[sustran] Re: Old Mobility rules - 5 kinds of cities - maybe one more?

[Brendan Finn]

I suggest to add Category 0, those who are getting worse by doing plenty - of the "wrong" stuff - and are pretty determined to keep doing it. Those who are "doing nothing" - Category 1/2 - have at least paused in the hole they are digging.

I would put Dublin in category 3, dressing itself up as something better. For all the talk about Transport 21 and public transport investment, the big bucks have gone into roads and will continue to do so for the next few years. 

For Cork, I would say that they are 4, with the caveats exactly as you describe them.


Brendan.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
>From Brendan Finn, ETTS Ltd.   e-mail : etts at indigo.ie   tel : +353.87.2530286
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Lize Jennings 
  To: eric.britton at ecoplan.org ; 'Global 'South' Sustainable Transport' 
  Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 6:57 AM
  Subject: [sustran] Re: Old Mobility rules - 5 kinds of cities


  Cape Town, South Africa probably falls within category 2 and 3. Although
  there are some people in the local government who wish to implement measures
  to improve the situation, particularly in addressing the problem of
  congestion, there is still the problem of traditional thinking and planning
  who believe that expanding roadways are probably the only way to go.  In
  many cases the traditional (old-school) thinkers and those with the money.  

  The interventions that are planned to be implemented are on a very small
  scale and are usually run as pilot projects, which once tested, stop because
  funding runs out.  

  South Africa is hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup and we are currently
  experiencing major congestion problems, particularly in the centre of town
  (where the main stadium will the built), so we can't image what it will be
  like once the large number of visitors arrive in the country.  

  There are however, some organizations that are working with governments to
  change their thinking and planning methods and hopefully make a difference.


  We'll just have to wait and see. 

  Regards
  Lize 

  -----Original Message-----
  From:
  sustran-discuss-bounces+lize=sustainable.org.za at list.jca.apc.org
  [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+lize=sustainable.org.za at list.jca.apc.org] 
  Sent: 24 January 2007 11:22 PM
  To: Sustran-discuss at jca.apc.org
  Subject: [sustran] Old Mobility rules - 5 kinds of cities

  I should like to propose to you a thinking exercise. It
  works like this.

  Looking at them from a sustainability or Old/New Mobility
  perspective, I would propose that there are basically five gross categories
  of cities in the world today. Moreover, it's my guess that as you work your
  way down this list you find that the number of cities in each progressive
  category grows much smaller. 

  Here it is in a nutshell, with "worse" of course meaning
  more traffic, more CO2 et al each year.

  Category 1. Those cities who are doing nothing, getting
  worse fast, and don't seem to care 

  Category 2. Those doing nothing, getting worse. . .  but
  who are starting to worry. And who just don't know what to do about it.

  Category 3. Those who overall are continuing to do worse
  (i.e., who continue to have growing traffic, more CO2, etc.), but have
  started to do a few better things - examples, building some
  pedestrianization, cycling paths, buying more buses, improved intermodal
  links, traffic engineering to smooth flows and provide most consistent
  speeds.  And above all talking a lot about it. But who from the bottom line
  are still spending their money in the wrong (old) way, such that the only
  real impact of all this is to provide a cover for not really attacking the
  problem at the root.

  Category 4. Those who have decided explicitly to break
  with past practices and are starting to do long lists of good things. About
  these there are three important things to be said: First that they are an
  extremely small minority. Second, in every case I know, the basic bottom
  line traffic and environmental indicators continue to move in the wrong
  direction.  And finally when you look at the budgets they are still at the
  end of the day spending more on roads and parking than on the rest. 

  Category 5. Cities how have bought into the New Mobility
  Agenda and have adopted an aggressive integrated retrofit strategy for the
  sector with clearly defined, publicly available benchmarks and indicators of
  both micro and macro progress.  Who have radically revised their budgets in
  the transport and related sectors, and are spending more on the new measures
  and programs than on road building, etc. 

  To close with three questions/requests. 

  * First to invite your comments, corrections, critical remarks,
  refinements etc on the above. 
  * Second, to ask you where in this rough ranking you would put the
  city or cities you know best.
  * And finally, to ask if you can tell me one single city in the world
  who have made it to the final level --  one in which the move to
  sustainability is currently on track and, in being so, able to provide a
  shining example for the rest. (Though we have some great examples of cities
  that are real trying to dig in at Cat. 4, and that already is a wonderful
  start. After all, it's a big shift and we have to start somewhere.).

  Kind thanks. 

  Eric Britton

  << File: ATT00016.txt >> 



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