Planning with vision: The development of traffic strategies for Melbourne

This paper describes an approach to the development of metropolitan transport strategies based on community needs and values. A search conference and other consultation methods were used to raise community awareness of transport issues and to give the transport planners an understanding of community concerns and values. The collective values were used to develop a vision statement of where Melbourne could be in the future. Transport strategies were then developed which helped achieve the vision. By this approach transport strategies can be integrated with the delivery of other services so that they are complementary and achieve consistent ends. The process encouraged community debate and helped strategy development to focus on what was to be achieved, rather than on particular techniques or interest group agendas. Integrated strategies which have wide interest group and community support can be developed by the process.