4. How can transport, housing and wider development be planned and delivered in an integrated way to create better connected places, embed vision-led transport planning, and maximise density around public transport?

Background

DfT’s ARI identifies 40 broad research questions that reflect areas of strategic importance to the department, where further insight and collaboration could enhance our evidence base, challenge assumptions and strengthen future decision-making. The ARI is organised around four complementary themes, and this question sits within the Enhancing Growth and Place theme.

Transport is a critical enabler of economic growth. By connecting people, businesses and markets, it supports jobs, facilitates trade and investment, and shapes overall economic performance. Improved connectivity ensures people can access employment, education and public services, and that businesses can reach their customers and supply chains. This enables greater economic activity, supporting higher productivity and living standards over time.

Supporting economic growth, measured in terms of GDP, is a core priority for the Department and the wider Government. Transport plays a central role by influencing access to jobs, supply chain efficiency, and the ability of firms to grow and compete.

DfT’s ambition is to enhance growth by maintaining, renewing and strategically developing transport networks in ways that reflect the distinct needs, opportunities and constraints of different places. Place reflects the economic and spatial contexts in which transport operates, recognising that impacts and priorities vary across different parts of the country.

This theme recognises that economic performance, including GDP per person, varies across the UK, and that transport investment can play a significant role in supporting regeneration, reducing spatial inequalities and unlocking development. It places emphasis on the performance and resilience of existing networks, alongside targeted investment in new infrastructure, to improve connectivity and accessibility for passengers and freight.

Partnerships are central to this approach. Local authorities, mayors, devolved administrations, industry and communities all shape how transport supports local outcomes. The ARI therefore seeks research that strengthens understanding of the relationship between transport, growth and place, including what works where and why, and how wider system interactions shape outcomes.

Next steps

If you have research relevant to this topic, are planning work in this area, or would like to discuss potential collaboration, please get in touch. For our monitoring and evaluation purposes, we are also keen to hear if the ARI has informed or influenced your research.

To get in touch and report the use, please fill in the form https://submit.forms.service.gov.uk/form/264718/dft-areas-of-research-interest-ari/

Link to DfT ARI: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-areas-of-research-interest/areas-of-research-interest-2026

Related UKRI funded projects

Similar ARIs from other organisations

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