Eric David, the passionate mind behind brisbanedevelopment.com.au, has been a vocal advocate for thoughtful urban growth in Brisbane since launching his website in 2008 during a gap year. A self-described enthusiast of property and infrastructure, Eric’s journey began in high school with a town planning class that sparked his lifelong interest. He later pursued property economics at university, doubling up with a major in town planning, before carving out a career in real estate—first as CBRE’s Residential Marketing Manager and now as Domain’s Key Account Partner. His website, which he started to fill a gap in Brisbane’s development discourse, offers detailed insights into the city’s commercial and residential projects, from towering inner-city apartments to large infrastructure developments.
Brisbanedevelopment.com.au isn’t just a repository of development applications (DAs); it’s a platform where Eric shares his critiques and ideas for a better Brisbane. “There was nothing that really had an opinion about how we should be building,” he told Phillip Blake in a recent interview. Eric spends around eight hours a week on the site, often cancelling plans to break the news on new DAs before competitors, ensuring his audience gets the freshest updates. The site’s audience is diverse—developers, architects, planners, council members, and millennials eager for better architecture and planning—all drawn to Eric’s detailed analyses, like lift-to-unit ratios or the presence of recycling chutes, which he evaluates from a resident’s perspective.
One of the site’s standout features is its free 3D interactive development map, a time-consuming but popular tool that lets users “fly around Brisbane and see what it will look like in the future.” Partnering with Giraffe, a software company, Eric transformed a basic 2D map into a dynamic visual experience that developers frequently use. He also recently introduced a feature to capture leads for residential projects, bridging the gap between DA approval and sales by building a VIP database for developers. This innovation reflects his knack for adapting the site to serve both the public and industry, a balance he maintains despite running the operation solo, with occasional help from a friend like Yen, who assisted with the transition from .com to .au a few years ago.
Eric’s philosophy centres on a clever design that serves the community, a conviction shaped by his own experiences living in Brisbane apartments—like the frustration of schlepping recycling to the basement in a South Brisbane building that lacked a dual waste chute. He critiques projects with a resident-first lens, pointing out missed opportunities for sustainability, like the absence of solar panels on communal roofs, and advocating for practical amenities that enhance livability. His influence extends beyond the screen; a councillor once noted that planners take note of his critiques, making Eric a voice for future residents and a subtle influencer in Brisbane’s development landscape.
Looking at Brisbane’s future, Eric sees both potential and missed opportunities, particularly with the 2032 Olympics on the horizon. He’s a firm supporter of the Games but believes the city hasn’t leveraged them enough for infrastructure gains, like a proper underground metro system linking areas like St. Lucia to Newstead. “We’ve completely missed the mark on mass transit,” he says, frustrated by the lack of ambition in projects like the so-called Metro, which he argues is just a glorified bus system. He also pushes for “missing middle” developments—four-to-five-story buildings like terraces in suburbs like Albion—to create walkable, dense communities without the jarring contrast of high-rises next to Queenslanders.
For Eric, the future of brisbanedevelopment.com.au might lead to a full-time role, but his ultimate dream is to partner with a developer and create community-focused projects, inspired by Melbourne’s Nightingale model—a non-profit developer that crowdfunds affordable, resident-driven housing. “I want people to have wealth,” he says, envisioning a Brisbane where young buyers can afford homes through innovative, socially conscious development. As Brisbane grows, Eric David remains a passionate advocate for a city that builds not just taller, but smarter, ensuring its developments reflect the needs and dreams of its people.
