What should Brisbane's Queen Street Mall look like in the future?
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That's the $250,000 question Brisbane City Council will be hoping to answer when it completes a detailed series of workshops, surveys and interviews.
The "visioning exercise" was flagged by the council last year, and public workshops will commence at City Hall this month.
The council's finance chairman Julian Simmonds said the existing mall was not broken, but the review would look at whether there should be more entertainment spaces, digital facilities or community activities.
"This process is about preserving the success of the mall and capitalising on emerging opportunities. It is also about listening and incorporating feedback," Cr Simmonds said.
"This is not necessarily a redesign or refurbishment. It is about looking at what we need to do to ensure that the Queen Street Mall remain Australia's most successful mall."
The mall - which had its last major facelift in 2000 - has the most foot traffic of any Australian pedestrian mall, with 26 million visitors each year.
Cr Simmonds said the visioning exercise would include seeking input from 170 Queen Street Mall traders, nearly 4000 mall property owners and peak bodies such as the CBD Economic Development Board and CCIQ.
The exercise is expected to take several months, however timelines on more detailed plans are unknown.
The council embarked on a similar visioning project before upgrading Fortitude Valley's Brunswick Street Mall.
Council Opposition Leader Milton Dick said he was in favour of mall improvements, but wanted to be certain the $250,000 of research would be value for money.
"I want to make sure it's not another council talkfest," he said. "We've seen too much spin around these projects.
"We hope they're looking at the options of more greenery. More can be done to promote the lifestyle aspect of our city, to make it a destination point rather than a concrete jungle."
Cr Dick said safety and amenity measures needed to be the main priority of a potential mall upgrade.
Public workshops will be held at City Hall in the Ithaca Room on March 26, March 31 and April 10.
