Edinburgh Napier University

  This paper assesses and explores the existing potential for new approaches to software and data, such as the open source movement, to contribute to more open and contestable strategic land-use and transport planning processes. Issues with the current state of practice of modelling and analysis in such processes have been reviewed; developments for addressing them have been profiled; and practical efforts exemplified by the use of modelling in recent large-scale processes, such as Chicago Go To 2040, have been assessed. We then specifically developed a proposal for how the open source approach to software development and management can be an important part of this process, and illustrate and profile the progress thus far of two of the largest urban modelling projects that have embraced at least aspects of this approach – UrbanSim and MATSim. Finally, we assess the key open governance and technical issues involved in moving such efforts from an academic research context, to an operational application in group decision-making for urban and transport planning.