The ignorance of politicians - who normally are owner-occupiers - was another problem, he said. They did not understand the housing crisis or the importance of mutually supportive grassroots communities that are being priced out of West End. Sovereign Foods Australia, a co-op that sells fresh food from the farm direct to consumers, artists, musicians, and small businesses like the Bicycle Revolution could not afford the rents. Bicycle Revolution, a co-operative which started reconditioning vintage bicycles 15 years ago and selling them to hippies and later hipsters, recently closed its doors. Today, the same-style bikes were being made in China and imported. Mr Sri, 27, a community worker who has a law degree, is a renter who lives in a sharehouse with several people, whose campaigning and doorknocking has brought him into close contact with the young and old who live with the stresses of housing insecurity. "Even the people who have moved into the new West End towers feel that some of the changes will detrimentally affect the area," he said, launching the Greens' $6 million Montague Rd Makeover plan on Saturday.

"Even they are looking for pathways so that more people can enjoy the good bits without suffocating them. It's possible for the community to expand." Mr Sri lived on the corner of Montague Road and Vulture Street once, witnessed multiple prangs in heavy traffic and waited 10 minutes to cross the road to reach the markets. "We need walkable neighbourhoods, we need affordable inner-city spaces for homes and businesses," he said. Access to services was key to fighting disadvantage and social mobility, he said. He cites the case of a refugee family he recently door-knocked. They came to Australia 15 years ago and pay $600 a week rent for a four-bedroom house at Dutton Park so that their children can attend Brisbane State High, rather than a disadvantaged school in Logan City. They can afford the house because there are seven adults and four children who share the cost. Another case he mentions is the family being forced to send their children to different schools because they have been forced to move out of the catchment area of the existing school.

"How do we define progress? I define it as the ability to enjoy a high standard of living, working fewer hours, eating healthy food and having a nice place to live," he said. "In the 60s and 70s they talked about a four-day week being around the corner and robots doing all the work - people are working longer hours but leading less fulfilling lives and there's a sense of powerlessness." He said the Greens could be a strong, independent voice in council that kept the major parties accountable and government transparent. "I have been in those kinds of spaces before, being on the outside, but even without a majority in council it is possible to bring about change," he said.