Brisbane’s Inner City Strategy

The future of Brisbane’s inner city is alive with opportunity and is home to big ideas and aspirations. It’s where we celebrate our diversity, where our stunning climate inspires active living, where we connect people and places and where we create thriving inner city neighbourhoods.

Brisbane City Council has released Brisbane’s Inner City Strategy (the strategy). The strategy sets the planning direction that will shape the future of Brisbane’s inner city and guide Council’s program of inner city precinct planning and infrastructure delivery in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond. It is our inner city sustainable growth strategy.

View strategy:

The strategy is grounded in the four pillars of:

  • celebrating Brisbane’s subtropical lifestyle
  • curating cultural experiences
  • connecting places and transport
  • creating inner city neighbourhoods.

The four pillars set the strategic direction for Council and provide guidance for the private sector and communities to understand and help bring to life the inner city’s ongoing journey of transformation and renewal. The pillars are supported by desired outcomes and future directions that have been informed by the people of Brisbane through the Inner Spark citywide engagement program.

Community engagement - Inner Spark

In 2022, Council undertook Inner Spark - a citywide conversation and engagement program – to generate bold ideas and help shape the future of the inner city.

We asked Brisbane communities, design studios, university students, industry bodies and professionals in the built environment industry to share with us their brightest ideas. These ideas are showcased in Brisbane’s Book of Big Ideas, and have helped shape the strategy’s four pillars and strategic initiatives.

Next steps - precinct planning

Council’s principal mechanism to deliver the strategy’s aspirations and initiatives is through a progressive program of ‘precinct planning’. Precinct plans will maintain the unique strengths and character of our inner city neighbourhoods and enhance the subtropical lifestyle we already love so much.

Initially focusing on areas which feature major venues for the Brisbane 2032 Games and precincts that are rich in infrastructure, precinct plans will provide the means to enact change and growth at a local level – including for increased and more diverse housing and employment and creating many more vibrant and connected places across the inner city.

Kurilpa Sustainable Growth Precinct area

The first precinct planning activities delivered through Brisbane’s Inner City Strategy will be for the Kurilpa Sustainable Growth Precinct area.

Council has proposed plans to allow taller residential buildings in the Kurilpa precinct, provided they meet higher requirements of design, sustainability and deliver benefits to the wider community.

A Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) will be presented to Council for approval on 6 June 2023. Once approved by Council, the proposed TLPI will be forwarded to the Queensland Government’s Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning for approval to adopt. The TLPI will have effect for a period of up to two years from its adoption and will ensure any new applications lodged for taller residential buildings in the Kurilpa Sustainable Growth Precinct area meet green design and community benefit standards. Council will then prepare a precinct plan and progress amendments to Brisbane City Plan 2014, including full consultation with the community.

Priority precinct investigation program - 2023-2025

Kurilpa TLPI and precinct plan Albion precinct plan
City centre master plan Newstead precinct plan

Key implementation actions

  • Undertake future planning for the Kurilpa precinct.
  • Investigate amendments to Brisbane City Plan 2014 to embed inner city precinct planning.
  • Assist the Queensland Government with precinct planning for Woolloongabba through the Priority Development Area process.

More information

For more information about Brisbane’s Inner City Strategy, you can: 

Last updated: 30 May 2023

Brisbane City Council acknowledges this Country and its Traditional Custodians. We pay our respects to the Elders, those who have passed into the dreaming; those here today; those of tomorrow.