This report presents the findings of a study conducted at the Urban Studies Lab of Queensland University of Technology (QUT), that placed Australian local government areas under the smart city microscope to evaluate their performances. The study also generates insights for understanding the reasons behind the performance differences of local government areas.

Focusing on planning practices at the local and regional levels, this paper investigates how environmental sustainability is pursued from an institutional perspective.

This paper analyses the sustainability planning governance arrangements in the Cairns region by exploring the capacity, connectivity and knowledge use of institutions in the region to deliver desired sustainability planning outcomes.