Accessibility - the ease of reaching destinations - is a promising tool for integrated land use and transport planning. Increasingly, various accessibility indicators are proposed in research and they are also gaining traction among practitioners. Yet, their implementation in planning and decision-making remains limited. This observed gap raises two questions: (i) To what extent and how are accessibility goals addressed in land use and transport plans? and (ii) How is the integration of accessibility goals associated with a higher adoption of accessibility indicators by practitioners?
This study aims to evaluate the extent to which accessibility is integrated in land use and transport plans, with the city of Montreal as a case study. First, we examine the transport plans from the regional transport planning authority and from the main public transport agency. Next, transport and land use plans from three levels of governance (regional, municipal, and local (e.g., boroughs)) are analyzed. This approach enables a comprehensive analysis across governance levels and across sectors (e.g., land use, mobility and public transport planning).
While focused on Montreal, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on the barriers and opportunities for a greater integration of accessibility in land use and transport policies.
