CRC - Land use planning

Land use planning can have a powerful influence on the level of bicycle friendliness of a given area. Planning low density, car dependent developments may impact negatively on the attractiveness of cycling as a transport or recreational option. Conversely, higher density, mixed use planning often results in an environment conducive to bicycling, as trip distances are shorter.

The following documents offer an overview of the various land use planning considerations impacting on bicycle friendliness:
Australia:

Dodson, J. and Sipe, G. 2006, "Shocking the suburbs: Urban location, housing debt and oil vulnerability in the Australian city", Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Brisbane.
Visit Site

Shocking the suburbs outlines the vulnerability of Australian communities to rising fuel prices, automobile dependence and housing debt. It has important implications for land use planning, with particular emphasis on the creation of communities less dependent on motor vehicles and an increased role for the bicycle.
Dodson, J. and Sipe, G. 2005, "Oil vulnerability in the Australian city", Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Brisbane.
Visit Site View PDF

Oil vulnerability in the Australian city documents the precarious position, particularly of outer suburban communities to future rises in the price of petrol. It provides a strong case for improvements to land use and transport planning that increase mode choice for the less dominant transport forms of walking, cycling and public transport.
Dodson, J. and Sipe, G. 2006, "Suburban shocks: Assessing locational vulnerability to rising household fuel and mortgage interest costs", Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Brisbane.
Visit Site

This study undertakes a locational ‘vulnerability assessment for mortgage, petrol and inflation risks and expenses’ (VAMPIRE) to assess how potential adverse impacts from rising fuel costs would likely be distributed across Australian cities. The study uses ABS Census data to create a vulnerability index that can identify areas of greatest risk, and conversely, those areas where the impacts of rising fuel costs are likely to be less extensive. The study reflects on the capacity of existing urban structures and transport systems to accommodate behavioural responses to rising fuel costs and changing household financial pressures. The conclusions of the research identify a number of potential policy directions to address oil and mortgage vulnerability with an emphasis on equitable spatial provision of public transport services.
Yigitcanlar, T., Dodson, J., Gleeson, B., 2005, "Sustainable Australia: Containing travel in master planned estates", Urban Research Program, Griffith University, Brisbane.
View PDF

This paper examines the relationship between urban form and travel pattern. It explains how land use planning can have a strong influence on travel behaviour – with high density, mixed use development acting to reduce car use and promoting alternative modes, including cycling, due to lower trip distances. It recommends a refocus of transports goal, from mobility to accessibility.
National Heart Foundation of Australia, June 2004, "Healthy by design: a planners' guide to environments for active living"
View PDF

In line with the heart foundation's ethos of promoting healthy lifestyles, this resource is designed to make it easier for planners to incorporate healthier design considerations into daily planning decisions.
Kent, E. (2007) 2 August - Melbourne, Australia After a Decade of Focus on Public Spaces, NYC Streets Renaissance - StreetsBlog
Visit Site

This blog discusses the transformation of Melbourne as viewed by a US visitor to the city.

Melbourne's central business district is as dense and urban as any U.S. city other than New York. Like New York City, Melbourne—the fastest growing city in Australia, with a population of nearly 4 million—has a lively public life. But it hasn't always been so. A “New World” city, designed on a grid, Melbourne went as far, or further, than its U.S. counterparts in planning itself around the automobile.
Burke, M. and Brown, L. (2005) "Rating the Transport Sustainability of New Urban Developments: a starting point and ways forward^",Conference Publications (Full Written Paper - Refereed)
Visit Site

With the 'sustainable city' now the dominant paradigm in Australian urban planning there is growing acceptance of transit oriented design (TOD) and New Urbanist concepts in planning policy and practice. Responding to increasingly extended journey-to-work and other trip movements, land use developers are being encouraged to ensure new development proposals create the potential for populations to make shorter journeys and to make mode shifts away from the private motor car and towards walking, cycling and public transport. Planning instruments are seeking increased land use mixing, densification around nodes, as well as a series of urban configurations and built form attributes that are considered conducive to sustainable travel behaviour.
Burke, M. and Brown, L. (2005) "Rating the Transport Sustainability of Transit Oriented Developments: will developments achieve objectives?", Conference Publications (Full Written Paper - Refereed)
Visit Site

Transit oriented developments (TODs), be they greenfields developments, in-fill or redevelopments of existing sites, have been included as a key component within a number of recent metropolitan strategies within Australia, including the South East Queensland regional plan. Responding to increasingly extended journeys-to-work and other trip movements, TODs are one land use planning intervention that creates the potential for populations to make shorter journeys and to make mode shifts away from the private motor car and towards walking, cycling and public transport. For instance, while there may be increased opportunities to reach line-haul public transport for longer trip purposes, designs could actually create less sustainable behaviours for other trip purposes, such as journeys to and from school or to and from local shopping.
Burke, M. and Brown, L. (2006) "Building an area-based travel sustainability tool: rating the residential travel performance of new urban developments^",Conference Publications (Full Written Paper - Refereed)
Visit Site

Figure 1 Conceptual model of the determinants of the transport energy consumption and human physical activity of new urban developments We are interested in the sensitivity of the location and design of developments to such matters as vehicular energy consumption (which relates to both the distance travelled by each travel mode and Infrastructure 02 Area-Based Travel Sustainability Tool INFRASTRUCTURE 02 ? 3 greenhouse gas emissions) and to human physical activity (given the recent policy focus towards the health implications of urban environments in terms of transport/land-use relationships

New South Wales:

Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, 2001, Integrating Land Use and Transport: Improving Transport Choice – Guidelines for planning and development, Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, NSW Government, Sydney.
View PDF

Integrating Land Use and Transport covers a broad range of contemporary urban planning issues related to transport, including cycling. A strong emphasis is placed on planning with the aim of creating a wide variety of transport choices, with the view of reducing car use.
Department of Planning, 2004, Planning guidelines for walking and cycling, Department of Planning, NSW Government, Sydney.
View PDF

The Government is keen to support NSW Councils, communities and the development industry to improve planning for walking and cycling. It recognises that whilst there may be broad support for this aim, the challenge is how it can be integrated into the day-to-day work of urban planners and related professionals. These guidelines include information, concepts, case studies and illustrations designed to assist planners in meeting this challenge.
Designing Places for Active Living seeks to contribute to the range of initiatives addressing these and other issues by proposing key design considerations for urban places in metropolitan, regional and rural areas. These design considerations have the potential to positively impact individual and community health and well-being in the broadest sense, thereby meeting multiple health, environmental and social objectives.
Visit Site
Local Government and Shire Association of NSW - sustainable transport webpage
Visit Site

NSW Local Government is an important stakeholder in the planning and provision of appropriate pedestrian, cycling, parking and public transport facilities in local council areas.
City of Sydney, Sustainable Sydney 2030 Strategic Plan
View PDF (4MB)

Final consultation draft of the City Strategy - A city for walking and cycling, supporting information.

Queensland:

Queensland Transport, 2006, Bicycle riding and new subdivision design, Queensland Transport, Queensland Government, Brisbane.
View PDF

Highlights the importance of considering factors affecting cyclist’s amenity in the development of subdivisions. An important introductory resource for local government and developers.
Burke, M. and Brown, L. (2007) "Active Transport in Brisbane: how much is happening and what are its characteristics?", Conference Publications (Full Written Paper - Refereed)
Visit Site

Active transport is a term describing travel between destinations by walking, cycling and other non-motorised modes. Being 'active' this component of household travel is of interest to both the transport and health fields.

Victoria:

Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2002, Melbourne 2030, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victorian Government, Melbourne.
View PDF

Melbourne 2030 is the Victorian Government’s planning blueprint to manage Melbourne’s growth towards 2030. Melbourne is forecast to add 1 million new residents by 2030 and this plan commits to developing a more compact, sustainable city. Reducing car use through the encouragement of cycling is central to this objective. Policy 8.7 commits to increase the level of priority cycling receives in urban development and road system decisions.
Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2005, Safer Design Guidelines for Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victorian Government, Melbourne.
View PDF
The Safer Design Guidelines for Victoria aim to assist government bodies, developers, designers and property owners by providing them with the information required to create environments that improve both actual and perceived safety. Many of the key concepts support the development of bicycle friendly design, due to cycling’s positive effect on community safety in such areas as passive surveillance.
Municipal Association of Victoria, Sustainable Transport Action Plan 2006-7
View PDF

Paper on Local governments role with regard to sustainable transport.

Australian Capital Territory:

ACT Planning and Land Authority, 2006, Bicycle Parking Guidelines, ACT Government, Canberra.
View PDF

These Guidelines are an initiative of The Sustainable Transport Plan for the ACT.1
The Plan aims to achieve a more sustainable transport system for the ACT over the next 25 years by achieving a shift away from car use and towards walking, cycling and public transport. For cycling, the objective is to increase the proportion of commuter trips from 2.3% in 2001 to 7% in 2026.

International:

Land Transport New Zealand, 2006, Neighbourhood accessibility planning, New Zealand Government, Christchurch.
Visit Site

Neighbourhood accessibility planning is designed to help councils improve walking and cycling access and safety.
Litman, T., 2007, Evaluating Transportation Land Use Impacts, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Victoria, Canada.
View PDF

This paper examines how transport planning choices affect land use, and the economic, social and environmental impacts of these decisions. It outlines particular methods to ensure that planning decision are made to support rather than hinder economic, social and environmental objectives.
National Complete Streets Coalition (US), website, Complete the Streets
Visit Site

Complete the Streets aims to improve street safety and amenity to all road users; pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and drivers.
The European Network for Cycling Expertise, website, Cycling and Planning
View PDF

Cycling and Planning outlines the needs of cyclists, in terms of infrastructure and land use planning requirements. It describes the key criteria that must be satisfied in order to encourage people to cycle. Emphasis is placed on an integrated approach that accounts for both immediate infrastructure as well as broad land use planning concepts, such as urban density.
Knowledge base on Sustainable Urban Land Use and Transport, website, Transport Strategy: A Decision Makers’ Guidebook
Visit Site

This guidebook is a straight forward, web based package to assist in the development of sustainable transport systems. Significant attention is placed on cycling. It has been developed for a range of potential audiences; politicians, transport planners, advisers and individual community members to name a few.
Pucher, J., Buehler, R., 2006, Why Canadians cycle more than Americans: A comparative analysis of bicycling trends and policies, Transport Policy, Vol. 13, p. 265 – 279.
View PDF

This research paper, although North American focused, offers an important explanation of how transport and land use policies influence rates of cycling.
Pucher, J., Dijkstra, L., 2003, Promoting safe walking and cycling to improve public health: Lessons from the Netherlands and Germany, American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 93, No. 9.
View PDF

This research paper assesses the public health consequences of unsafe and unattractive walking and cycling amenity. It does this through an examination of conditions in US cities and compares them to the Netherlands and Germany. This paper is instructive to Australian and New Zealand planners despite its US and European focus.
Kent, E. (2007) 2 August - Melbourne, Australia After a Decade of Focus on Public Spaces, NYC Streets Renaissance - StreetsBlog
Visit Site

This blog discusses the transformation of Melbourne as viewed by a US visitor to the city.

Melbourne's central business district is as dense and urban as any U.S. city other than New York. Like New York City, Melbourne—the fastest growing city in Australia, with a population of nearly 4 million—has a lively public life. But it hasn't always been so. A “New World” city, designed on a grid, Melbourne went as far, or further, than its U.S. counterparts in planning itself around the automobile.
Eckerson Jr., C. (2007) " Transportation Ethics" (9.10 min video), NYC Streets Renaissance - StreetFilms.org
Visit Site

Who knew that Randy Cohen, a guy who spends most of his day analyzing right and wrong as the New York Times Magazine’s acclaimed “Visit Site ,” turns out to be one of New York City’s most captivating and articulate voices for Livable Streets.

The Open Planning Project’s Executive Director Mark Gorton recently interviewed Mr. Cohen on the ethics of urban auto-mobility. The result has been condensed here into a 9 minute talk that touches on a multitude of topics ranging from Congestion Pricing to Parking Policy.