Sustainable urban transport Fred Lee Department of Geography The University of Hong Kong March 15, 2012

Why reduce automobile dependence? How to reduce automobile dependence? 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: person/ hectare ~ transit cities: person/ hectare ~ auto-dependent cities: 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?