“Bridging the Urban Transport Divide” Summary Report of the Urban Researchers Roundtable, held at the Fifth Session of the World Urban Forum “The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide” Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 2010 UN-HABITAT Urban Transport Section and Policy Analysis Branch P.O. Box 30030, GPO Nairobi 00100, Kenya Tel: +254 20 762 5043 www.unhabitat.org Outline 1. Background: Contemporary global challenges of urban mobility .......................3 2. Case study presentations ........................................................................................4 3. Highlights of the discussion and emerging issues ...............................................5 4. Benefits for UN-HABITAT’s ongoing work .............................................................6 Appendix 1: Overview on Speakers and Panellists ................................................... 7 Appendix 2: Speakers & Paper Abstracts ...................................................................8 WUF5 Urban Researchers Roundtable Transport - Summary Report - 2 - 19/02/2010 Consequently, a major challenge for cities all over the world in the 21st century is to meet 1. Background: the mobility needs of their residents in a Contemporary global socially inclusive, economically efficient and environmentally sustainable manner. The challenges of urban provision of adequate, efficient and safe mobility transport infrastructure and services in urban areas is frequently constrained by a complex Effective transportation networks are set of financial, institutional, environmental fundamental to the functioning of cities and and political factors. The barriers are not only towns across the globe and a precondition for financial or technical in nature, but arise from economic prosperity and the well-being of political, social and institutional factors their residents. At the same time, the preventing progress towards sustainability in economic and social benefits of mobility are the urban transport field. frequently accompanied by negative side As a result, severe disadvantages can be effects such as congestion, social exclusion, observed in terms of the accessibility and accidents, air pollution and energy affordability of transport infrastructure and consumption. services for different societal groups and Since the mid-20th century, the negative side ultimately in terms of urban mobility. Unequal effects of urban transportation have access to mobility opportunities and therefore particularly become apparent in the employment opportunities, housing and basic metropolitan areas of developed countries. services represents ‘the urban transport Rising car traffic volumes and congestion are divide’. increasingly causing lost economic The urban transport divide is conceptualised productivity, environmental degradation and in terms of the following three pillars of affect overall quality of life in cities. With the sustainability: documented contribution of the urban transport sector to global greenhouse gas The social divide: the unequal access to emissions, there is a heightened level of mobility for different groups and locations urgency to apply new approaches and in urban areas; technologies for mobility in urban areas of The environmental divide: the uneven developed countries. distribution of the environmental and Developing countries are increasingly facing health impacts of urban transport within similar challenges due to rapid urbanization the context of cities; and motorization in recent decades, in The economic divide: the uneven spatial combination with insufficient investment in and social distribution of the benefits of transport infrastructure, often accompanied efficient transportation systems for by urban poverty and social exclusion. While employment opportunities and poverty vehicle ownership rates in most developing reduction. nations are still low in comparison to The urban transport divide in the world’s cities developed countries, motorization is rising was the focus of the Urban Researchers rapidly and is creating major challenges in the Roundtable, held in the context of the Fifth expanding “megacities” of the South. Session of the World Urban Forum, which Although only 10 to 20 percent of urban had “The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban residents own a private automobile, cities in Divide” as its overall theme. developing countries are already facing stifling traffic congestion and worsening air The following partners collaborated in pollution. The annual increase in the organizing the Roundtable: motorization rate of many developing • Associação Nacional dos Transportes countries has approached 10 percent, which Públicos/ National Association of Public is substantially higher than ever experienced Transportation - Brazil (ANTP); in industrialized countries. As a result, energy use by the transportation sector in developing • The International Association of Public countries has been increasing at over four Transport (UITP); percent annually in the past 20 years, far • Associação Nacional de Pós-graduação e exceeding the global 2.7 percent rate of Pesquisa em Planejamento Urbano e increase. Regional/Brazilian Association of WUF5 Urban Researchers Roundtable Transport - Summary Report - 3 - 19/02/2010 Postgraduate Programmes and Research São Paolo, Brazil and cited the application of in Urban and Regional Planning restrictive travel demand measures in (ANPUR); European cities as a potentially replicable • United Nations Human Settlements policy response. Programme (UN-HABITAT). In the first case study presentation, Mr. Eduardo Vasconcellos focused on integrated transport systems and his understanding of The intention of the Roundtable was to the “mobility divide”. He placed particular explore and discuss models and approaches emphasis on the inequalities in consumption that have successfully overcome the urban patterns and access to mobility between low- transport divide and that can be transferred income residents and higher income groups and applied widely. Another purpose of the in Brazil, as well as potential alleviating policy Roundtable was to inform UN-HABITAT’s measures. ongoing work in urban transport and the preparation of the 2013 Global Report on Mr. Michael Replogle presented the Human Settlements, which will focus on challenges of sustainable urban transport in ‘Sustainable Urban Transport’ North America and Europe. Taking the (www.unhabitat.org/grhs). The discussion and Atlanta metropolitan area as a case study, he outcomes of the Roundtable are highlighted explained the multiple disparities and in this summary report. disadvantages faced by low-income households that are unable to afford a car in the United States. Mr. Peter Wilkinson gave a presentation on 2. Case study presentations informal public transport operations in Cape Town, South Africa. He stressed the need for Corresponding to the overall theme of the detailed analysis and caution when designing Forum - “bridging the urban divide” - the alternative transport policy solutions, Urban Researchers Roundtable centered on particularly in terms of affordability and a discussion of strategies to bridge the urban political feasibility. transport divide. The event was preceded by an electronic dialogue among prospective In her presentation on non-motorized participants in late 2009 with several transport operations in Jakarta, Indonesia, Ms. contributors highlighting the importance of Maria Renny Herdanti cited the example of bridging the “urban transport divide” in the restrictive policies towards tricycle rickshaws world’s cities. (becak) to emphasize the need for transport solutions that take the specific needs of low- The Roundtable was facilitated by Mr. Jerome income communities into account. Pourbaix of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). Following a brief Mr. Xavier Godard’s presentation focused on opening movie that outlined the key issues, the lessons and experiences of urban mobility Prof. Oyebanji Oyeyinka of UN-HABITAT and poverty in West Africa. He elaborated on outlined the overall setting of the session the high share of transport costs for low- within the dialogues of the Forum and income households and examined the stressed its importance for preparing UN- potential of non-motorized and public HABITAT´s 2013 Global Report on Human transport to respond to this challenge. Settlements, which will focus on the subject of The presentations were followed by a sustainable urban transport. discussion of the key challenges, innovative To set the stage for the Roundtable practices and policies to move towards discussion, five leading researchers from sustainable urban transport and mobility. In different regions presented case studies on particular, it was stressed that urban mobility the urban transport divide and related policy is about moving people, not vehicles. This responses (see Appendix 1). statement, although apparently so obvious, but frequently forgotten, formed the basis of In her opening remarks, Ms. Leila Christina discussions during the Roundtable. Highlights Dias outlined the work of her organization, the of this discourse will be outlined in the next Brazilian Association of Postgraduate chapter. Programmes and Research in Urban and Regional Planning. She pointed to the In his closing comments, Mr. Raphael Bostic transport challenges in mega-cities such as emphasized that the economic, social and WUF5 Urban Researchers Roundtable Transport - Summary Report - 4 - environmental divide should be considered