‘Green the Street’ returns this year with greater enthusiasm and participation, with more than 40 organisations, sustainable businesses and volunteers coming together to reimagine the street of the future.
Led by urban design consultancy RobertsDay, this initiative, which is now in its second year, will construct ‘Green the Street’ between 5 and 8 August, with the 70m interactive activation available for the community to experience from 9-18 August at Ekka in Brisbane.
Green the Street was conceptualised in 2018 by Catherine Simpson, senior urban designer at RobertsDay as a radical reimagining of public space into an innovative, sustainable and people-focussed city lab and carbon sequestration city park, rainforest and farm.
The 2018 installation drew more than 200,000 people during Ekka, helping Green the Street grow into an independent community organisation that has since initiated green street concepts throughout Brisbane.
RobertsDay and Green the Street are leading the design and installation of this year’s street, with enthusiastic participation from several landscape designers, street artists, horticulturalists, gardeners and urban farmers among others.
Highlights of the 2019 reimagined street will include new street technologies such as electric bicycles, scooters and apps; sustainable ideas in carbon neutral construction, recycled furniture and bamboo structures; virtual reality views of the future; an urban agriculture hub with native beehives and locally produced food; hundreds of trees and hanging plants forming an urban rainforest; delicately yarned biometric artworks and structures; and an urban parkland with bicycles and murals.
RobertsDay has also partnered with Queensland University of Technology to develop the Future Cities art wall that will ask the public to paint, write and draw what they would like to see in their future streets.
Green the Street co-founder Catherine Simpson says: “Increasing urbanisation, the advent of electric and autonomous vehicles, and a move towards more humanistic cities are opening the possibilities to ‘green streets’. Green the Street proposes changing how our streets function – by taking away the asphalt to allow for more bicycles, people, social spaces and health-enhancing landscapes. Green streets can positively influence not only our mental, physical and social health, but also our happiness and way of life.
“Currently, Brisbane serves the car first, with massive sections of this city dedicated to asphalt. We look forward to growing the Green the Street concept with the view to leading open, public debates on the topic between Brisbane’s city-makers and our communities. We are reclaiming our streets.”
Green the Street event details
Green the Street will be constructed between 5 and 8 August with the opening ceremony at 9.40am on 9 August.
Address: The Old Museum, 480 Gregory Terrace, Brisbane
