Abstract Body

Can the combination of green urbanism and transit-orient developments (TODs) shrink the environmental footprint associated with vehicular oriented transport? This is just one of the several questions that may be asked when thinking of measures to provide a carbon neutral future. Not only is transport Australia’s primary source of greenhouse gas emissions, but cars are accountable for almost half of those emissions alone. In recent years, the Australian government has made significant investments in the transit systems in place and the policy agenda has embraced TOD initiatives driven by green concerns. Yet there are some unique challenges in the Australian context. TODs have occurred occasionally in Australian urban development and have not been strategically or statutorily planned. Factors such as rapid transit, density, and mixed use necessary to guarantee the provision of TODs have not yet been put in place in any Australian city. Moreover, the execution of urban green spaces within and around the TODs is absent with the development areas missing on potential environmental benefits within the same framework. There should be an increased focus on ecological and environmental dimensions of urbanism so that the combined effect of pursuing TODs and green urbanism could become a reality in the future.