FAQs

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 neighbourhood spaces that are inclusive places for everyone to enjoy and access. Possible improvements may include upgrading sections of footpaths, reclaiming under-utilised spaces, ensuring pedestrians are prioritised to improve and promote walkability, and installing unique and standard Brisbane City Council street furniture.
• 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 elements. 
• Green - Create well-designed public open spaces, capitalising on Brisbane's subtropical climate and existing character. Possible improvements to create more comfortable and walkable environments by planting street trees and garden beds.
• Connect - Create neighbourhood spaces that are connected, safe and comfortable for everyone to access and enjoy. Improve connections to and through neighbourhood precincts by delivering gateway and markers elements, providing wayfaring and orientation cues, resolving underutilised or missing links and increasing tree canopy coverage to improve walkability comfort.

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. 

Council is unable to influence the retail mix of private businesses within neighbourhood precincts. Through the Better Suburbs - 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, function and overall attractiveness of key areas within neighbourhood precincts. In some instances, BSPS improvements can be a catalyst for private redevelopment.

No, the BSPS program does not deliver new toilet block facilities. The focus of the BSPS program is to revitalise local neighbourhood precinct spaces to improve walkability, shade, greenery, local character, identity, and sense of place.

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 may have creative placemaking outcomes incorporated. Community and key stakeholder feedback will inform any site-specific creative placemaking opportunities, which may include public artwork, creative lighting, murals, pavement treatments and integrated 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. Any proposed changes are developed 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.