r/brisbane • u/SimonLychee • 6h ago
Brisbane has a walkability problem that doesn't show up on Google Maps: shade
My car was out of action for a few days recently, so I ended up walking around Brisbane a lot more than usual.
And I realised something that probably sounds incredibly obvious to anyone who regularly walks or catches public transport.
The difference between a pleasant 15-minute walk and an absolutely miserable one often has nothing to do with the distance.
It's the trees.
You can walk down one street with these beautiful old trees forming a canopy over the footpath and genuinely enjoy being outside.
Then you turn a corner onto a completely exposed stretch of concrete and suddenly feel like you're being personally punished by the sun.
Same suburb. Same time of day. Completely different experience.
I actually caught myself choosing where to buy lunch based on which route had the most shade, rather than which place was closest.
And it got me thinking about how much we talk about making Brisbane more walkable without always considering whether people actually want to walk those routes in our climate.
A bus stop technically being within walking distance is great. But if getting there involves ten minutes of direct sun and then standing beside a busy road with barely any shelter, that convenience starts looking pretty theoretical.
Obviously we can't magically grow mature trees overnight, and I understand there are issues with underground services, maintenance, and available space.
But it feels like shade should be treated as essential infrastructure in Brisbane, not just something that makes a street look nicer.
The funny thing is that some of our older, leafier streets already demonstrate how much of a difference it makes.
I'm curious whether other people have noticed this.
Are there any particular streets or walking routes around Brisbane that you absolutely love because of the tree cover? Or places that should be an easy walk but feel completely unbearable during the warmer months?
I'd love to hear both, because I'm starting to think the quality of a walking route matters just as much as its length.