[+] Yards of Opportunity for Second Metropolis

Australia’s first sustainable CBD could find its home in Brisbane. It’s not the River City’s existing city centre, but an opportunity to create a second metropolis on the site of the Mayne railyards. It’s an inner-city brownfield site that Blight Rayner director and big-city thinker Michael Rayner says is ripe for reimagining—but it will take vision. “Every other city in the world has addressed the fact that they’ve got that redundant inner-city land, but for some reason Brisbane has overlooked it,” Rayner says. “In a world with climate change challenges, there’s only so much you can do with an existing CBD, but in a second metropolis, you could make an entirely sustainable CBD from the products you use, the design, the alternative travel connections.” ▲ Blight Rayner’s Michael Rayner believes Brisbane should have a second metropolis on the site of Mayne Railyards. The Mayne railyards is more than 35ha of underutilised brownfield land about 3km from the heart of Brisbane’s CBD. And if you include the RNA and Newscorp sites, it is more than 45ha, which is the same size as the city’s business district. The Mayne Metropolis is part of a broader vision piece by Rayner, which looks to create a 4.5km green and connected spine through the city that would put Victoria Park at the heart of the two CBDs, connecting Bowen Hills to the Botanic Gardens in the city. It would also create an urban waterfront precinct along Breakfast Creek, which is predominantly a light industrial precinct presently. Rayner says it is rare to have the chance to create a city centre from scratch, and the opportunity for Brisbane is immense. “It’s begging to be looked at,” he says. “It definitely would need to be mixed use, but it could be a very huge part of an answer to a housing crisis.” The city is already undergoing a transformation as it prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032. ▲ A render of the Breakfast Creek Indoor Sports Centre in Brisbane for basketball events in the 2032 Games. And while the rule is being run over the developments proposed, Rayner says the city does not need a major event to catalyse a project of this magnitude. “I don’t have all the answers, it needs masterplanning but the opportunity is significant to create the city’s second metropolis,” he says. “We have a long history of piecemeal approach, so I think this site could become a fulcrum of other connections through the city.” Rayner says the Mayne CBD can adopt new technologies such as solar roads, micromobility and VTOL, which existing city centres will have to retrofit. Mayne Yard is the main stabling and maintenance precinct for Queensland Rail’s daily network operations. It was originally established in the 1910s, adjacent to the then Mayne Junction railway station to house the train depot previously housed at Roma Street. There are international exemplaries that Queensland could look to emulate, including the Kings Cross 20-year urban renewal project, which reinvigorated a 27ha former coal drops yard and industrial space into a thriving mixed-use urban centre. ▲ Kings Cross railyards was a 20-year urban regeneration project to create a mixed-use precinct. Commercial tenancy has doubled with notables including Facebook, Universal Music, Havas, AutoTrader and Google taking up residence and more than 12,000 people living in the area. Google’s ‘landscraper’ is due for completion this year with Lendlease undertaking the build of Google’s first wholly owned HQ outside of the US. In 2001 Argent was selected to spearhead the development as part of the King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership, which brought together stakeholders in a development consortium. It undertook a six-year consultation process with local government and community The group drew on institutional investment to fund the $5.8-billion, 20-year regeneration project, with investors including BT Pensions and AustralianSuper. ▲ Google’s first wholly owned headquarters outside of the US is due to open this year in the Kings Cross urban precinct. The plan was prepared by Allies and Morrison, Porphyrios Associates and Townshend Landscape Architects, and in 2006 received planning permission. The permission enabled 50 new buildings, 20 new streets, 10 new major public spaces, the restoration and refurbishment of 20 historic buildings and structures, and about 2000 homes. In the US, the Sacramento railyards has been slated as one of the biggest urban regeneration projects in America, following the success of Hudson Yards. It is aimed to be a tech-focused mixed use precinct. The 97ha Railyards district would preserve much of its existing buildings, while also enabling 12ha of green space, 6500sq mm of retail and up to 10,000 apartments, 464,500sq m of commercial space, a 1000-key hotel and a mass transit hub. You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

[+] Yards of Opportunity for Second Metropolis

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