Roma Street Canopies Concept Puts Forward New Vision For Inner City Green Space

Brisbane architect and urban designer Liam Proberts has unveiled an ambitious concept to transform one of the city’s most fragmented inner city corridors by constructing a large scale elevated green canopy over the Roma Street railway yards.

The proposal, known as Roma Street Canopies, would see a network of walkable parklands, gardens and pedestrian pathways built above the existing rail infrastructure, effectively stitching together neighbourhoods long divided by transport corridors and major roads.

According to Proberts, the concept has the potential to return approximately 7.5 hectares of new green space to Brisbane’s inner city.

“By building an elevated walkable green canopy over the Roma Street Railway Yards, we can give 7.5 hectares of new green space back to the city,” Proberts said.

“This would transform the western edge of Brisbane’s CBD with a series of interlinked canopies acting as the foundations for landscaped gardens, walkways and bicycle paths.”

The proposal positions the railway yards not as a barrier but as an opportunity, using contemporary engineering to support new layers of public space above active transport infrastructure.

“The technology exists to build above the existing rail yards. This initiative will create a large scale elevated canopy that will carry earthworks, landscaping, plantings, trees and the other infrastructure required to develop new parklands.”

Liam Proberts

If realised, the Roma Street Canopies would create new pedestrian connections between the Brisbane CBD, Roma Street Parklands, Suncorp Stadium and the planned Victoria Park Olympic Precinct, significantly improving walkability across the inner city.

Proberts said the city’s natural topography has long shaped Brisbane’s identity but has also contributed to its fractured pedestrian environment.

“The topography and landscape of the area are part of Brisbane’s identity,” he said. “However, the historical railway transport nodes that bring us into the city have split the inner city apart for pedestrians.”

He noted that the existing routes between the CBD and key destinations such as Suncorp Stadium and Victoria Park are difficult, exposed and often unsafe.

“Anyone who walks around Brisbane city will know that it is currently difficult and unsafe to walk from the CBD across to the key Olympic venues in Victoria Park, or up to Suncorp Stadium,” Proberts said.

“It can be hot and unwelcoming, with steep inclines, no shade, and busy roads and railway tracks blocking your way.”

Under the proposal, pedestrians arriving at Roma Street Station could walk directly to Victoria Park in approximately fifteen minutes on a single accessible level, avoiding steep terrain and traffic dominated streets.

“This proposal will mean that residents and visitors will be able to catch a train to Roma Street Station and walk directly from the station to Victoria Park in fifteen minutes, all on one easily accessible level,” he said.

The project also aligns with broader transport and planning initiatives, including Cross River Rail, with Proberts arguing that the canopy could help reduce car dependency in the inner city.

“The project optimises the use of new infrastructure, including the Cross River Rail, to reduce our reliance upon cars to create a healthy walkable city,” he said.

Beyond public space, the proposal also identifies opportunities for new development around the edges of the railway corridor, with more than 1,000 apartments, hotels and other uses potentially delivered to help fund the project.

“It will also open up land across the Roma Street precinct for new residential housing developments close to the Brisbane CBD and its associated employment opportunities,” Proberts said.

He described the concept as a market led initiative that could complement existing planning work underway in the Roma Street Priority Development Area.

“This would be a market led proposal that complements the current work being done in the Roma Street Priority Development Area by Economic Development Queensland and QIC,” Proberts said.

“Roma Street Canopies can occur independent of the 2032 Olympics, although it will supercharge the possibilities being created by the Brisbane 2032 Olympics infrastructure.”

The Property Council of Australia has publicly endorsed the proposal, describing it as the kind of long term thinking Brisbane needs.

“This is exactly the kind of bold, future focused vision Brisbane deserves,” said Jess Caire, Executive Director Queensland of the Property Council of Australia.

“This aspirational concept has the power to unlock enormous potential, connecting key precincts while creating new housing and vibrant public spaces.”

Caire said elevated green corridors reflect Brisbane’s subtropical character while delivering economic and social benefits.

“Elevated green corridors pay homage to our subtropical climate, making the city more walkable, reducing car dependency, and boosting economic activity,” she said.

“Ambitious plans like this will not only enhance Brisbane’s liveability and long term prosperity but also cement our position as a global city for decades to come.”

bureau^proberts is now acting as the champion for the idea, with discussions underway with state and local governments and potential partners as part of a proposed submission to Economic Development Queensland.

Proberts said the concept is intended to provoke a broader conversation about Brisbane’s future.

“We want to provoke some ambitious thinking about how we make our city a better place to live and work,” he said.

“We believe in Brisbane’s status as one of the best cities in the world and that we can be adventurous in how we think about the city’s future.”