Enrique Peñalosa: “A Powerful Symbol” 22 Transport for Society: Key Messages from Ministers

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Enrique Peñalosa: “A Powerful Symbol” 22 Transport for Society: Key Messages from Ministers Highlights Transport for Society Transport for Society Highlights 25–27 May 2011 Leipzig, Germany Contents Introduction 4 About the International Transport Forum 6 José Blanco López: “Society Shows us the Path” 8 Jack Short: “We Bring Decision-makers Together” 10 Peter Ramsauer: “International Transport Policy for Tomorrow’s Society” Transport for Society 14 Jeremy Rifkin: “We Have Forty Years to Make the Shift” 18 Enrique Peñalosa: “A Powerful Symbol” 22 Transport for Society: Key Messages from Ministers Understanding the Issues 28 Putting People First: Opening Plenary 30 A Delicate Balance: Mobility Rights, Needs, Expectations and Costs 32 More with Less: Shrinking Budgets and Growing Demand 34 Meeting Tomorrow’s Needs: Transport and Employment 36 Equitable Access: No Passenger Left Behind 38 Security in Transport: Protecting and Respecting Users 40 Keeping it Clean: Transport, Health and the Environment Taking Action 44 Jeffrey Sachs: “We Face a Stunning Challenge” 48 Meeting People’s Needs in Policy and Planning: Part 1 – Moving Passengers 50 Meeting People’s Needs in Policy and Planning: Part 1 – Moving Freight 52 Creating Liveable and Sustainable Societies 55 Making Transport Safer 58 eSafety Challenge Demonstrations: Advanced safety technology in action 60 Innovators’ Platform: New ideas for transforming transport Better Transport, Better Communities 64 Jaime Lerner: “We Have to Better Understand the City” 68 Achieving Sustainable Urban Mobility: Decision-makers’ Dialogue Where Ideas Meet 74 International Transport Forum Awards 2011: Achievements that have made a difference 76 Active Transport Tour: Leipzig by Bike 78 Childrens’ University: Kids Quiz Transport Experts 80 Summit Exhibition: The future of transport on display 82 Partner Events at the 2011 Summit: Linking the issues 84 Media at the 2011 Summit: Making headlines 85 Technical Visits and Cultural Programme: The summit on the road 86 Sponsors and Exhibitors 87 Recent Publications 88 List of Speakers 90 Forum 2012: Seamless Transport: Making Connections About the International Transport Forum The International Transport Forum is an Member countries of the International intergovernmental organisation with 52 Transport Forum include most of the Member countries that work together member states of the Organisation for to shape transport policies for the 21st Economic Co-operation and Development Century. As a strategic think tank, it (OECD) as well as India, Russia, and many provides evidence-based insights on countries in Central and Eastern Europe. transport issues for the world-wide transport community. The International China is officially engaged in the Transport Forum’s annual summit of accession process for membership and is transport Ministers, held each year in expected to participate as a full member May on a topic of strategic importance, in the 2012 summit. has established itself a major global meeting place for policy-makers, Forward-looking debate business leaders, top academics and civil society representatives. The creation of the International Transport Forum in 2006 was driven by The goal of the International Transport the desire to foster constructive, relevant Forum is to ensure that transport and forward-looking debate about the policy contributes to economic growth, future of transport on a global level and environmental protection, social across all modes. It reflected the fact inclusion and the preservation of human that numerous challenges to transport life and well-being. cannot be addressed on a national level. 4 Issues like climate change, oil Member Countries of the dependency, economic fluctuations, International Transport Forum infrastructure investment and maintenance, fighting congestion, accessible mobility, safety and security, Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan among others, are global in scope and are best tackled in close collaboration Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria across borders and among all stakeholders. Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic It is the involvement of a broad range Denmark of actors from the world of transport and beyond that make the International Estonia Transport Forum a truly unique platform for a global conversation on the future of Finland, France, FYROM mobility. In-depth research carried out by the International Transport Forum’s Georgia, Germany, Greece Research Centre supports transport policy making in Member countries Hungary and provides high-quality input for the annual summit, contributing to an Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy unrivalled level of debate. Japan A unique platform Korea The meeting of Ministers is at the heart of the annual summit. The Ministers’ Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg Key Messages emanating from this meeting are important signals to policy Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro makers, the transport sector and society at large. The high-level political aspect Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway is integrated into a thematic setting of expert panels and debates that help link Poland, Portugal policy to practice. An exhibition, live demonstrations, side events organised Romania, Russia by partner organisations, technical and cultural tours and a wide range of social Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland events provide countless opportunities to learn, exchange ideas and to network. Turkey The presidency of the International Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA Transport Forum alternates among Member countries on an annual basis. Following Spain, Japan will preside over Morocco (Observer) the International Transport Forum and its annual summit in 2012. The 2012 China and Brazil are invited to participate. summit on “Seamless Transport: Making Connections” will take place on 2-4 May 2012 in Leipzig, Germany. 5 “Society Shows us the Path” José Blanco López looks back on the 2011 summit The development of the global economy Companies and individuals that use has made the different sectors of society various transport modes on a daily basis - citizens, companies and organisations - ask that their mobility needs be met by focus on transport. Our first duty as those services of ever improving quality. And responsible for this sector is to respond to they want their means of transport to this challenge in an appropriate manner. have less impact on the climate, on health So I cannot help but be pleased to have and on nature. presided over the International Transport Forum’s 2011 summit held under the Complex challenges motto “Transport for Society”. José BLANCO LÓPEZ, A wide range of complex challenges to Ministro de Fomento, The International Transport Forum transport were given thorough scrutiny Spain enjoys a well earned reputation for its in Leipzig. Fairness was one of them, leadership in strategic thinking on the meaning guaranteed access to transport transport challenges in our world. The for those in society who enjoy fewer panel sessions and discussions at the 2011 opportunities due to their level of income, summit again provided ample proof of their reduced personal mobility or their this. The range of issues which the Forum location. Protecting travellers against has been working on since its creation, criminal or terrorist activities, while at “Society and on which it has given interesting the same time respecting their rights and recommendations, reflect the challenges optimising the public resources spent for demands new faced by transport in relation to society’s this purpose is another important issue and better demands. that was discussed in depth. Society shows us the path we must Coinciding with the launch of the United interconnected follow and the things we must pay more Nation’s Decade of Action for Road attention to, especially those of us who Safety, the quest for decisive reductions transport bear responsibility as elected officials. in the number of traffic accidents and Citizens are increasingly conscious of the victims was another obvious high-profile models” fact that transport systems play a decisive issue. Here, Spain is proud to be a leader, role in their well-being. They understand having achieved a 57.5% reduction in that transport is essential to economic road fatalities between 2001 and 2009, growth and provides access to markets for one year ahead of the target set by labour, goods and services. the European Commission for halving roadside deaths. A spotlight was put on improving mobility in urban areas. Society demands new and better interconnected transport models with more information on the services as well as a reduction of the negative impact caused by the distribution of goods in 6 urban environments. Caring for the environment and for To a large extent, the quality of our health is, of course, closely linked to transport infrastructure and of our this. Transport has become more energy transport services depends on highly efficient but it still has to overcome its qualified labour. oil dependence and the ensuing negative effects on the environment. Citizens are Meeting all the challenges and demands “Now more than requesting major new steps in the race that society puts before us requires us to achieve the sustainable mobility that is to redouble our efforts to draw up a ever, transport sought throughout the world. clear and useful roadmap. We know that decisions in the world of transport need policy has to be Do more with less time for planning and for realisation, and that the effects of these decisions last geared towards At the same time, now more than many years. Today, we are at that key
Recommended publications
  • Public Urban Transport Systems: the Case of Curitiba
    Sustainable public urban transport systems: The case of Curitiba Author: Andrea Cinquina Lund University International Masters Program in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Sciences LUMES 2006/08 MESM01 Thesis Course [email protected] Supervisor: Prof. Bengt Holmberg Traffic Planning, LHT Lund University Andrea Cinquina Lumes Thesis 2008 Abstract This paper describes the present urban public transportation in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. The city was chosen for this research because of its urban public transport system, which had a major role in urban planning development; this consists of an integrated network of busses, developed in combination with land use, population density and road hierarchy, as a consequence of the Master Plan implemented by the city in the late 60s. The sustainability of the system was analysed, using as the main framework, the United Nations Habitat Agenda recommendations on sustainable transport and applying these criteria to the public transport system of Curitiba, making use of available literature, interviews and observations. From the analyses of the system, it was evident that it achieved positive indicators regarding its sustainability in the criteria of accessibility, economical feasibility and coordination of land use and transport system. However, negative indicators were also evident, that leads to the conclusion that it is not a sustainable system. These aspects were in the criteria of intermodal transportation, disincentives for private motorization traffic and the use of diesel fuel.
    [Show full text]
  • Jaime Lerner, Urban Planning Legend, to Receive Leadership in Transport
    PRESS RELEASE Paris, 24 May 2011 Jaime Lerner, urban planning legend, to receive Leadership in Transport Award “Truly outstanding achievements” to be honoured Award ceremony at summit of Transport Ministers on 26 May Jaime Lerner, visionary urban planner from Brazil and pioneer of globally successful public transport ideas, is the winner of the first Leadership in Transport Award. He will be presented with the award at the annual summit of transport ministers from around the globe in Leipzig, Germany, on 26 May. The Leadership in Transport Award was created by the International Transport Forum at the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation for the transport sector that comprises 52 member countries, to honour public figures that have, through exceptional vision and leadership, made a lasting positive impact, resulting in major advances for transport.” “There are very few people who fit this description as well as Jaime Lerner”, said Jack Short, Secretary General of the International Transport Forum, announcing the decision in Paris on Monday. “In an extraordinary career spanning many decades, Jaime Lerner, through his ideas and work, has made a real difference in the lives of people: as an architect and legendary urban planner, as a mayor of the city of Curitiba, as governor of the State of Paraná, and not least as a teacher and visionary whose ideas have inspired so many others around the globe.” Short added: “While his achievements reach far beyond the confines of transport, Jaime Lerner has made a particularly profound and lasting contribution in this area. His brainchild, the Curitiba Bus Rapid Transit system, was a path-breaking innovation in public transport.
    [Show full text]
  • Curitiba, Brazil Nicole Mikesh ‘People-Centric Planning on a Budget’
    Curitiba, Brazil Nicole Mikesh ‘People-centric planning on a budget’ It is possible to have a livable city without spending top dollar. “The dream of a better city is always in the heads of its residents. Our city isn’t a paradise. It has most of the problems of other cities. But when we provide good buses and schools and health clinics, everybody feels respected. The strategic vision ... leads us to put the first priorities on the child and the environment. For there is no deeper feeling of solidarity than that of dealing with the citizen of to- morrow, the child, and the environment in which that child is going to live.”- Jamie Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba. (ICLEI-Canada) “The result of the strategy--which put people at the center and emphasized integrated planning--is that the city has become a showcase of ecological and humane urbanism, with ongoing improvements over the past 38 years to social, economic and environmental conditions for its residents. Curitiba has become the most sustainable of cities, in the process proving that applying a city-strategy with strong values and a focus on integrated systems can harness the actions of planning departments to meet common strategic object” (ICLEI-Canada) CONTEXT Historical spatial and governance foundation In the 1950s Curitiba was the modest 150,000 person capitol of the Brazilian military-state of Paraná. Curitiba was the processing and distribution center for the surrounding agricul- tural industry. At its peak during the 1960s, the state of Paraná produced 1/3 of the world’s coffee (Scwartz, Hugh).
    [Show full text]
  • What Policies for Globalising Cities?
    What Policies What Policies for Globalising Cities? for Globalising Cities? RETHINKING THE URBAN POLICY AGENDA RETHINKING THE URBAN POLICY AGENDA Campo de las Naciones, Madrid, Spain 29-30 March 2007 Campo de las Naciones, Madrid, Spain 29-30 March 2007 What Policies for Globalising Cities? RETHINKING THE URBAN POLICY AGENDA www.oecd.org/gov/urbandevelopment/madridconference 0020074E1.indd 1 30-Oct-2007 11:39:41 AM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This conference was organised by the OECD, the Madrid City Council and the Club of Madrid. Special thanks are given to Madrid City Council; in particular to the Mayor, Mr. Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, as well as to Mr. Miguel Angel Villanueva, Mr. Ignacio Niño Perez and Mr. Daniel Vinuesa Zamorano. We would like also to thank the Spanish Ministry of Public Administration (in particular Mr. Jose-Manuel Rodriguez Alvarez, Spanish Delegate to the OECD Territorial Development Policy Committee) and the Club de Madrid (especially Mrs. Maria Elena Aguero). Professor Alan Harding, Institute for Political and Economic Governance, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, provided a major contribution to the content of the conference. The conference organisation was directed by Mario Pezzini, Head of the OECD Territorial Reviews and Governance Division and coordinated by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Head of the Urban Development Programme and Suzanne-Nicola Leprince, Executive Secretary for the OECD Territorial Development Policy Committee. Suzanna Grant, Valérie Forges and Erin Byrne provided substantial help to the logistics of the conference. Erin Byrne prepared the document proceedings for publication. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS OECD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: “WHAT POLICIES FOR GLOBALISING CITIES? RETHINKING THE URBAN POLICY AGENDA" 29-30 March 2007- Madrid, Spain .............................
    [Show full text]
  • UNCED: Broadeningthe Environmental Debate
    179Y38 - ~~~~~~~~Volunmeonre * 'UR THE - - BARNAGER Em ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1992l ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~Sepilernber Public Disclosure Authorized U R B A N E N V I R O N M E N T I S S U E Citiesand UNCED: Broadeningthe Environmental Debate or two weeks in June representatives from 172 countriesde- states that "Urban growth has IHTHIS ISSUE scended on Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, to attend the United Nations outstripped society's capacity to ,, , ... - Conferencc on Environment and Development (UNCED)- meet human needs. enslaving ostensibly the biggest and grandest intemational mcectingof al1 hundreds of millions of people , time. Scattered among as many as a dozen different vcnues- without adequate incomes. diets. , ranging from the imposing Rio Centro to the beaches at housing and services." Chapter , FlamengoPark-an assortment of presidents. prime ministers, 18 alludes to the necd for "spe- Public Disclosure Authorized technocrats, and activists argued their case for a better environ- cial attention" to be given to the U ment. staging a media evcnt worthy of thieworld's attention, growing effects of urbanization . f Citics. left out of much of the formal debate leading up on water demands and usage. to UNCED, emerged from the event with a mixed but optimistic And Chapter 28 is devoted scorecard. In the past two years no less than 13 mcetings had been totally to the role of local au- held among city representatives to raise the profile of urban issues on thorities in successfully imple- El'TMENTS the UNCED agenda. Support for addressing urhan environmental menting the document's action problems ranged from the "Melbourne Declaration" signed in October plans.
    [Show full text]
  • Career Guidance for the Stable Professional Development of Architects
    Sustainable Development and Planning IX 713 CAREER GUIDANCE FOR THE STABLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTS TOPCHIY IRINA Director of the Preparatory Department, Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy), Russia ABSTRACT The process of architectural design brings together many people. An architect is the author of the project who is responsible for its result, including the stability of the spatial environment. This sets up exclusive requirements for the intelligence level, experience and professional training of architects. Schools of architecture involved in the recruitment and selection of the most talented graduates determine their participation in professional orientation, such as giving public lectures, the organization of festivals, and the creation of programs for the supplementary education of children and young adults. Participating in professional-orientation research laboratories within architecture departments allows students to learn new subjects and methods of scientific studies. Public engagement in education is a constant focus of concern for schools of architecture and strategies based on the provision of public interests. Upon getting an academic degree and entering the labor market, yesterday’s students had to single-handedly pursue a professional career. Not every architecture school graduate can use the knowledge they have gained; some need support and correction of the trajectory of professional development, and others even require a change of profession. Dropping out from architectural practice does not mean a loss of the knowledge gained. What can universities do to facilitate the creation of life and professional stability for graduates of architecture departments? The problem can be solved by studying the intellectual resources of universities, interdisciplinary and inter-subject relations and the experience of architects who have succeeded in overcoming professional crises.
    [Show full text]
  • Speaker Bios
    March 20-21, 2014 Conference Speakers ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS (continued) Elizabeth Macdonald (UC Berkeley) Elizabeth Macdonald, Ph.D., is an urban designer and Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on March 20-21, 2014 Conference Speakers street design and the history of urban form, with particular interest in engineering street standards’ impacts on the pedestrian realm; context KEYNOTE SPEAKERS sensitive street design; the interface between buildings and the public realm; post-occupancy evaluation of urban design plans and projects; the sustainability dimensions of urban design; urban design graphic communication; and methods for urban design knowledge-building. Recent Peter Calthorpe (Calthorpe and Associates) professional projects include Octavia Boulevard in San Francisco, Pacific Boulevard in Vancouver, British Columbia, International Boulevard Peter Calthorpe is founder and Principal of Calthorpe Associates, a firm which has helped solidify a global trend towards the key principles in Oakland, and C.G. Road in Ahmedabad, India, as well as consulting on streetscape design for Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, San Francisco’s Better of New Urbanism over the past 30 years. Mr. Calthorpe has been a pioneer of innovative approaches to urban revitalization, suburban growth, Streets Plan, and San Francisco’s Market/Octavia Neighborhood Plan. and regional planning; he is credited with developing the concept of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and is one of the founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism. In addition to his work in urban, new town, and suburban settings within the United States and abroad, Deborah L. McKoy (UC Berkeley Center for Cities & Schools) he has lectured extensively throughout the world and has taught at a number of universities, including UC Berkeley.
    [Show full text]
  • Bill Mckibben, “Curitiba”
    Curitiba accommodations. Where we built our most important links, however tenuously, between different kinds of people. Where sheer crowdedness made compromise Bill McKibben essential. The erosion of the sense of community in the cities I knew -most especially New York, but in fact any place ringed with suburbs - seems to me to have signaled the erosion of politics as something useful, to have turned it from a source of The first time I went there, I had never heard of Curitiba. I had no idea that its bus togetherness and common feeling into a reflection of apartness and self-interest. system was the best on earth, that it had largely solved the problem of street children that plagues the rest of South America, or that a municipal shepherd and his flock of thirty sheep trimmed the grass in its vast parks. It was just a midsize Brazilian city where an airline schedule forced me to spend the night midway through a long South If any of my hopes for the small and lonely places I love best are ever to bear fruit, American reporting trip. I reached my hotel, took a nap, and then went out in the early that cynical divisiveness has to be reversed. Maybe an effort to convince myself that evening for a walk - warily, because I had just come from crime-soaked Rio. But the such a decay in public life was not inevitable was why I went back to Curitiba to street in front of the hotel was cobbled, closed to cars, and strung with lights.
    [Show full text]
  • Guides for Developing Eco Efficient Infra Exe Summary 0.Pdf
    E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Are we building competitive and liveable cities? Guidelines for developing eco-efficient and socially inclusive infrastructure The guidelines for the development of eco-effi cient and inclusive urban infrastructure have been developed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Are we building competitive and liveable cities? and the Pacifi c (ESCAP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America Guidelines for developing eco-effi cient and socially inclusive infrastructure and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT), in partnership with the Urban Design Lab (UDL), the Earth Institute, at Columbia University in the City of New York, in the context of the project “Eco- effi cient and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure in Asia and Latin America”. The objective of the project is to promote the application of eco-effi ciency as a key Increase your city’s competitiveness and quality of life through criterion for economic competitive, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable environmental improvements: urban development and for expanding fi nancing opportunities. Responding to the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, Activities included expert group meetings, case studies, pilot projects and training of globalization and climate change requires an urgent shift in the urban managers and planners. way urban infrastructure is planned, designed and managed: it The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication must be eco-effi cient and socially inclusive. do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or Eco-effi cient and socially inclusive infrastructure can: area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Recycling and Transport in the Sustainable City: Curitiba, Brazil
    Keuhn UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research X (2007) ‘Garbage is not Garbage’ & “Bus Tubes”: Recycling and Transport in the Sustainable City: Curitiba, Brazil Kira Keuhn Faculty Sponsor: John Betton, Department of Management ABSTRACT This funded research project studied garbage and recycling programs and the bus transportation systems in Curitiba, Brazil. Observations were made and interviews conducted with key community members. Ninety percent of Curitibanos participate in recycling programs today (Meadows, 1995). Seventy percent of all Curitiba’s trash is recycled, which is reportedly seven times the average in the United States (Johnson, 2001). Curitiba provides models of effective recycling methods and allocation of urban waste. Buses in Curitiba run in lanes specifically dedicated for high-speed travel, and there are tubular stations at each stop to speed up the entry and exit of passengers (Langston, 2006). Over 2.1 million people, in a city with over 3.2 million people (including surrounding municipalities) use the buses daily (URBS, n.d.), and several buses, called double-articulated buses, can carry up to 300 passengers at a time; meaning 50,000 people can be transported in just one hour (Ben-Tal, 2005). The continual success of the city of Brazil in achieving sustainability goals is attributed to new programs, advancements in technology and education of the younger generation to ensure processes previously implemented are continued. INTRODUCTION In the 1950’s, Curitiba had a population of only 150,000 inhabitants. As the city grew in the 1960’s, many citizens expressed dissatisfaction with the urban design practices of constructing highways and building large complexes and shopping malls.
    [Show full text]
  • Curitiba, 16 to 19 November 1981)
    REPORT OF THE REGIONAL SEMINAR ON METROPOLITANIZATION AND ENVIRONMENT (Curitiba, 16 to 19 November 1981) \ 82-4-864 - iii - CONTENTS Page Preamble 1 I. Organization of work 1 Place and date 1 Attendance 1 Agenda 2 Opening and closing meetings 2 Officers 3 Short account of the proceedings 3 II. General conclusions ^ III. Specific conclusions 7 1. Participation 8 2. Planning 9 3. Environmental potentialities and restrictions 10 4. Ecosystemic approach 11 5. Environmental improvement and protection 12 6. Transport and environment 13 IV. Recommendations 14 Annex 1 - List of participants 17 Annex 2 - Programme 24 Annex 3 - Documents presented at the Seminar 27 Reference documents 28 /Preamble - 1 - Preamble This report summarizes the conclusions and recommendations of the Regional Seminar on Metropolitanization and Environment held at Curitiba, State of Parang, Brazil, from 16 to 19 November 1981 by the Economic Commission for Latin. America (CEPAL) in conjunction with the Urban Planning and.Studies Institute of Curitiba (IFPUC), under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Municipal Prefecture of Curitiba. As part of the project on horizontal co-operation in Latin America with regard to styles of development and environment, the seminar was aimed at collecting, evaluating and exchanging experience with a view to providing such co-operation, for the following purposes in particular: (a) Making progress in the understanding of the society/environment relationships involved in metropolitan development, especially with regard to housing, transport and the provision of equipment; (b) Within these fields, studying and proposing policy options ensuring a more integral, sustained and autonomous development of the resources of the region, especially environmental resources (material, energy, territorial and infrastructure resources), and (c) Proposing ways for the practical incorporation of these considerations .
    [Show full text]
  • Bus Rapid Transit: an Urban Form of Mobility
    ban urbanr form of mobilityt m a y a n k p a t e l university of california, davis | landscape architecture | senior project 2 0 9 2 bus rapid transit an urban form of transportation A senior project presented to the faculty of the Landscape Architecture Program at the University of California, Davis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelors of Science in Landscape Architecture. Accepted & Approved By: _______________________________________________________________________ Mark Francis, Faculty Senior Project Advisor & Committee Member _______________________________________________________________________ Stephen Wheeler, Faculty Committee Member _______________________________________________________________________ Richard Coss, Committee Member By Mayank Patel June 12, 2009 3 abstract The transition into the 21st century places us in a precarious situation. With rapid global changes in progress, smarter planning, sustainable practices, conscious applications, and a modified lifestyle become necessities. Transportation is one of the primary contributors to harmful global change. The objective of this project is to examine a particular form of transportation, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and analyze whether or not it addresses current issues (congestion) and at the same time, serves as a promising measure for the future. The significance of this study is to a) realize the impact transportation and transportation systems have in urban planning and design, and b) learn how public transportation influences or dictates social welfare. The project is divided into four parts. First, I discuss BRT to provide a comprehensive understanding of the functionality and application of the system. Thereafter, in order to grasp what may or may not be successful, I refer to existing case studies of cities (Curitiba & Los Angeles) that have implemented BRT.
    [Show full text]