Public open spaces are reshaping Australian cities, increasing people’s health and wellbeing and building more ecologically sustainable urban environments.
Dr Daniel O’Hare, Associate Professor Urban Planning at Bond University on the Gold Coast says a city’s green spaces can be its defining feature, imparting both its image and its identity.
“The character of a city is greatly enriched when its spatial structure visually responds to its underlying natural environment,” he says.
He adds that open spaces also contribute to the city in less visible physical ways, through their environmental benefits.
O’Hare says green spaces reduce the urban heat island effect – when a city is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities – created by the density of buildings, paving, roadways and the energy systems of a city.
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“Green spaces and public open spaces assist the city to cope with stormwater flooding, by slowing down flows and providing spaces that are not harmed by short-term inundation,” he says.
“Grassed areas reduce the quantity and toxicity of runoff into the city’s waterways. Urban trees have a positive impact on both the microclimates and macroclimate of the city, providing not only shade, but also moisture and air pressure benefits generating breezes.
“A city may also gain economically due to the contribution made to its attractiveness and competitiveness as a place to live.”
On the Gold Coast, greenspaces and parklands are becoming assets of the city, contributing to the overall character and liveability of the region.
The Broadwater Parklands, situated at Southport, is one example of the Gold Coast’s investment in natural landscapes.
Sitting on the waterfront in the Gold Coast’s CBD, and stretching three kilometres, the Broadwater Parklands provides recreational, educational and cultural opportunities.
The site includes outdoor performance amenities for major sporting and cultural events, expansive lawns and shade, mangrove habitat, wetlands which treats the CBD’s stormwater runoff, solar shelters and a water park.
The Broadwater Parklands is currently part of the Parks Changing Australian Cities exhibition, which showcases 10 of the best parks in Queensland and the Northern Territory that have influenced communities.
Broadwater Parklands - Water Park
The exhibition is being hosted in the Virgin Australia Lounge until 13 January 2017 and is a key program as part of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architect’s (AILA) 50th anniversary celebrations.
AILA’s Queensland State President Amelie Wright says there were a lot of reasons why the Broadwater Parklands was a natural contender to be recognised in the Virgin Australia Lounge exhibition.
Wright says most notably, it was important to celebrate a park that embraces environmental principles.
“The wetland at Broadwater Parklands treats storm water runoff from a big catchment in Southport, which was previously untreated and went straight out into the Broadwater,” she says.
“Now it all flows into that wetland and is cleansed and treated and that is presented as a really ornamental and beautiful part of the parklands.
“One of the other things that is really great about the Broadwater Parklands is it really celebrates its location; it is proud to be a coastal park so the species that are used are all ones you would expect to find at the beach, even down to the grit of the shell mulch that is used under the planting.”
Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast, Australia
Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast, Australia
Mayor's Christmas Carols - Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast, Australia
Jeremy Hall, a City of Gold Coast Principal Project Officer who has worked on the Broadwater Parklands since inception, says the landscape objectives of the site have created a freely accessible year round park with world-class initiatives in sustainability and versatile event and recreation space.
One of the parks most innovative features is the constructed mangrove wetland. The mangroves clean urban stormwater runoff and create an abundant marine habitat while buffering surrounding seagrass meadows to enhance the environment.
Broadwater Parklands has also expanded its events and activation program over the last three years to now average 70 major and community events each year with 58 new events introduced since 2013.
As well as events there are a wide range of temporary attractions throughout the year including the Aquasplash Inflatable Water Park and the Giant Wedgie Inflatable Slide Park currently in for the summer season.
Aqua Splash - Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast, Australia
Other parks enhancing Queensland and Northern Territory cities include:
Cairns Waterfront, Cairns – Cairns Waterfront in far north Queensland opened in 2003. The project was part of a major redevelopment of the foreshore designed to stimulate revival of Cairns’ central business district, to connect the Esplanade with the Cairns Cityport waterfront precinct and to give the people of Cairns and visitors varied waterside recreational opportunities.
Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, Brisbane – Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane was completed in 2014. The building features 11 rooftop gardens for recreation, rehabilitation and therapy, 800 square metres of green sloping roof and a public plaza shaded by six transplanted 30-year-old fig trees.
Robelle Domain Parklands, Springfield – Robelle Domain Parklands is part of the greater Springfield development, Australia’s largest master planned community in the City of Ipswich. The 24 hectare parklands opened in May 2011 offering residents of this new urban precinct facilities for major events, free fitness classes, eight light towers for evening light and sound displays, a lagoon pool and dry river bed for rock scrambling, play grounds and expansive open grassed and treed areas.
Rocks Riverside Park, Brisbane – Rocks Riverside Park is in Brisbane’s south-west suburbs, 20 kilometres from the central business district. For more than 80 years the site was occupied by QLD cement. When the plant closed, Brisbane City Council planned a major riverside park to embrace contemporary design while valuing the industrial heritage, the local environment and integrating public art.
SW1 Urban Village, Brisbane – SW1 is a mixed-use urban village and a new model for high-quality, pedestrian-prioritised inner urban living. With a range of office buildings, apartment towers, townhouses, restaurants and shops, since its completion in 2010, SW1 has made significant contributions to the renewal and activation of South Brisbane.
The Strand Foreshore Parkland, Townsville – The Strand is a 2.1 kilometre long beachfront promenade in Townsville opened in 2010. Enjoying picturesque views of Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island, a tree shaded promenade links playgrounds, exercise stations, picnic facilities, restaurants and cafes, a saltwater swimming enclosure, art instillations and an ever popular water park.
Darwin Waterfront Public Domain, Darwin – The Darwin Waterfront Public Domain, opened in 2008, represents Stage One of a multi-precinct redevelopment of the city’s former industrial port. Designed by HASSELL, the facility includes parklands, buildings such as the Darwin Convention Centre and a wave lagoon and sand beach that enable residents and visitors to swim safely year-round.
Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane – Developed on the site of Brisbane’s main railway and goods yard and incorporating historic Albert Park and Recreation Ground, Roma Street Parklands is one of Australia’s finest display gardens. Stretching over 16 hectares on the edge of the city’s central business district, the park features a series of garden rooms highlighting different aspects of Queensland’s subtropical vegetation.
South Bank Parklands, Brisbane – South Bank Parklands was opened in 1992 on the site of World Expo 88, on the southern bank of the Brisbane River across from the city’s central business district. Encompassing more than 42 hectares, the precinct is known for its pools, beaches and barbecues, shady promenades, playgrounds, cafes, restaurants and the Wheel of Brisbane – a large Ferris wheel.
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