Greg Vann
@gregvann
Australian urbanist at large based in Brisbane, 46+ years experience. Founder Urban Mentors Collective. Co founder Ethos Urban, President Queensland Walks. Keen to make cities better and to help those who want to do that.
Stage 3 of Gold Coast light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads opened yesterday to huge crowds. It will be a great success and makes a mockery of the ill judged decision not to build stage 4 to the Gold Coast airport. I predict that’ll happen eventually.
We all know what our city could do better. But catching a trademark city cat to Howard Smith Wharves under the landmark Story Bridge on a winter evening, under clear blue skies and a temperature around 19C just reminds me that Brisbane is a GREAT city.
Some big things opening in public transport in Oceania: Gold Coast light rail stage 4, connecting Broadbeach & Burleigh opens this weekend Auckland’s City Rail link opens 13 September. I predict they’ll both be huge successes!
“Despite the widespread harm caused by cars & automobility, governments, corporations, & individuals continue to facilitate it by expanding roads, manufacturing larger vehicles, & subsidising parking, electric cars, & resource extraction… Currently, 1 in 34 deaths are caused by automobility.
Doing a tour of the Queensland outback with a couple of mates. Boy, a lot of the small outback towns have made a lot of effort on their main streets. They all seem to be thriving post covid with so many people touring around, camping grounds and hotels are all pretty full.
@greaterauckland.bsky.social @patrickreynolds.bsky.social making sure the shirt is seen around the country!
This is a special place for me. Where we had many family holidays and I now have holidays with my children and their children. And where my late wife’s ashes were spread 7 years ago this Sunday. Just a lovely part of the world called Moffat Beach.
Rode my bike along the river today. Spectacular morning, well done Brisbane!
Brisbane’s new Cross River Rail station at Roma Street is becoming more visible!
Went to a meeting this arvo that was nothing to do with planning or cities, but the room had excellent wallpaper!
My @greaterauckland.bsky.social tee shirt arrived! I’m pleased to continue my support for this excellent community based organisation that has had a profound impact on the maturing of Auckland into a great city. Don’t believe me? Have a squiz at their website www.greaterauckland.org.nz/our-impact/
These types of signs in Vancouver show just how car centric our language about roads has become. It’s not closed, it’s closed to vehicle traffic. It could just have easily read “road now open to people only” or something similar… Thanks to @urbantruth.bsky.social for the image
Power outage in my street today, scheduled to replace a power pole. So I walked my dog Peanut around the corner to our local village at Rosalie for breakfast and coffee at my local cafe. Walkability is real!
The rise of huge SUVs is one of the most corrosive trends in transport of recent times. They create a vicious circle almost like an arms race. Russell King on LinkedIn nails this in this graphic and also identifies 4 key measure to turn this vicious circle into a virtuous one.
The biggest misconception: Low rates of walking, biking and transit don’t mean people prefer driving, it means cities have been designed for car use at the expense of safe, convenient and practical walking, biking & transit. Via Propel Bikes on FB
Cities making progress on better suburbs don’t ask "how do we move more cars?" but "what is the good urban life, & how do we build toward it?” They pilot things at a meaningful scale & put place-makers in charge, not engineers. Via Russell King on LinkedIn integratedtransport.org.uk/downloads/De...
One of the simplest & wisest quotes about cities is Fred Kent’s: “If you plan cities for cars & traffic, you get cars & traffic. If you plan for people & places, you get people & places.” Enlightened cities around the world are doing this. Some still think cars & traffic are the answer.
Really? Park the huge 4WD ute half on the footpath next to a 10m wide road pavement?
One of Brisbane’s great attributes is large areas of bushland close to inner suburbs. Five minutes from home I get to walk in places like this with a mate and our dogs.
The term “rush hour” is one of transport’s big misnomers (right up there with freeways and greenways).
Vested interests manipulating public perceptions and government to invest in things that make cities worse, cost billions and defer better solutions just to ensure they make huge profits? Who would have thought it.
Love this one from @tomflood.bsky.social’s LinkedIn feed (developed with The Biking Lawyer LLP):
One of the all time classics: a major intersection which only has pedestrian crossings on 3 of the 4 legs, meaning anyone not driving has to go the long way around and wait for 3 light changes.
Rightio: characteristics of motor car dominance time. Nominate one. I’ll start: When vehicle traffic is being excluded from a road/place/street, signs are erected saying “road closed”, rather than “road closed to vehicle traffic” (and open for all other users!)