Planning Sustainable Transport

Chapter 3

The definitions

Planning

The Oxford English Dictionary offers two definitions of the word ‘plan’:

1. A large-scale, detailed map of a small area. In common perception this is often a drawing of the layout of an existing building or, more commonly, a proposed development, perhaps just one building or, more likely, a larger area. The area may be quite complex; for example, the line of a proposed road.

2. A scheme for accomplishing a purpose proposed. This is essentially a list of actions which, when completed, will achieve a defined purpose.

These two definitions, although quite different, one a drawing and the other a series of actions, are clearly related. The drawing of a proposed development encapsulates the purpose of the plan and implies ...