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Sustainable urban transport
Fred LeeDepartment of Geography
The University of Hong Kong
March 15, 2012
Why reduce automobile dependence?
How to reduce automobile dependence?
What are automobile-dependent cities?
What are automobile-dependent cities?
The automobile-dependent city
The transit city
The walking city 8,000 BC - mid 19 C
1,870s -
1,940s -
2.5 km
20-30 km
50-80 km
What are auto-dependent cities?
~ walking cities: 100-200 person/ hectare~ transit cities: 70-100 person/ hectare~ auto-dependent cities: 10-20 person/ hectare
~ automobile-dependent city> automobile: priority in urban development & infrastructure investment
> assumption: automobile use will predominate
What are auto-dependent cities?
~ high levels of private auto ownership> wealthy Asian cities: 88 cars per 1,000 person> European cities: 328> Australian cities: 453> US cities: 533
~ all three types can co-exist in one city [examples?]
Why automobile-dependent cities appear?
~ support from int’l development assistance agencies~ national development programs (national car project)~ road agencies more powerful than transit agencies~ road agencies backed by powerful lobbies~ no single agency can promote comprehensive solution~ auto-dependent model: self-reinforcing
From “transit city” to “auto-dependent city”
From “cycling city” to “auto-dependent city”
Why need to reduce automobile dependence?
~ environmental costs~ health costs~ economic costs~ social costs
Environmental costs
~ air pollution~ noise~ greenhouse gases
Health costs~ road traffic accidents: # 1 cause of young adult death~ # of people killed in traffic accidents each year?~ ¾ of traffic accidents occur in LDCs
Economic costs
~ traffic congestion economic loss (billions of dollars)~ congestion lose new investments~ lack public transport high transport costs for poor > 20 % income; 3 – 4 hrs
Social costs~ “transfer of costs”: from car users to whom?~ impact of public transport decline: gender biases?~ freeway construction destroys communities
How to reduce automobile dependence?
~ invest in public transit infrastructure> encourage “walking cities” around transit
stations
~ provide space for walking & cycling> efficient, equitable & human form of transport
~ land-use planning to limit low-density sprawl> encourage high-density urban communities
~ resist auto dependence thru’ planning & control> priority: access to city services for all people
International Best Practice~ Bus rapid transit (BRT) (Curitiba, Brazil)
Challenge for Curitiba’s BRT~ how to minimize cost of public transit; &~ make it a viable alternative to private auto use
Express buses on exclusive busways
High-density residential development along axis
“Boarding tubes” cut boarding time
Platform same height as bus floors
Lessons from Curitiba?
Why automobile-dependent cities persist?
~ automobile dependence: institutionalized> transportation priorities: automobiles> residential development priorities: low-density> cultural priorities: “ideal home” as a separate
house
Why transportation priorities favor automobiles?
~ transportation system: demand-responsive; not demand-management-oriented
~ funding for road: economic, normal & necessary;$ for rail: uneconomic, outdated, unnecessary
~ subsidy to automobiles: hidden;subsidy for transit: fully public
~ funding for road: government grants;$ for transit: special loans, private money
~ transport agencies & planning agencies independent;
no transited-oriented land use planning
Why residential development priorities favor auto?
~ zoning regulations favor greenfield sites/ low density;
gov’t planning resources commit to fringe areas
~ infrastructure subsidies favor greenfield sites;redevelopment projects not supported
~ lack of strategic planning to facilitate redevelopment;
institutional framework does not integrate land-use planning and transport planning
Why cultural priorities favor automobiles?
~ public aspire to the “ideal home” other options: second-rate
~ 50s/60s: high-density projects neglect env quality “density”: a bad image
~ building bylaws: “space” = “health” no regard for transport implications
~ some city planners: countryside better than cities they facilitate ex-urban development
Priorities in overcoming automobile-dependence in cities:
What is the future prospect of auto-dependent cities?