This PhD study explores the relationship between urban structure and travel behaviour and the role ofurban planning in promoting more sustainable travel patterns.The study conceptualises the role of urban planning by means of a multiple-case study of the threemedium-sized Northern European cities, Eskilstuna, Turku and Tartu, that was conducted based onqualitative methods.Further, the study investigates the relationship between the urban structure of people’s living environmentand their travel behaviour by integrating daily modality styles (work and leisure), and weekendand holiday travel behaviour in a comprehensive analysis. Moreover, the phenomenon of compensatoryleisure travel is addressed. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was carried out in an urbandistrict (Østerbro) of central Copenhagen and in a small town (Borup) in the commuter belt of GreaterCopenhagen.The study achieves a comprehensive understanding of travel behaviour and qualifies the role of urbanstructure in relation to further determinants. The influence of urban structure is largely limited to dailytravel (bounded trips). Beyond urban structure, other determinants such as socio-economic factors,personal preferences and lifestyle, which are partly reflected in residential choices, have a significantinfluence on travel behaviour. This becomes particularly evident in weekend and holiday travel (nonboundedtrips). Additionally, summer cottage use among city dwellers indicates some sort of compensatoryleisure travel.Consequently, urban planning can optimise urban structure and cooperate in transport planning, butstructural adaptations of travel behaviour require also the involvement of higher tiers of policymaking.