Cities need to be designed to keep pace with how people now live, work and move and transport must be a vital, shaping force in how places are planned and connected. With changes in the way planning works across the UK, placing transport at its heart can ensure development delivers for communities across the country.
That is the key message of Liveable by design: Building healthy, connected cities, published today (Thursday 9 July 2026) through London Transport Museum's leading thought leadership programme, Interchange, in collaboration with Gowling WLG, Arcadis and Hitachi Rail.
The report explores how rising housing demand, ageing infrastructure and changing working patterns are reshaping cities and placing new demands on transport, services and local environments.
The best places and outcomes are those where important decisions about transport, housing and development are made together, with a clear shared vision and strong leadership to align them. We must be motivated by long-term outcomes rather than short-term returns, as championed in London through the pioneering 'Good Growth' approach. This is especially important now when we need to collectively scale up housing delivery and drive economic growth as part of an integrated approach to meet our cities' long-term needs and address challenges.
At the heart of the report is transit-enabled development, building upon successful development models where transport acts as an enabler of development, helping unlock new places and wider economic, social and community value.
Development can too often begin with a masterplan focused on delivery before there is a clear understanding of what a place is intended to become. The report highlights that this is fundamentally a leadership issue. Without clear ownership of the vision and strong leadership to align partners around it, it becomes much harder to deliver places that truly work for communities.
Elizabeth McKay, Director and CEO of London Transport Museum, said: 'Interchange, our popular thought leadership programme, brings together people who help shape the future of our cities but don't always get to sit around the same table. It creates a place for shared challenges to be explored from different perspectives. A clear message from this year's discussions is the importance of having a clearly defined vision before moving into delivery. Without a shared direction, it's much harder to create places that truly work for the people who use them every day.'
Across the UK, pressure to build more homes remains high, but many developments are still being delivered in areas with limited public transport, making it harder for people to access jobs, education and essential services.
The report argues that responding to these changes will require thinking that joins up decisions about transport, development and local communities from the outset.
Kate Cunningham, Partner, Gowling WLG, said: 'Delivering change at this scale depends on bringing together organisations with different priorities and timelines around a shared goal. Too often, decisions are driven by short-term pressures. This report shows that with the right frameworks in place, a more joined up approach can unlock long-term value, not just economically, but for communities, places and future resilience.'
Peter Hogg, Arcadis' UK and Ireland Country Director, said: 'For too long, transport and development have been planned as separate pieces of the puzzle, often shaped by short-term pressures rather than a clear long-term vision. This report shows why that approach no longer works. By bringing together transport, land and investment from the beginning, and aligning them around a clear, shared vision, we can create places that function better, not just in terms of movement, but also in how people live, work and connect. That clarity between vision and delivery is essential if we want to deliver cities that are fit for the future.'
Graeme Craig, Chief Executive of Places for London, said: 'Our experience shows that starting with how people will live, work and move through a place leads to better decisions and better outcomes. This report highlights why taking that longer-term, place-led approach is so important for creating communities that truly work.'
The report also highlights how decisions made at different stages of development can have lasting social impacts. The location of homes, the design of public spaces, and the availability of transport are all closely linked, and when they are not considered together, the result can be places that are harder to live in, even if they meet basic development targets.
Technology also has an important role to play, with new tools helping planners test how developments will work before they are built and understand how different decisions interact in practice.
Andy Bell, VP, Hitachi Rail UK, said: 'Transport plays a crucial role in shaping how cities function day to day. When it is properly integrated into wider planning, it can unlock far greater value, helping create places that are better connected, more resilient and more inclusive.'
To support this shift, the report sets out five areas for action. It calls for clearer long-term planning, stronger leadership and shared vision setting from the outset, better collaboration, more meaningful community engagement, a sharper focus on delivering value, and greater use of data and technology to support decision making.
Liveable by design: Building healthy, connected cities is available to view here.
The report brings together expert insight, real-world case studies and practical recommendations for those shaping the future of cities, offering a clear framework for delivering more connected, inclusive and sustainable places.