Land use/transport integration: Starting at the right place

Urban transport problems are increasingly being tackled as part of integrated land use/transport strategies. Thredbo 12 discussed high level goals against which urban public transport systems and services should be assessed and highlighted the importance of taking an integrated approach to land use/transport planning. It did not elaborate on how to achieve integration. The Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Strategy, in preparation, has provided an opportunity to explore this question. This study has underlined the importance of understanding structural economic changes that are influencing a city's economic geography, extending the idea of what should be part of an ‘integrated approach’. This structural economic approach has highlighted the importance of land use/transport solutions that differ from what might normally feature in a narrower transport prioritisation process. The Melbourne study has taken both top down and bottom up approaches to strategy integration, which has also widened the emerging strategic transport priorities from those that meet trunk service needs to also include local or neighbourhood level services. These can play important roles in promoting social inclusion and improved wellbeing. The paper reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Melbourne study and suggests ways in which it can contribute to better practice in integrated land use/transport strategic planning.