Reflecting on an Integrated Approach for Transport and Spatial Planning as a Pathway to Sustainable Urbanization

Juhyun Lee

doi:10.3390/su122310218

Abstract

An integrated approach to transport and spatial development has been promoted over the past decades not only in North America and Europe but also in rapidly growing cities in Asia as a means to achieve sustainable urbanization. Some fundamental issues are yet to be discussed. To what extent does land use and transport integration (LUTI) meet its goals including triggering sustainable land use and enhancing environmental quality? What are the key barriers and opportunities to achieving broader social outcomes such as wellbeing of local populations? This paper critically reflects on LUTI planning and practice in rapidly developing cities with focus on ongoing challenges and opportunities to facilitating sustainable urban development. It points out that without establishing institutional harmonization between spatial and transport planning, LUTI policies are hardly implemented, thus rarely resulting in effective and sustainable land use. Moreover, enhancing the social outcomes by an integrated planning approach requires development control that facilitates various actors to embed quality criteria in development around nodes. Balancing development incentives and restrictive measures for development is critical. Finally, to facilitate sustainable outcomes across varied localities in cities, bottom-up and top-down planning approaches need to be reconciled through the strategic and operational phase of transport projects.

Highlights

An integrated approach to transport and spatial development such as land use transport integration (LUTI) has been promoted over the past decades as a means to achieve sustainable urban development, in North America and Europe and in rapidly developing cities in Asia [1,2]
What are the actual outcomes from LUTI implementation? To what extent does densification-focused planning policy achieve its ultimate goals such as facilitating effective land use and enhancing environmental quality? What are the key barriers and opportunities to achieving broader social outcomes such as enhanced quality of life of local populations? To ensure sustainable urban development, critical reflection on the outcomes and the processes of land use and transport integration in practice is necessary, especially for those who consider LUTI policies along with huge investment in public transport infrastructure
This paper critically reviews an integrated approach for transport and spatial planning in rapidly growing cities with a focus on barriers and opportunities to achieving sustainable urban development. It reflects on how urban planning practice and policy options might better address problems and issues arising from land use transport integration

Summary

Introduction

An integrated approach to transport and spatial development such as land use transport integration (LUTI) has been promoted over the past decades as a means to achieve sustainable urban development, in North America and Europe and in rapidly developing cities in Asia [1,2]. This paper critically reviews an integrated approach for transport and spatial planning in rapidly growing cities with a focus on barriers and opportunities to achieving sustainable urban development. It reflects on how urban planning practice and policy options might better address problems and issues arising from land use transport integration. It uses the author’s experiences as a researcher, practitioner, and someone engaged in urban policy and planning in recently developed countries and draws on a range of sources to illuminate critical components for an integrated planning approach

Implementation of an Integrated Approach for Land Use and Transport Planning

Enhancing Social Outcomes from Land Use and Transport Integration

Towards an Integrated Approach for Sustainable Urbanization