This Australian Street Makeover Is What Every City Needs

In this episode of Inspired Infrastructure, I'm heading to South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to explore a transformative redesign of Grey Street.

Thanks to a post by Michael Langdon, Senior Advisor at Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, I discovered the Grey Street Bikeway and Streetscape Design Project, which aims to turn this street into a safe, green, people-first destination.

🚶‍♀️ What’s changing?
✅ A protected, all-ages-and-abilities bikeway
✅ Flexible curb zones for parking, loading, and pop-up public space
✅ 120% more green space
✅ A 5°C reduction in heat
✅ Safer, wider, more accessible footpaths

In this episode, I rebuild the existing and proposed designs using Beyond Typicals to show how rebalancing street space away from cars and toward people can completely transform the look, feel, and function of a street.

📢 80% of locals say this project would make them more likely to walk, bike, and spend time here. This isn’t just a render—it’s a funded vision moving toward reality.

🎥 Watch to see how simple, people-first changes can cool our cities, improve safety, and boost livability.

👇 Does your city have a street like Grey Street that needs a transformation? Let me know in the comments!

🔔 Like + Subscribe for more before-and-after street redesigns that put people over cars.

#InspiredInfrastructure #CompleteStreets #GreyStreet #UrbanDesign #Bikeways #StreetRedesign #SouthBrisbane #Australia #StreetTransformation #UrbanPlanning

[calumprasser]

As someone who worked on this project and artist impression visuals presented onscreen, it is worth noting that this section of Grey Street is owned by the South Bank Corporation (who own South Bank Parklands). This precinct is not constrained by typical city council or state government rules, politics or funding.

[LucasWilliamsBMX]

So weird seeing my home city like this online. I hear Brisbane is actually very green compared to other cities.

[gde]

As a Brisbane resident, I think Grey Street is already very cool and green (especially in Brisbane's sub-tropical climate), with many trees lining the street and a few years ago they planted all the lush tropical plants in the centre median.

A lot of the parking spaces are actually designated bus, taxi and loading zones with the rest just 15 minute parking. Then there is the section of Grey St between Glenelg and Peel St which has no parking lanes at all, with a few exceptions for loading zones and bus zone.

Also the footpaths are actually already quite wide. The whole area is only about 30 years old, being the site of world expo 88 and a masterplan implemented and fully rebuilt from scratch.

What I've always seen as an issue or where improvements can be made are at the intersections. There are two signalised intersections with turning lanes which both feel out of place considering how walkable the rest of the area is. Ther is also a roundabout which can feel a bit daunting the cross, there are pedestrian refuges and drivers are generally quite courteous allowing for people to cross but I feel could do with zebra crossing, speed bumps to slow traffic down and plant more greenery. I think the signaled intersections should be turned into roundabouts and incorporating the aforementioned zebra crossings, speed bumps and greenery.

[EpKjelltzer]

This is incredible, thanks for the excellent visualization of this transformation! Now I just need to convince my city that this is better for everyone.

[Tjdog]

I live in brisbane and I love what queensland is doing with this stuff! ♥

[helline]

As someone that's been to that area a lot, that would be a fantastic improvement to that street! love it :D

[toms]

Please don't assume this kind of thing is the norm in Australia, we face huge nimbyism and backlash about projects like this (see some if these comments about parking!) things are getting better here but we are not world leaders. Case in point a bike ramp to replace 55 steep stairs over the Sydney harbour bridge has only JUST started to be built after 40 years of being earmarked!. The local backlash was strong and made by a wealthy few individuals who made a concerted effort to prevent it, we can do better.

[overworlder]

Do one on Canberra's reworking its stormwater system to include ponds and wetlands to provide nonpotable water for sporting fields and habitat for wildlife.

[Jebbis]

Reminds me of Avenida da Liberdade in Portugal. That was the nicest street to walk on during the hot summer.

[MasterBel]

One thing I do love about the current grey st is the healthy refuge island between the car lanes, useful when crossing the road. Will be sad to lose it, but everything else seems a major improvement.

Hopefully they keep car speeds very low, to keep noise, dust, and wind down.

[steveyates]

I drove down this street today and was thinking about how nice it is already.

[jonathanpettigrew]

Defs take a look at Scarborough beach road in Western Australia. Being transformed to eventually include a trackless tram as well. Lots of government docs about it too.

[kidfreejones]

Will look great but interesting to see it play out once finalised. Good for venues who can utilise it. Be curious to see what way around it concludes with, as many eatieries are on the river side with convenience stores, movie theatre, quick food service, a pub and hotels on the other side. Alot of car traffic uses this road still, it is a main thoroughfare between the Goodwill Bridge and the hospital, two lanes now but a refuge island so you lose that safety of left and right pause. Also soooo many food delivery contractors park and wait at venues, if they have nowhere to park then will that create chaos? Especially with events on at the convention centre thats right there. Brisbane is brilliant for walkability here and public transport serves it well with ferries, trains and buses all very close by, but some of us still drive as we have no choice near home and its unsafe late at night to use public transport to go home (especially for a single woman) so theyll drive too. See how it plays out! Might not even go ahead, the council is very short on funds!

[CasualScrub]

Looks like grey street is turning into green street

[verykyle]

Could you look at Church St together with N Division / S Division St in Buffalo, NY? It’s an awful use of urban space, I’d love to see how you would reutilize such a large ROW!

[antoncarmoducchi]

Hi, Brisbane person here. Grey Street is not hot, dangerous for cyclists or especially car friendly. (i cycle it regularly). It meets the minimum requirements for delivery trucks to service the restaurants that make the area what it is. There is a dedicated cycleway on the other side of building you feature and wider than normal footpaths on both sides. Making the area more difficult for delivery trucks will kill the local businesses trying to survive under the other draconian anti-business policies that are killing small businesses.

[stkenn]

Hi, this is really a changer in the urban. I really want to have my own street design with my hometown too... May I ask, what software are you using to have this cool render?

[itszahoor]

What is the name of the software used for Designing or Visual?

[DroneKingsInDarwin]

You should check out the shade structure designed for Darwin. Don’t think that ever worked.

[nick]

Adelaide has been doing this for years, what took so long?