A day to take time to think about where urban transport is headed in the medium to long term – at a time of rapid social, technological and governance change. A day to review how the Urban Transport Group network can rise to the challenges of the next five years.

Urban Transport Group members work in a complex and shifting environment. There’s a consensus that better transport is key to more confident, less socially divided, greener and more economically assertive cities – but the challenges of matching expectations with resources is as tough as ever. Devolution has gathered pace (whilst remaining a work in progress) with the creation of a new wave of city region mayors as well as pan-regional bodies like Transport for the North and Midlands Connect. Transformative social and technological change is shifting the world beneath our feet with the rise of Transport Network Companies, new vehicle technologies and the exponential growth in data. There’s also a growing recognition that transport not only links places it also helps make those places – and increasingly cities want to be places where people want to spend time in – which can mean less space for vehicles. Creating great places also implies breaking down the barriers between transport planning and other professional disciplines. From public health and local economic regeneration through to place making and social inclusion.

What our members do is at the very centre of these inter-related challenges – how do our members best assess and respond to changing times? How can we take the Urban Transport Group network to the next level in making the case for urban transport, in providing thought leadership for the sector and in becoming a more effective professional network?

The away day features a keynote from Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and closing remarks from Val Shawcross, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.