Life in the Valley: An Urban Designer's View

Kerry Saron
Urban Design

As an Urban Designer, evaluating spaces and places comes with the job.  In THG's Fortitude Valley offices, our Urban Design team have been noticing plenty of changes, not least the ones in our own front yard.  The public notification signs have just gone up for a proposed development that will see the replacement of the Centrelink Building with twin towers of up to 30 storeys supporting residential, commercial and much needed public space.

But what does all this redevelopment, which is driven by increasing pressures to accommodate higher density inner city living, commercial space and public space, mean for the things that give the Valley it's unique personality? Already, we've seen the likes of Green Square a mixed use business park offering 40,000m2 of office space, a child care centre, residential units, a retail plaza; and the Emporium a precinct of commercial, residential and retail outlets.  But are these developments turning the Valley into just another suburb?

Before the Valley was exposed to such redevelopment pressure, it was and still is recognised as the entertainment hub of the greater CBD. The distinctive culture made up of a fabric of social diversity and alternative cultures saw the nurturing of some of Brisbane’s greatest bands.  

In 2002, following an ongoing conflict between the Valley musicians and residents about noise, Brisbane City Council created The Valley Music Harmony Plan. Though not a statutory document, this plan seeks to better manage the competing interests of residents and the needs of the entertainment industry and also communicate to potential residents the unique entertainment values and their important contribution to the Valley’s vibrant mixed-use precinct.

The Valley Music Harmony Plan contains 5 Key Actions:

1. “Designate a special entertainment area within the Valley;
2. Require new development to attenuate noise;
3. Adopt uniform noise emissions levels for music venues,
4. Provide noise management assistance and advice, and
5. Implement a communication strategy"(1).

What this plan seeks to do is deal with the evolution happening in the Valley - addressing the need to converge the old and the new, to create a balance between the needs of people who live and work in the Valley, with those who play in the Valley.

Another important community that has contributed to the rich tapestry of the Valley, though probably not a community that leaps to mind immediately when discussing redevelopment, is the homeless community. Last year there were “there were 2,070 homeless people in Brisbane's CBD and Fortitude Valley at the last census. Of those, more than 350 were sleeping rough on the streets” (2).  And this can be families and children, not just adults.

As experts in creating safe robust communities that invite social inclusiveness, I wonder, with the increase demand for inner city living, commercial activity and after hour activities that will be both encouraged and accommodated through street level activation, where will this community of homeless go? And of those existing services such as soup kitchens and housing already situated in the Valley, how many will survive the pressures of redevelopment amongst people who can pay for their accommodation and more office space? Though a subject that the government is taking seriously and which has been demonstrated through the allocation of Government resources (Budget and the Department of Communities), an approach is needed where we apply the same rigor and assign the same level of importance in finding a solution to co-exist as a community within the Valley, especially when that community’s voice may not be loud enough to be heard.  This is particularly relevant for urban designers, where one of our main goals is to ensure places are inclusive and accessible to all levels of society.

In our offices at the epicentre of the Valley, it will be interesting to watch these changes take place.

References
1. Brisbane City Council
2. Brisbane Times