Public transport, urban form and urban structure: the example of Brisbane's tram system

The form and structure of a city are strongly influenced by its transport system, although this influence is mutual rather than unidirectional. This paper explores the historical interactions between Brisbane's urban form and urban structure on the one hand and its tramway system on the other h...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian planner Vol. 52; no. 2; pp. 156 - 168
Main Authors: Melville, Emily, Minnery, John
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 03-04-2015
Subjects:
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The form and structure of a city are strongly influenced by its transport system, although this influence is mutual rather than unidirectional. This paper explores the historical interactions between Brisbane's urban form and urban structure on the one hand and its tramway system on the other hand. The paper identifies a number of financial, institutional, political and related factors that determined the development trajectory of the tramway system from its start in the 1880s; but similar factors led to its eventual demise in 1969. By showing how Brisbane's tramways developed and the intimate connections of this system to the changing shape and structure of the city the research reinforces the importance of understanding the links between transport and land use, as well as highlighting the potential role of transport technologies in shaping more sustainable cities.
ISSN:0729-3682
2150-6841
DOI:10.1080/07293682.2014.957333