Metropolitan Planning and National Urban Policy
The sustainable city is a city of opportunity. Suburban growth once delivered opportunity, but arguably, growth areas today offer far less access to opportunity in relative terms than did their counterparts 30 years ago. Analysis of house prices and access to jobs shows trends threatening to create seriously divided cities which are not sustainable nor liveable. Research also suggests that if the distribution of jobs or the transport system can be adjusted to build 'effective density', a city can gain a competitive advantage.
We need to recognise the sub-cities making up our metropolitan areas and improve their self-containment, whilst ensuring that they enjoy excellent inter-regional connectivity without massive car dependence.A paper by Dr Marcus Spiller, Terry Rawnsley and Julian Szafraniec of SGS Economics and Planning identifies the policies needed to achieve this poly-centric settlement pattern, and suggests it would generate a tax windfall to government from increased productivity. The paper was reproduced in edited form in Residential Developer Magazine Issue 16, 2010.