Transport economist Paul Buchanan is looking to emulate his grandfather Sir Colin Buchanan by publishing an urban planning report that challenges current thinking – but this time on a global scale.

Sir Colin wrote 'Traffic in Towns' in 1963 on behalf of the Transport Minster of the day Ernest Marples to suggest strategies for easing road congestion in Britain. Fifty years on and Paul is marking the anniversary by working on a follow up report called 'Transport in Cities'.

Paul Buchanan told a packed audience about his plans last Thursday at the CIHT Learned Society Lecture, held at Imperial College. "My grandfather's report was remarkably insightful and is still relevant 50 years on," he said. "But I thought we needed to move forwards from 'Traffic in Towns' so I decided a year ago to work on 'Transport in Cities'.

The new report will feature data collected from 120 cities around the world. Paul wants those in charge of urban planning to think how different scenarios of the future may affect investment decisions. "Urban populations are growing – particularly in Asia and South America – and I want to get cities there to think longer term about investing in public transport," he added. "Better decision making would have longstanding consequences."

Developments in transport technology including the driverless car will affect future thinking and cities of the future, he added, will need to embrace sustainable means of travel such as walking and cycling.

Photo: Yann

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