Journey or Destination? Effective student learning in transport planning

Abstract

Transport planning is an integral part of most Australian planning programs. This paper summarises research conducted at Griffith University in 2009 on teaching and learning in transport planning education. A detailed examination of learning objectives is used to frame the problem, drawn from course outlines in Australian and US planning programs. Where once transport planning education was narrowly focused on predicting and planning for roadway capacity, the subject now encompasses a wider set of problems including sustainability, equity, neighbourhood amenity and health (Handy et al. 2002:piii). Learning objectives therefore include: understandings of planning theory, and how these relate to transportation planning; understandings of key concepts in transportation and land use planning; practical skills in capturing information on travel behaviour, in analysing that data, and in modelling and simulation to predict transport futures; and, other educational goals, including academic writing, statistical skill development, and presentation skills. The paper explores how these learning objectives can best be met, using examples provided by Frank (2002), Flyvberg (2001), Van Zuelen (2000) and Rose (2006). Recent changes to the Griffith University course in line with these approaches are then examined in detail, noting both their advantages and their significant limitations.