Travel sustainability of new build housing in the London region

Journal article record
Title	Travel sustainability of new build housing in the London region: Can London's Green Belt be developed sustainably?
Journal	Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning‎ vol. 156 pp. 105574
Abstract	Although London's high-density compact city planning has largely delivered sustainable development in the urban core, the wider regional challenge is that housing targets have been consistently missed for the last decade, and the lack of supply is exacerbating the housing affordability crisis. Releasing Green Belt land has been cited as a solution. This paper analyses new build development in the London region from 2011 to 2022, and confirms that Green Belt policy needs reform – local authorities in the Green Belt have the lowest housing delivery in the region, and car dependent ‘leap-frog’ development is occurring beyond the Green Belt boundary. The relaxation of Green Belt restrictions could greatly boost development, but would also risk producing car dependent housing. This research produces a new Travel Sustainability Index using census travel behaviour data, and analyses the travel patterns of residents in new build housing over the last decade. The conclusions are that more sustainable Green Belt development can be achieved by prioritising development in Outer London and through extending existing towns and cities in the Greater South East. Achieving this outcome will require improved regional planning coordination and infrastructure investment.
Authors	Duncan Smith‎
Date	January 2025‎
Keywords and locations
Keywords	Car dependency‎ Planning‎ Homes‎
Locations	London‎ England‎
How to find and cite this journal article
Publication	10.1016/j.cities.2024.105574
Access	This journal article is open access and can be read for free as of 20 February 2025.
Citation	Smith, D. A. (2025). Travel sustainability of new build housing in the London region: Can London’s Green Belt be developed sustainably? Cities, 156, 105574.