London - Strategic Design

The strategic study of London aims to test alternative land use and transport policy options for year 2031 for the Wider South-East Region (WSER).

The testing of strategic design options for the London case study is being carried out using a land use - transport interaction model called LASER3.0 (London And South East Region Model version 3.0). This allows the sustainability of each land use and transport option to be analysed and assessed within a consistent theoretical framework.

For the purpose of testing the options it is necessary to develop a ‘base’ case scenario. The base case year is taken as 2016 and represents current land use and transport strategies. The continuation of trend from 2016 to 2031 represents the Trend Scenario, which is used as a ‘benchmark’ for comparing alternative land use – transport policies during the period 2016 to 2031. The alternative policy options include Compact City, Market-led Dispersal, and Planned Urban Expansion and New Settlements, each tested in combination with the focus on either highway improvements or public transport investments. All options include distance-based road user charging in urban areas. The overall number of dwellings, employment and transport investment remains the same as the Trend Scenario to allow direct comparison between the options. Although in reality the Market-led Dispersal Option may increase the rate of development and supply of housing.

It should be noted that the above three alternative options represent ‘extremes’, and that in practice, policymakers are likely to choose a combination of such policy options. However, the SOLUTIONS approach of testing such distinct options should help policymakers and planners to more clearly understand the effects of choosing alternative policies on sustainability.