The future of urban mobility: Why communities are stuck and how we can move forward

CROSSROADS, GHD’s comprehensive research study is a survey of more than 10,000 people across 10 countries and explores how communities experience infrastructure and what they value most. It reveals three systemic barriers holding cities back:

Barrier 1: Mode-blind planning

Too often, cities choose solutions based on precedent, politics or funding streams, rather than the mobility outcomes communities need. Investment decisions become mode-driven; new roads, bus lanes or cycleways, without a shared understanding of how people will really use them together.

The result? Well-intentioned infrastructure that underperforms because it doesn’t function as part of an integrated system. A more effective approach starts by defining the problem; accessibility, reliability, affordability, sustainability, and then identifying the right mix of modes, technology, and land use to solve it.

Barrier 2: Planning for the average, not for everyone

Our research shows that diverse communities have fundamentally different mobility needs. Women report lower confidence in transport safety across generations. Baby Boomers face increasing mobility challenges as they age, while younger generations prioritise sustainability. Yet, most planning optimises for peak-hour commuters, missing the needs of off-peak travellers, those with limited access to transport options or with complex trip needs and those with mobility challenges. Designing for diversity ensures that everyone can participate in urban life.

Barrier 3: Disconnected decision-making

Despite attempts to rectify this over recent years, through the introduction of integrated transport and land use frameworks (such as Movement and place), and restructuring of government portfolios and teams, decision making across governments and sectors often remains disconnected.

Funding and investment cycles are rarely in sync. New developments and areas of increased density are often planned in locations that aren’t supported by existing or committed transport infrastructure, leaving agencies and councils to respond reactively rather than strategically. Development is frequently approved and built long before public or active transport investment is in place, meaning residents move in with few viable alternatives to driving.

The result is a pattern that reinforces car dependency, limits choice, and makes it difficult for sustainable modes to compete. What’s missing is a truly integrated approach that links policy, planning, investment and delivery and is underpinned by customer experience.

Australia’s governance structure adds another layer of complexity. State and federal governments typically plan and fund movement of people and goods at scale, encompassing the highways, rail corridors, and regional connections that enable national productivity.

But the day-to-day mobility experience; the first and last kilometre, the trip to school, the walk to the local shop, the safety of crossing a main road, falls to local government.

This means the most complex and human dimensions of mobility often fall to councils that may have limited resources, hyper local political interest, and no clear mandate to move away from ad hoc or reactive planning and delivery. The result is a patchwork of plans and investments that struggle to connect at the metropolitan scale.

It’s also difficult for councils to be truly progressive when the resources, technical capability, and leadership needed to experiment or take risks aren’t always available. Even when the will is there, the “how” can be missing. That’s why councils that do want to move differently need something solid to fall back on such as; national policy direction, integrated funding frameworks, and innovative tools and data that provide confidence and consistency.

To move forward, we need better vertical integration where state and federal strategies set the ambition for connected, low-carbon mobility, and local governments are empowered and supported to deliver it at the street level.

By 2050, most of the world's – and Australia's – population will live in cities. Our urban infrastructure will need to move more people, goods, and services within constrained space and budgets.

As our Future Communities research demonstrates, the way we plan mobility today will determine whether future generations inherit equitable, sustainable cities or face amplified challenges.

To bring this concept to life we must understand,  measure and communicate intergenerational impacts. Data-driven initiatives that show clear value for current and future generations inspire confidence and trust.

Our research points to a fundamental shift: forward-thinking transport solutions must take a systems approach to network planning. The question is not “how do we build more infrastructure?” but “how do we unlock opportunity through sustainable, equitable mobility?” This requires three interconnected moves:

Move 1: Integration as the foundation

True mobility transformation starts with integration across modes, corridors, land use, data and governance. When planning, funding and delivery operate as one connected system, each level of government can play to its strengths – national and state agencies set direction and investment priorities, while local governments deliver context-specific solutions.

Rather than treating transport, housing and technology as separate agendas, integrated planning aligns them to create networks that are flexible, efficient and designed around people and place.

Move 2: Universal design from the start

Universal and inclusive design is not a compliance exercise, it’s a foundation of effective city planning. Features like shaded footpaths, lighting, and accessible stop design benefit parents with prams as much as wheelchair users. Planning for the full spectrum of ability, age and gender is simply good design and good economics.

Move 3: Adaptability over monument-building

As climate changes, technology advances, and working patterns shift, mobility systems must be adaptable. Corridors and networks must be able to be made and remade repeatedly to ensure they continue to serve the people who rely on them.  Future-ready networks plan for digitisation and adaptive management; reallocating road space, adjusting priorities, and ensuring the right mode in the right place at the right time. Flexibility, not permanence, will define how well our cities move.

We have helped Australian governments understand that high-impact solutions like extra lanes and bypasses are not always the answer. By demonstrating innovative ways to create mobility through smart use of existing assets, we have saved millions in capital expenditure and reduced climate impact.

This is the future: planning that is data-driven, community-responsive, generationally aware, and oriented toward place and people rather than throughput and mode.

Investing in better tools - GHD's Strategy to Street

Accurately forecasting active transport demand is difficult, yet we often treat it as a prerequisite for investment. Instead of asking if we should deliver walking and cycling infrastructure, we should recognise it as a fundamental for access and focus on where investment will have the greatest impact.

That’s why GHD developed Strategy to Street: a platform that bridges the gap between high-level transport strategies and on-the-ground implementation. By integrating diverse data sources and performance metrics, it empowers planners to make smarter, more balanced decisions across all modes of transport. The result? A more connected, people-centric network that prioritises safety, accessibility, and sustainability.

At GHD, we’ve seen both sides: billion-dollar projects that struggle to meet expectations, and smaller, evidence-based initiatives that redefine how cities move. Our approach starts with understanding people and designing systems around them.

Here is what we are committing to through the work we do and the conversations we have:

• Evidence over assumption – Start with community data, not mode bias. Understand how people live, move and access opportunity before investing.
• Design for every generation – Embed inclusivity and equity into every design decision, from safety and access to service experience.
• Integration through collaboration – Bridge the gaps between local and state planning, transport and land use, and physical and digital systems.
• Adaptive and data-led planning – Use technology and insight to redefine networks over time, ensuring the right mode, in the right place, at the right time.

Australia stands at a pivotal point. National Net Zero commitments, new urban funding programs, and growing data capabilities create the perfect moment to reimagine mobility. Communities are ready, technology is available, and evidence is clear.

Government agencies are beginning to connect the dots between movement, place and productivity, recognising that transport decisions move beyond busting congestion, to driving economic growth, community wellbeing, improved access and resilience.

Local governments and regional authorities are key to turning ambition into action. However, they need clearer national direction, consistent funding, and access to practical tools and evidence to make confident, long-term decisions. Just as importantly, they must be empowered to influence upwards, sharing insights from their communities and shaping the policy settings that guide investment.

The decade ahead presents a rare opportunity to reshape our cities through integrated, evidence-based planning that connects vision with delivery. History shows that the best time to start is right now – by focusing on collaboration, adaptability, and inclusivity, we can create systems that work for every generation and every community.