Vegas2015: The Brisbane Retrofit Project is a series of explorations by Arup to understand the depth and breadth of the challenge resulting from a convergence of these issues in Brisbane.  Developing a range of pilot projects that adopt a suite of climate smart strategies for a city-wide retrofit of Brisbane is our vision.

Our cities are places of opportunity.  We rely on them to shelter and entertain us, provide us with employment and mobility.  The city is also a place under much stress as most of the world’s population seek out their ideal future in these urban centres.

But our built environment presents a challenge to our future growth, enhancement and prosperity as we start to realise the significant dependence on fossil fuel fixes we have introduced to solve many of our problems.  Our vehicles and buildings generate carbon pollution, along with our water and waste treatment and management systems.  Ninety-five percent of our food is currently oil dependent.

The city-wide retrofit idea comes from Arup’s Drivers of Change global research initiative, which has been continually exploring the issues most likely to have a major impact on society and the built environment.