Dr Anthony Kimpton
School of Science, Engineering and Digital Technology, University of Southern Queensland
Chronourbanist policy frameworks have gained rapid traction across Federal (e.g., the Smart Cities Plan’s “30-minute cities”), State (e.g, TransformingSEQ’s “30-minute cities” and “45-minute regions”), and Local planning policy (e.g., iGO Ipswich Transport Strategy 2025’s “20-minute city” and “10-minute neighbourhoods”). The appeal is understandable since it promises more sustainable transport choices, reduced household car-dependency costs (estimated by the Australian Automobile Association at $458 per week in 2025 or 15.5% of the median household income), and fairer planning outcomes given everyone has a comparable amount of time available each day. Surprisingly, there is little evidence about whether these policies can or are achieving their goals.
A critical geographic tension also persists between time and distance with planners often treating travel time and travel distance as equivalent even though they are not. For example, common aims such as a bus stop within 800m to represent a five-minute walk ignores factors such as network distance, road crossings, hills, or whether/when the bus service is running on the day. Likewise, the directness of a cycling route is dependent on what each cyclist will endure (e.g., road speeds, parking configurations, carriageway width, and dedicated or protected lanes) and distance travelled in 20-minutes by car varies considerably between the inner and outer city due to road speeds and traffic congestion. Lastly, the distance reached in 20-minutes by transit or cars varies according to access to and from the transit service, waits until the next service, transfers between services, route efficiency, stops along the route, and whether the transit has priority paths such as train lines or bus rapid transit. As such, transit frequency aims that are also common practice in state and local governments fail to capture the range of transit considerations that leave public transport less viable than driving.
This presentation explores the gap between the time-based goals of planning policies and the distance-based measures often used to assess them. Drawing on Australian and international research, it examines how multimodal router tools and open data from sources (e.g., OpenStreetMap, OpenTopography, and state governments) can provide more accurate ways of measuring accessibility and transport outcomes. The presentation argues that planners need better evidence to understand whether time-based planning policies are delivering on their promises, and that geography is well placed to lead this work through its focus on spatial analysis, transport networks, and equitable access to places.
Presenter Biography: Dr Anthony Kimpton is a Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Southern Queensland's School of Science, Engineering and Digital Technology. His research sits at the intersection of land use and transport policy, spatial analytics, and social equity, with a particular focus on using open and big data to examine how planning and transport systems shape access, opportunity, and sustainable outcomes at the neighbourhood through to regional scale.
Anthony's professional background bridges academia, government, and industry. He has served as a Senior Data Specialist within the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), where he trained and supervised data scientists in the Big Data Pathways section, and has developed transport planning data products and analytical tools with the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN).
He is also a member of the Planning Institute Australia’s (PIA) Queensland Division Committee, and contributed towards their national Digital Planning Core Competencies and PlanTech discussions. He has also contributed towards the Heart Foundation’s Blueprint for an Active Australia, and serves on several external advisory committees concerned with active transport, planning technology, construction, and data governance.
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