The rising demand for residential development in the rural/urban fringe of Christchurch has led to an increase in car use and lengthening journeys, both of which have serious environmental implications. In light of this, the relationship between urban form and transport was investigated in the Christchurch urban area through the analysis of journey to work (JTW) census data from 1991 and 2001. Significant statistical relationships between causal variables and travel variables were also identified. The peripheral residential development of Northwood was used as a case study, through a questionnaire and follow-up interviews, to investigate how residential relocation to a peripheral residential development has changed individual travel patterns. In order to gain a better understanding of travel patterns is Christchurch, relevant policy documents and processes of urban growth were summarised. It was found that urban growth in Christchurch has occurred in an uneven manner and that the growth of peripheral residential developments has accelerated since the introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991. In the analysis of JTW data, the city was separated into four urban structure categories, which were based on density and deprivation. The areas of the city that were categorised as low density/low deprivation were found to generate and receive the highest percentages of car trips in both 1991 and 2001. It was also found that the majority of JTW trips involved suburb-to-suburb commuting. Average trip length for all JTW trips at an aggregate level did not increase substantially over this period, although increases were apparent in separate modes. Regression analysis established that the key variable determining modal split and trip length was the distance the residence was located from the Central Business District. In Northwood, on a disaggregate level, residential relocation resulted in the percentage of people driving to work or education increasing from 86.2% before moving to 88.4% after moving, while the average distance travelled to work or education also increased by 29.7%, from 6.8km to 9.6km. Results from empirical and secondary data have indicated that the percentage of car use has increased in Christchurch at the expense of alternative modes. Trip lengths have also increased over the period studied. As a way to curb this growing trend, it has been recommended that an urban growth strategy should be implemented in Canterbury. This strategy needs to define urban growth boundaries and identify areas outside of Christchurch where urban growth can occur in an integrated manner with a more sustainable transport system.