Beyond flood resilience — Rethinking typology and strategies for flood-prone Buyback land in suburban Brisbane

This research investigates the challenges and opportunities of flood-prone buyback land in the context of intensifying climate change and urban intensification, taking the suburbs of Brisbane City in Australia as a case study. While the floodable land buyback strategy has gained global interest, there has been limited focus on the future of this acquired land in cities. Approaching the design of flood-prone buyback land requires an understanding of the impacts and the specific manifestations of buyback land while embracing the increasing presence of water in these areas.

The findings suggest that flood-prone land buyback offers a pathway for affected and vulnerable residents to be safe from recurrent floods and rebuild their lives. How buyback is carried out significantly affects the local communities and the suburban ecosystem, including biodiversity and vegetation loss exacerbating vulnerabilities to other climate-related challenges such as heat and sun exposure. Land acquired through buyback offers opportunities to reshape cities when undertaken alongside measures to address broader environmental, urban planning and design concerns in the face of climate change.