It is anticipated that changes in transport systems to achieve New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets will initiate self-adjusting changes in urban form. Our research will identify how to take advantage of imminent changes in New Zealand’s transport in order to deliver urban forms which have increased economic performance and liveability, while avoiding the risks of negative socio-cultural impacts.

The goals of this research are:

• to determine how the nature of our cities will alter in response to changes in transport and transport energy; and
• to identify the nature and strength of the driving forces behind these changes in urban form.

This research commenced in October 2009 and is funded by New Zealand’s Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST).