Transportation planning and its interface with spatial planning and environmental management: The position within South Africa

Abstract

The interface between transportation planning, spatial planning and environmental management forms the focal point to attain sustainable development. The principle of sustainable development is not a new phenomenon being applied by professional practitioners. Many role-players have realized that there is a delicate balance between transportation, land use, environment, human, economic, institutional, and spatial planning, management and development. This balance is however negatively being impacted upon, due to the collapse of this relationship. This results in impacts such as a non-understanding of the integrated role of transportation, spatial planning and environmental management resulting in ecological degradation and widening of development inequality. The purpose of the paper is to assess and investigate the interface between transportation planning, spatial planning and environmental management from a practice, educational, training and development perspective as it is being experienced in South Africa. The conclusions consist of recommendations to grow and built this interface. It includes improved integration of the policy and legislative frameworks; capacity building amongst the different professions; improved alignment in education, training and professional practice and integrated simulation and modeling techniques, methodologies and the need to formulate of transdisciplinary plans as to promote the integration of the interface. © 2011 WIT Press.