When the re-envisioned King George Square was unveiled 18 months ago, Brisbanites responded in collective outrage. Where was the shade ? Where was the colour ? Grey granite paving yet again *groan* !

It was during the gleaming freshness of the honeymoon period, that we regular folk realised we bristled with sunburn after just a quick dash from one side of the square to the other. So imagine the hell wreaked upon the alabaster skins of the brooding posse of Goths loitering at the doorstep of City Hall.

And the response from Can-do-Campbell ?

“Wait,” was what we were told.

He said the couple of fig trees planted in the paved expanse would one day provide enough umbrage for a veritable bevy of emos, punks and Goths – though it would be many years, and generations of fringe-dwelling subcultures before we could enjoy their shady respite.

It’s fair enough to understand that, as visiting locals to our redeveloped public spaces, we must tolerate a period during which the subtropical vegetation can grow to sufficient maturity. Think South Bank’s iconic arbour during its steely stark beginnings. Were we not initially horrified at the ugly industrial aesthetic ? But in time, we have taken into our hearts the clipped and coiffed purple beauty of the bougainvillea treillage. New Farm park too, in its infancy would have appeared incomplete without her graceful Jacaranda flowers carpeting our paths in dusty pink flowers and contributing to our city’s inappreciable seasonal identity. Thus, it is not unheard for BrizVegas to have waited patiently to take pleasure in the mature offering of trees and plants.

What I find harder to forgive, however, are the poorly considered excuses for built public infrastructure dotted about our parks and squares. Why are we so forgiving of hastily constructed and/or cookie cutter picnic tables, shelters, public art, toilet blocks, public works buildings, etc ? There is no reason why the same logic of delayed gratification from soft landscaping should not be similarly applied to hardscaping. We are right to demand more of our public spaces and subscribe to the old adage of quality over quantity, this being an especially salient point in an era of rapidly depleting resources. Consideration of a materials palette which bears a relationship to the site in which it is to be applied would result in sui generis design rather than carbon copying of precedent exemplars.

To visit the most recent of the CBD’s public spaces, the Kangaroo Point parkland with its steel, glass and poured concrete is to think oneself in Anywhere Parkland, BrisVegas. There are no noteworthy features (apart from the spectacular river backdrop) which signify to the visitor where he or she is. Almost identical to countless other urban parks throughout our city, it lacks flair and is really quite boring.

For the future, let us celebrate South East Queensland’s regional identity through public space and continue our explorations into developing local design vernacular.