Every week, over one million individuals relocate from rural to urban areas or cities globally, putting a huge demand on the existing infrastructures, especially transport systems.
Booming towns and cities require a contemporary mobility system that can transport the growing population without harming the environment.
Several actors, including local and national governments, should collaborate to create a financially and environmentally sustainable urban planning solution.
What Sustainable Transport Is
Environment and climate change are among the first things that come to many people’s minds when they think of sustainability. However, sustainable mobility and transport entail more than that.
The main principle of a sustainable transportation solution is to meet present needs without interfering with the capability of future generations. This may involve economic, social, and environmental considerations.
What Are the Examples of Sustainable Transport?
Green transportation modes exist in different forms. One perfect example is electrical vehicles. Usually, electric fleets or vehicles are environmentally-friendly modes of transport. This is because electric scooters, boats, trains, bikes, and cars often carry electric motors and battery packs. Commercial EVs are also popular, including electric pickup trucks, electric vans, and electric trucks, to name a few.
Another example is carpooling. Because people share multi-occupant vehicles, pollution and traffic on the roads will greatly be reduced.
Why Prioritize Sustainable Transport?
Although transport remains one of the major backbones and economic contributors globally, it as well affects the environment. It is mostly responsible for transporting goods and people and connecting individuals with their homes, jobs, and schools.
In addition, it accounts for about 22% of CO2 emissions globally. This is why it is imperative to prioritize sustainable transport in the future. Some of the benefits of doing so may include the following:
- Local economy growth
- Decrease in gas emissions
- Improved public health
- Reduced pollution
Which Are Effective Sustainable Transport Strategies?
As the global population is projected to reach around 9.1 billion by 2052, sustainable transport in urban areas will become imperative when it comes to decreasing emissions of greenhouse gas.
Hence, it is important to look for several ways of implementing sustainable transport solutions in cities and urban areas and how they are going to benefit not just the population but also the environment in the future. Some of these ways may include the following:
1. Reduce Motorized Travel Demands
Minimizing the motorized travel demands through compact urban planning as well as promoting non-motorized transportation, will help to deliver the value of low-carbon urban investments. For increased investments of $0.57 trillion, it may minimize carbon emission by 0.58 GtCO2-e by the time it reaches 2050.
2. Address Systems’ Vulnerability
The interconnectedness of networks in urban areas can as well exacerbate vulnerability. In order to prevent this, decentralized services and infrastructure may help to get rid of single points of failure.
Final Touches!
Urban areas are growing rapidly, and so do the challenges of making them lively. According to experts, more than 68% of the population globally will move to urban areas by 2050. This increased urbanization will demand a holistic, integrated, and intelligent approach to transportation management and city planning so as to meet the societal challenges that cities face globally.