, not simply a development site. Any future vision should be shaped by clear public briefs, meaningful community consultation and a real long-term measure of success based on how well the space serves Brisbane as a whole.”
Building on the notion that the best projects create economic value because they are useful, welcoming and well-loved by the community, Simpson draws on South Bank as a positive example of nature playing an integral role in design.
“Look at the trees, the gardens and the relationship with the river and the comfort that contributes to and gives people access to nature in the heart of the city,” he says.
When thinking about Brisbane’s growing densification, Simpson has a few considerations in mind for a King George Square redevelopment.
“The public realm increasingly becomes a shared backyard that you want people to enjoy experiencing and being in… So from a design and environmental perspective, trees and vegetation provide shade, reduce heat exposure, intercept rainfall, create habitats and help public spaces remain usable in changing climates.”
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Simpson explains that, in a perfect world, King George Square’s redevelopment would begin with community consultation.
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