Housing and sustainable transport
The need for new housing has been a recurrent theme within politics for several decades, gaining cross-party agreement that new housing needs to be delivered. Whilst the Labour Government is determined to sweep aside the constraints on new housing, history has shown us that the politics of delivering on these promises will not be easy.
Whilst the Government grapples with these challenges, it is evident that new housing cannot continue being delivered in the same way. Housing has been built to serve large families who commute to a 9-to-5 job in an urban centre five days a week, in a time when traffic congestion was thought to be solved by building more roads. The creation of these large estates with no vision have unsurprisingly led to reduced overall mobility for communities and increased levels of car dependency.
This approach to planning is no longer fit for purpose.
This paradigm shift is reflected in the current NPPF, which encourages a vision-led approach to promoting sustainable transport for new developments. Meeting the pressing need for new housing must be done with sustainable transport at its heart, with high quality infrastructure, information and support that encourages a move away from car dependency.
To deliver vision-led planning, we need to ensure that transport is a fundamental element of the design process from the start. This approach start with defining the vision of the new development in terms of placemaking, alongside the developer, masterplanner and local stakeholders.
Following the principles of the 15-minute neighbourhood where services are within a short walk or cycle will encourage people to travel sustainably. The provision of retail, leisure and community space, local employment, education, healthcare and co-working spaces will all be beneficial in avoiding unnecessary private car trips.
Evidence shows that where trips are less than a 15-minute walk, the majority are made on foot. By bringing destinations within this range via the masterplan design, we can minimise car trips and free up space for more beneficial purposes.
The vision should also include mobility proposals which create an environment where people actively choose sustainable travel modes. The Government has already announced proposals to support new development adjacent to existing train stations, and the viability of delivering new rail/tram lines and stations should also be promoted to drive housing growth. The delivery of major infrastructure not only sends a clear message to new and existing residents about the long-term investment being undertaken but will also help influence travel behaviour and reduce the reliance on the private car.
While there are significant challenges around the deliverability of new rail infrastructure to support new development, there are alternative means of supporting behaviour change. For example, by combining improvements in the quality and frequency of public transport with better information and support, most typically through travel plans.
How we design our streets is equally critical. The way you connect to your neighbourhood and move around it is sadly governed first and foremost by the needs of bin lorries, servicing and space for cars. Whilst the majority of streets will need to retain a certain amount of functionality, greater emphasis needs to be placed on designing streets as spaces that prioritise people.
New residential developments should be built centred around walking and cycling, with safe, direct and easy connections to sustainable transport, play space and green infrastructure. It is about creating space where people actively want to use and engage with.
This philosophy also needs to extend out from new developments into the surrounding urban areas, creating social cohesion. Repurposing existing road space to provide active travel corridors, for example, not only benefits new residents but also helps influence the travel behaviour of existing residents.
If we do take hold of the opportunities the NPPF and Government are providing and seek to challenge ourselves on how we design for the movement of both people and vehicles, we risk continuing to deliver housing which is car dependent, rather than creating healthy and vibrant communities that can deliver social and commercial value.