A new guide on sustainable transport, published by the Town & Country Planning Association (TCPA), outlines how new communities inspired by the Garden City Principles provide a unique opportunity to create places which enable people to live in healthy, happy communities that reduce their impact on the environment, while enhancing social and economic wellbeing. This includes embedding sustainable transport systems from the outset to avoid car-based development and create exemplar new communities.
The guide, published with support from Vectos and The Lady Margaret Paterson Osborn Trust, explores a set of key principles to enable new garden communities to embrace their visionary mindset and deliver exceptional places, as well as establishing guidance on funding and delivery, for local authorities and others to achieve these aims.
The overarching elements are:
- Principle 1: Location and connectivity should be the starting point
- Principle 2: Set an overarching vision, focused on delivering sustainable transport
- Principle 3: Collaboration is crucial
- Principle 4: Sustainable transport systems must be inclusive
- Principle 5: Transport must be future-proofed
Strategic planning and design:
- Principle 6: Local Plans should establish mode share targets and networks
- Principle 7: Build to the right density
- Principle 8: Apply a user hierarchy
- Principle 9: Consider key design features
- Principle 10: Integrate green infrastructure and climate resilience within transport design
Fiona Howie, Chief Executive of the TCPA said: ‘If we are to tackle the climate, health and housing crises we need new large–scale developments to support people to walk and cycle more. And we must stop creating places that are dependent on cars. New Garden Cities and other ‘garden communities’ provide an opportunity to create new exemplar places and embed the renewed interest in walking and cycling we saw during lockdown.’
Lynda Addison OBE, Chair of the CIHT Sustainable Transport Panel and Immediate Past Chair of Transport Planning Society, said ‘New Garden Cities are in the perfect position to ensure that new settlements are located and designed to embrace the positive changes in people’s lifestyles, and transform how people move and live in new communities.
‘This guidance will help these new communities set the vision and design elements that provides a sustainable transport system to meet people’s needs, reflect the importance of minimising the need to travel, the decarbonisation of transport and encourages an active lifestyle.’
ENDS
About the TCPA:
The Town and Country Planning Association campaigns for the reform of the UK’s planning system to make it more responsive to people’s needs and aspirations and to promote sustainable development.
Note to editor:
The TCPA will be launching the new guide with a webinar on Thursday 17 September.
You can download the report in full here.
The guide is published as part of the TCPA’s ‘Practical Guides for Creating New Communities’ series.
For further information or comment, please contact [email protected] or call +44 20 8132 5455
