Australia’s top design and planning bodies say they want to oversee the 2032 Olympics before it is “too late” to make sound planning decisions.
The country’s leading architecture, landscape, planning and design institutes are lobbying the government to create a Design and Coordination Unit for the Brisbane Games.
The calls come after heated disagreements at all levels of government over the design and planning of the Gabba Stadium, the Redland Whitewater Center and other Olympic venues.
The group consists of the Design Institute of Australia, the Planning Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture.
The newly formed group claims to represent 26,000 professionals nationwide.
Landscape architect and spokesperson for the group, Tessa Leggo, said there was frustration within the community due to repeated “cutting and changing” of plans.
Leggo said there were urban planners involved in individual Olympic projects, but there was no global body to ensure a cohesive design.
He said his model would be similar to that established for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
However, he said time was short because the Queensland government was due to establish its new independent Gaming Authority by mid-year.
He said his group wanted the Design and Coordination Unit to launch around the same time as the Gaming Authority.
“We definitely have time, but it needs to be done now,” he said.
“It’s absolutely imperative, we need to have a group that has the oversight and the ability to take a long-term global view of the design.
“This will be the first Olympics that won’t be one village, one central thing, so it’s very important to make sure we’re connected.”
Lasting connection
This week, the group released its Green Pathways Gold Places plan for a “green grid,” which would be a connected network of walkable open spaces.
Planning Institute of Australia Queensland president Sean Cullen said it was important to design the Games in a way that would benefit residents after the athletes left.
“Ensuring the community benefits from tangible, positive changes, such as improved connectivity, investment in a green grid and a step-change in local governance, will be vital to building and maintaining trust in the run-up to the Games,” said Mr. said Cullen.
Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture Queensland vice-president Glen Power said Brisbane’s places needed to be interconnected to have lasting benefits.
“[Their] The legacy depends on quality urban and landscape design in all districts and the connections between them,” he said.
“This union is fundamental and should be seen as a strategic investment rather than a cost.”
A Queensland Government spokesperson said the government would consider the recommendations put forward in the Green Pathways and Gold Places report.
The spokesman said the government hired a variety of architects and designers to plan the Olympic venue projects.
“This includes experienced firms such as AECOM, Blight Rayner, Cox Architecture, Populous and Richard Kirk Architecture,” the spokesperson said.
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