1. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 1 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities José Manuel Viegas Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisboa, Portugal viegas@ist.utl.pt Contribution to CiSTUP Workshop on Urban Mobility Bangalore, India, 10 th January 2011

2. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 2 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 Cities as Complex and Innovative Systems r Large cities are very complex systems, arguably among the most complex man-made systems ever produced r Density of opportunities for contact and exchange provide marketability for a very diverse spectrum of talents and fertility for innovation r A multitude of agents pursuing their own goals  each agent and group of agents counting not only on the availability of particular types of resources, but on that availability at specific times in specific places  A large part of the rules and of exchange of information are informal, and not even uniform across society

3. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 3 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 Poor sustainability leads to unfairness r Sustainability problems arise because significant parts of those resources are common goods  without strict access and fruition rules r Many of the activities of the agents produce significant externalities, across space and time  affecting the availability of some resources and the wellbeing of other agents r Besides unfairness to future generations (i.e. poor sustainability), there also issues of unfairness within contemporary society

4. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 4 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The Road Safety challenge r High levels of road crashes and fatalities represent a very strong blow to (social and economic) sustainability r Indian roads with especially high levels of indiscipline, aggravated by the great dispersion of masses and speeds of the “objects” present on the road  Even in two-way urban streets, frequent occurrence of vehicles on the wrong lane r Very complex problem, requiring changes of behaviour r Multiple fronts in a coordinated approach  Education & Information about individual cases  Driving training  Strict Enforcement of traffic rules, even if only on a few areas each month

5. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 5 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The Congestion challenge: Basic balances required r Two essential balances are crucial for quality in Urban Mobility  Internal Balance : Capacity for Flow (Circulation) and for Stock (Parking) must be balanced  Metaphor: the Oesophagus and the Stomach  External Balance : Pressure for Mobility from Land Use must be balanced with the ability to serve it (both on flow and stock)  Metaphor: The Appetite and the two former

6. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 6 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The Congestion challenge: Car ownership, Parking Supply, Public Transport Quality r Several factors increase pressure on system  Car ownership increases with economic development  But owning a car should not mean driving it to work  Increasing parking supply (or making it more accessible) induces more traffic  Be especially aware of employer-supplied parking (felt as free by workers), but a bigger stomach always increases the pressure on the oesophagus r Relieving pressure is more difficult  Good public transport may lead to favourable modal shift, but this is far from certain (often, more trips by previous users and pedestrians, but not from car drivers) r Suggestion: Make price of parking higher in areas with good public transport service

7. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 7 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The Congestion Challenge: 2-wheelers vs. Cars r In India, private vehicle ownership is already similar to that of many developed countries  A large parte of those vehicles being two-wheelers  High emissions (but can easily be electrified)  High indiscipline in traffic, high vulnerability  Much higher level of space efficiency than cars r Economic growth naturally leads to replacement of 2-wheelers by cars  much tougher congestion for same number of vehicles  This can be resisted / delayed by policy measures  Taxation of clean 2-wheelers much lower than for cars  Traffic management with priority measures for 2-wheelers  Parking supply oriented for 2-wheelers in design and in price

8. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 8 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The congestion challenge: Manage space.time r No moral superiority of any transport mode over the others r Allocation of road space by modes based on higher performance and on safety  Ex:Bus lanes or 2-wheel lanes  ICT makes timeshare allocation relatively easy (intermittent status lanes)  Great efficiency (and also safety) gains r More sophisticated space allocation systems require not only technology but also discipline (respect for rules)  Evolution is possible, but takes time and requires multi-pronged approach  Clear strategy, persistent (and adaptive) implementation

9. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 9 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The “right to mobility” challenge: Access to Public Transport r In spite of high vehicle ownership, Urban Public Transport has strong patronage, largely due to rural migration / urban population growth  Client “refresh” from the (economic) bottom r Attracting (and maintaining) clients with an option (who own and could use their private vehicle) requires a market segmentation approach  Higher quality segment with higher prices  Basic quality segment must be the backbone of the system, providing good accessibility overall (“right to mobility”)  Spot migration between two segments made easy (urgency, experimentation), pay only the “upgrade” r Prices of higher segment Public Transport defined in conjunction with parking prices  Cross-subsidization from parking to PT possible

10. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 10 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The Integration challenge: Key components of any successful approach r Two recommendations towards any effective solution of this very severe problem can be made:  Sustainability has to be pursued in all its three dimensions: economic, environmental and social  None dominates the other two  Policies arising in any Department, Ministry or agency should always (hopefully) be designed but at least be checked for integration with other policies  So as to obtain the maximum benefit without endangering any of the dimensions of sustainability.

11. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 11 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The Integration challenge: The need for a holistic vision r Not only there are three dimensions of sustainability to consider, there as also four different levels of possible policy intervention r The main challenge is to be consistent across the board  Multi-instrumentality is not only a condition for effectiveness, but also for acceptance Policy Intervention Levels Hard interventionsSoft interventions Technology (inc. infrastructure)RegulationPrices Education / Example / Moral Suasion Dimensions of Sustainability Economic Social Environmental

12. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 12 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 The integration challenge: Appropriate Institutional Design r An unsolved question : What is the most adequate institutional design to tackle this challenge? r Two different solutions have been adopted in other areas needing the global picture  In monetary issues: previous approval of a Budget (and respect for it) ensures that all departments play in a consistent game  In (purely) environmental issues: all significant projects submitted to Environmental Assessment Study ensures that no serious aggression is possible r First example is uni-dimensional, second is too defensive r Besides complexity of the problem, a bi-dimensional institutional split: by administration level (national / state / local) and by sector  How to promote effective integration? r Innovative solutions needed !

13. Policy Integration as a condition for Sustainable Cities 13 José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011 Thank You for your attention!