Just how much land do we devote to highways, not just road surfaces, but verges, embankments, cuttings, car parks, and other related infrastructure byproducts? Do the professionals planning our towns and cities know? This book chapter introduces an analytical tool to estimate the land-take of highways using mapping techniques to produce a plan or percentage figure and makes a comparative analysis across other urban centres. The outcome might be linked to quite different measures of civic success such as urban happiness, pedestrian safety, or retail occupancy. 

Research and LA consultation 2015-16. Published 2020 as a chapter in: Humanizing Cities Through Car-Free City Development and Transformation. Engineering Science Reference. ISBN 9781799835080. 

Link:  The Stockport Planner

Compare Crookiley Way, M60 J25, Stockport and Siena city centre to the same scale.