ABSTRACT
Brisbane City Council is the largest local government in Australia, with a metropolitan area comparable in size to that of Los Angeles, albeit with a more modest population of about 1.25 million in 2022. Brisbane developed out of a nineteenth-century convict settlement, and its street layout reflects those modest beginnings. The State engaged the firm 'Wilbur Smith and Associates' to create the Brisbane Transportation Study, published in 1965, detailing a significant remaking of the City's road network, with recommendations out to 1981. Following the freeway solution/problem, the City committed to investing in significant car parking construction, including a 980-space underground car park, the largest in Australia at that time, and the catalyst for creating 'King George Square' that fronts City Hall. As Brisbane focused on the opportunities for inner urban revival, interest grew in an urban light rail system to complement plans for urban renewal.
