Integrated Land-Use and Transport Planning

As outlined in the Introduction and informed by the foregoing research in Chapter 8, the Steering Group identified a number of key areas that warranted particular focus – areas that were considered to have the most potential for impacting transport demand reduction, given their role in generating journeys (particularly where historic system design has been less than optimal).

In summary, it is clear from the subgroups’ examination of the research and case studies provided that there is already significant scope within existing policies and programmes to strengthen demand management as a focus. It is also clear that solutions here will need to be tailored to specific circumstances particularly at a Local Authority level and that experimentation and innovation will be a feature of demand management schemes in order to test their impact but also to gain support and demonstrate the benefits of related measures. There is also a clear message from the sub-groups deliberations that measures to address travel demand need to work alongside the rollout of supply side measures – and therefore the continued acceleration of the Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan is key to the success of this Strategy.

Consequently, and as noted in Chapter 1, the National Steering Group established expert subgroups to focus on the following areas:

1. Integrated Land Use and Transport Planning - to consider how a high-level national policy approach to demand management could support and inform the revision to the NPF and current policy approaches to compact growth of settlements.

2. Optimal Use of Space - to examine a range of measures for maximising the well-being of people and the utility of public space, particularly in urban centres.

A summary of the outputs from each of the subgroups is set out as follows. These reflect ‘point in time’ considerations and can be reviewed in more detail in the associated reports that were prepared by each sub-group:

3. Fiscal Measures – to consider the role of fiscal measures in encouraging a shift towards sustainable mobility journeys – and greater network optimisation - while ensuring the ongoing fiscal sustainability of the sector’s contribution to the Exchequer.

Integrated Land-Use and Transport Planning

4. Generators of Demand (People) - to consider demand generated by escort-to-education trips, including the role of the School Transport Scheme and Safe Routes to School Programme as well as other major generators of transport demand e.g., hospitals/health services, tourism, leisure/sport and large transport hubs like Dublin Airport.

Introduction

Integrating land use and transport planning is key to ensuring that the built environment is connected in a way that reduces travel demand by private car sustainably. Planning is a system that is reliant on policy and investment decisions across Government. For example, the planning of homes, jobs, recreation, education, and other activities and services is complementary to the planning of transport infrastructure and services required to connect these activities. This approach to integrated planning can contribute significantly to reductions in transport-related emissions, as it requires a rethinking and reversal of decades of development patterns driven by the prioritisation of the private car as the primary form of transport. In practice, this means setting policies across Government that promote:

5. Generators of Demand (Freight) – to consider demand generated by industrial zones, ports, retail parks and consignors, freight hubs and gateways as well as the construction industry.

6. Captive Car Usage - to consider the impacts on, and supports for, captive car usage in line with the principle of just transition.

Not surprisingly, there was significant overlap in terms of the findings and recommendations arising from the sub-groups, although each was considered through a different lens. The final suite of recommendations set out in Chapter 10 has been informed by the work and reports of the subgroups along with the research and analysis, case studies and deliberations of the National Steering Group.

ᴏ Compact settlements while discouraging urban sprawl;

ᴏ Land use patterns that facilitate active travel, decrease the reliance on private cars, and increase the efficiency of existing sustainable transport systems; and

Measures focused on intensification and diversification

ᴏ Coordinated land use and transport policy objectives to form complementary intervention measures.

Densification measures focus on the increase of population and activity in an area through the intensification and diversification of underutilised land. Greater diversity of land use can contribute to more walkable neighbourhoods, thereby avoiding trips that otherwise would have been made by motorised transport. Rather than only equating densification with increases in building height, measures can look to intensify different activities in existing spaces by avoiding underutilisation at different times of the day and week to create consistency and diversity of use across time and place.

Ireland’s national, regional, county, and local land use planning system led by the NPF takes into consideration how the development of new and regenerated land might impact transport requirements. This approach aims to ensure that new development projects are accessible and connected by sustainable modes of transport, by tying together the infrastructure needed to facilitate public and active transport journeys with activity centres. The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) was established in April 2019 to reinforce this and ensure that Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies and city and county development plans are consistent with the development objectives of the NPF.

Measures incentivising densification through intensification and diversification should take into account how growth might contribute to negative impacts, to mitigate unintended consequences.

Measures Discussed

A comprehensive set of measures for supporting the objectives of this Strategy were gathered and consolidated to address challenges and approaches to integrated land use and transport planning at various scales and locations across Ireland. The high-level measures that emerged address the following areas:

Encouraging the redevelopment of brownfield sites and the reuse of underutilised spaces to cater to different activities across different times of the day and week are more sustainable ways of accommodating densification. Funding mechanisms such as the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and Government policies such as Town Centre First and Delivering Homes, Building Communities prioritise the refurbishment of vacant buildings in centres and infill and brownfield development opportunities along transport corridors to regenerate centres and drive compact growth targets. A mix of uses and activities should also be carried out in accordance with universal design principles such as the provision of adequate facilities to provide ease of movement for people including those with disabilities, children, families, older persons and people with mobility difficulties. Land use taxation can also play a role in incentivising development in key areas.

ᴏ Intensification and diversification

ᴏ Access to services

ᴏ Permeability

ᴏ Evaluating plan and policy efficacy

ᴏ Behaviour change

While many of the measures that are relevant to integrated land use and transport planning are already written into policy, in some areas they have had limited implementation on the ground. When applied in practice, these measures need to be adapted to respond to the challenges specific to the location and its scale.

National planning guidelines should discourage private car use where it conflicts with sustainable development and land intensification objectives. For example, the Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines require graduated parking rates to be applied based on proximity and accessibility to services and public transport. The guidelines require a graduated approach to be taken with regard to densities, with highest densities in

centres and along public transport corridors and more compact and sustainable forms of development overall, noting that densities will be lower in areas where there may be higher levels. The guidelines also encourage the repurposing of car parks in highly accessible urban locations to support densification and make space available for other land uses.

Considerations in respect of developing these studies to date has fed into the revision of the National Planning Framework and broader policy development to support implementation of the NPF. This includes consideration of legislative and policy provisions, institutional arrangements, capacity-building measures and funding and resources required to facilitate the delivery of such plan-led development in a timely manner. To finance TOD, local authorities and other statutory undertakers will need to be supported in generating revenue to finance infrastructure needed to support TOD. DHLGH is advancing proposals for Urban Development Zones (UDZs) which may assist in supporting this approach.

Measures focused on access to services

Linking land development with public transport nodes that connect areas through Transport Oriented Development (TOD) facilitates public and active transport use. This approach can avoid mobility deserts, or places with constrained mobility access. Further co-locating public transport stations with mobility hubs can facilitate sustainable, multimodal mobility and make the full door to door journey more convenient and competitive to the private vehicle alternative. In this context, universal design planning should be considered to assess the effective integration of public transport infrastructure with workplaces, healthcare facilities, education centres, retail facilities and social spaces.

Measures focused on permeability

Permeability in integrated land use and transport planning refers to the ease of movement in and through an area, particularly via active transport. Areas separated by barriers are unattractive to pedestrians, cyclists or others using active modes of travel as they need to take long detours around the impermeable space. Permeable design aims to create liveable and more inclusive spaces by making the city accessible to all people. Liveable settlements are those that have compact, mixed use design with active building frontages to create lively streets and adaptable spaces to accommodate the changing needs of users. Such issues are highlighted and addressed in the DMURS, published in 2013 and updated in 2019.

To discourage reliance on private vehicles, high quality and affordable public transport network development that precedes the development of new housing, services, and employment can encourage sustainable travel patterns before unsustainable habits are formed. From the demand side, to contribute to the development and sustainable use of transport nodes, measures should focus on incentivising companies and services to locate in proximity to the public transport node, supported by fiscal levers where necessary.

Permeability should also not only be thought of in terms of physical connectivity, but also consider psychological effects that can make routes impermeable to users. Particularly along pedestrian-only pathways, poor lighting and blocked sightlines can decrease users’ perceived safety of a route and disincentivise them from using it to avoid a longer detour. Perceived safety of cycling and walking/wheeling can also affect how permeable an environment is to an individual. Long stretches of heavily trafficked roads without safe crossing points for pedestrians or dropped kerbs at reasonable intervals can also act as soft barriers.

From the supply side, developers should be incentivised to build mixed-use developments that make efficient use of space and create more inclusive environments for different user groups.

To deliver transport-oriented development (TOD), multi- department and agency coordination and strategic investment are required. Under Housing for All, a working group was established by DOT and DHLGH to consider opportunities for TOD in major urban centres. The initial focus of the group was on Dublin, with a report published in June 2023. Further reports on the Eastern Region, Cork and Limerick, Galway and Waterford will be published shortly.

Measures focused on evaluating plan and policy efficacy

maximum parking requirements, physically distancing parking space access from urban centres and pedestrianised areas, introducing pricing for parking that varies spatially and temporarily, and incorporating city, town, and village centres with surrounding residential areas into parking demand management strategies.

To ensure that integrated land use and transport policy and plans result in the desired outcomes related to this Strategy’s objectives, measures that support monitoring and evaluation are essential to identifying issues, tracking progress and assessing outcomes. Evaluation of plan and policy efficacy can focus on one or more of the following areas: the alignment between the proposed plan and the policy goals, the extent to which the plan or policy has been implemented, and to what degree the plan or policy has achieved its desired outcomes.

Parking management can also take the form of workplace parking levies which typically involve charging employers a fee based on the number of parking spaces they provide for their employees and visitors.

To further encourage the use of new infrastructure that supports sustainable travel modes, information campaigns targeting attitudes to, and perceptions of, active travel and public transport are key to induce behavioural change. Engagement and outreach initiatives are needed in communities, schools, and at the workplace to expose people to the negative externalities of private car use and the positive outcomes, such as the health and wellbeing benefits of active travel in particular. The national dialogue regarding climate and transport needs to be ever consistent to fully support this messaging.

Co-designing plans with the input of stakeholder groups is a valuable way of designing a plan that meets the target group’s objectives and adequately addresses their challenges. Aligning integrated planning and policy measures with climate action targets helps focus efforts and brings CO2 emissions reduction targets to the forefront of conceptualising how these measures are implemented. Setting performance metrics and measurable targets for determining the effectiveness of integrated land use and transport planning measures is valuable for identifying where and when implementation efforts may be falling short of policy aspirations. Baseline assessments are key to understanding current conditions and provide a basis for determining the outcomes and impact of each measure.

Challenges

Decades of development that prioritised the role of the private car led to policies that prioritise travel time savings over the need for proximity. Congestion was seen as the primary challenge, and road capacity expansion was seen as the solution, thereby compounding the increasing problem of underutilising space for other functions and thinking about ways to avoid the need for the private car through better integrated land use and transport planning. This has in turn segmented the responsibilities of transport and planning, often minimising the role that land-use and housing decisions play in the performance of transport systems, including in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Measures focused on behaviour change

To change attitudes and perceptions in favour of sustainable modes, integrated land use and transport planning should anticipate real-world complexity and account for how travel needs are driven by the types of locations that people may have a reason to access. Providing conveniently located sustainable alternatives, and increasing the availability of services at and between centres, can enable behavioural changes in favour of sustainable transport modes and support the successful outcomes of integrated land use and transport measures.

Implementing many of the measures discussed on the ground can present challenges. Retrofitting existing spaces can face pushback from local residents due to fears around how the design changes may result in negative effects. Particularly, creating new linkages in existing areas or planning new roads to accommodate all transport modes to cut through spaces can negatively affect the attractiveness of the

Leveraging parking management as a means of encouraging sustainable travel and reducing private vehicle usage is a common strategy employed internationally. Different approaches to parking management include constraining

environment to non-car users. Not only does this risk discouraging a shift to sustainable transport modes, but also has little impact on reducing the demand for private car use.

ᴏ the enactment of legislative proposals to support National Policy Objective 69 in the NPF, which relates to the extension of statutory arrangements between spatial and transport planning in the Greater Dublin Area to other cities for Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies;

That said, it is acknowledged that the main impact of improving the integration of land use and transport planning will be around new developments – rather than in the retrofitting of established developments and, as such, may have limited effects in terms of reducing emissions on an absolute basis.

ᴏ the development of policy and guidance in relation to planning for enterprise and employment uses in statutory development plans, noting that these uses continue to occur in peripheral locations which are challenging to serve with effective alternatives to the private car.

Measures aiming to improve the perceived ease and comfort of switching to public or active transport, such as requirements for cycle lanes and bicycle parking in tandem with reductions in car parking access, can disincentivise private vehicle use. However, at the same time, when implementing these measures on the ground, consideration needs to be given to how a measure might unintentionally generate demand. For example, park-and-ride facilities placed at train stations might need to impose a nominal parking fee to avoid displacing trips to the station previously undertaken on foot or by bicycle with private vehicle use.

Accordingly, it is anticipated that the placing of transport plans on a statutory footing can strengthen the capacity of the Office of the Planning Regulator to address transport matters in city and county development plans and local area plans, allowing them to have a greater focus on transport plans and strategies. The implications of this would require further consideration, particularly its impact on working relationships between with NTA and TII and OPR.

Measures aimed at ensuring further integration of land-use and transport planning, taking account of intensification, diversification, access to services and permeability, will be delivered as part of implementation mechanisms under Recommendation 1 of this Strategy as well as through recommendations relating to the development by Local Authorities of Demand Management Strategies and the guidance and supports that would underpin these (Recommendations 3 to 9):

Additionally, communications and engagement will be essential to the delivery of these measures. Among other issues, opposition from local residents has complicated several initiatives in recent years and implementing authorities will need to work with local residents to alleviate any fears that they may have in relation to planned projects.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Strengthen policy alignment and implementation mechanisms to deliver NPF National Strategic Outcome 1 ‘Compact Growth’ and NSO 4 ‘Sustainable Mobility’ given the critical role of compact growth in reducing travel demand and enhancing transport system efficiencies.

In light of the above, and in an effort to bring a renewed focus to densification, intensification and diversification of underutilised land, which can support the viability of a sustainable transport system and related mobility alternatives, it is proposed to strengthen policy alignment, governance and funding mechanisms to support the achievement of compact growth priorities detailed in the NPF and subject to regulatory oversight via:

Recommendations aimed at behavioural change, with regard to parking management approaches, are captured across other sub-groups – Optimal Use of Space, Fiscal Measures and Generators of Demand (People). However, any high-level plans in this area would involve the collating and analysing of data on parking at a national level including

ᴏ the functions of the Office of the Planning Regulator;