Urban planning in Australia’s major cities has struggled to accommodate population growth in a way that promotes liveability, resilience, sustainability and productivity. To achieve water sensitive outcomes, we need a planning approach that recognises the interlinkages between water, urban form and other urban systems. Developing this integrated planning approach is the key focus of Integrated Research Project 3 (IRP3). Taking an action research approach, IRP3 will examine how different types of urban development can be deliberately guided, at a range of planning scales, to achieve water sensitive outcomes.