Forum on Integrated Transport and Urban Planning, Thursday 21st May 2009

The MTF has long advocated for a more integrated approach to transport and urban planning, critical to the success of Melbourne 2030 and a more sustainable approach to planning and managing cities.

The fundamental thesis is that

• all urban development be connected to public transport
• destinations with a concentration of trip ends - jobs, shopping centres, tertiary institutions, hospitals - need high quality public transport well integrated into the site design and layout
• public transport to be part of the development process, not retrofitted

The MTF invited representatives from the Department of Transport and Department of Planning and Community Development to show how the state departments collaborated, and also how public transport access was considered in planning applications. The MTF also invited several local governments to provide their experience on the ground of various successes and failures of integration.