[sustran] Re: Sutainable Urban Accessibility

[Christopher Zegras]

For those interested in further exploration of the sustainable 
accessibility concept, at this link you can find an examination of 
empirical and theoretical issues:

http://web.mit.edu/czegras/www/Zegras_DraftChapter13_Final.pdf
(draft chapter for an upcoming edited volume on transport in developing 
countries)

Kind regards,  Chris Zegras


On 6/10/2010 9:31 AM, Erica Schlaikjer wrote:
> More on the ³access paradigm² that Morten Lange brings up....
>
> TheCityFix recently wrote two posts about "sustainable accessibility" that
> this group might find interesting:
>
> "Avoiding Environmental Disaster through Sustainable Accessibility"
> http://thecityfix.com/avoiding-environmental-disaster-through-sustainable-ac
> cessibility/
>
>    
>> This lecture by Dr. John Sterman<http://jsterman.scripts.mit.edu/>, part
>> of MIT¹s series of seminars about transportation
>> <http://mitworld.mit.edu/series/view/156>  , provides a great introduction to
>> the concept of accessibility as an alternative way to consider transportation
>> system design.
>>
>> To design a sustainable and successful accessibility system, Sterman says, we
>> need research across areas, including technical innovation; policy and
>> business practices (i.e. new business models, policies, economic issues, price
>> externalities that are currently not priced at all); and human  behavior (i.e.
>> taking full account of idiosyncrasies and irrational aspects of  human
>> behavior). All of this must be integrated.
>>
>>      
> ³Manifesto for Urban Accessibility in India²
> http://thecityfix.com/manifesto-for-urban-accessibility-in-india/
>
>    
>> Sudhir Chella Rajan<http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sudhir-chella-rajan/2/282/b05>
>> , a professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of
>> Technology-Madras and Coordinator of their Indo-German Centre for
>> Sustainability, recently published a fantastic overview
>> <http://casi.ssc.upenn.edu/comment/reply/721#comment-form>   of sustainable
>> accessibility in the Indian context but with global implications. He talks
>> about how a focus on accessibility improves life not only for the poor but
>> also for all urbanites, and his article highlights issues in India that got me
>> interested in this side of sustainable mobility.
>>      
>
>
>
> On 6/10/10 6:44 AM, "Morten Lange"<morten7an at yahoo.com>  wrote:
>
>    
>> Dear Vinay, Good article ! One comment that pops to mind is that some people
>> talk of access, rather than mobility.  For instance that would include
>> improved access to services / shops by decentralising them. This can be done
>> e.g. by urban planning including financial incentives that will influence
>> where services are located. This as an addition to improving access for more
>> effective and equitable modes. So access is improved not only by improving how
>> many people get move about per /hour / per square-kilometer / per million
>> dollar or Lakh /per unit of health or pollution. The "Access-paradigm" also
>> inherently takes into account the needs of different segments of the
>> populations. That is, the access-paradigm as I have perceived it. I might be
>> out on a limb here, but take my chances, in order to get the opportunity to
>> learn and discuss. -- Regards / Kvedja Morten Lange, Reykjavík --- On Sat,
>> 5/6/10, Vinay Baindur<yanivbin at gmail.com>  wrote:>  From: Vinay Baindur
>> <yanivbin at gmail.com>  >  Subject: [sustran] Cities need mobility, not cars>  To:
>> "CAF2"<citizens-action-forum at googlegroups.com>, "Hasire Usiru"
>> <hasiruusiru at yahoogroups.com>, "Hu Gov"<hu_governance at googlegroups.com>  >
>> Date: Saturday, 5 June, 2010, 11:30>  *URBAN ENVIRONMENT*>  >  *Anumita
>> Roychowdhury*, Centre for Science and Environment>  >  *Cities need mobility,
>> not cars*>  >  Our cities are in a mess and the clutter will grow. Recent>
>> number crunching>  by global consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Llc predicts
>> an>  urban population>  in India of 590 million by 2030‹nearly twice the size
>> of>  the current US>  population and 40% of the total projected Indian>
>> population. Cities, which>  account for 70% of India¹s GDP (gross domestic
>> product),>  will drive the>  economy. But these same cities are on a toxic
>> spiral, urged>  on by growing>  wastefulness, energy use and car mania. The
>> current>  obsession with car-based>  infrastructure and urban sprawl will only
>> increase car>  dependency, travel>  distances, energy and the pollution
>> intensity of travel.>  >  The choking haze of pollution and growing illnesses
>> are the>  scary evidence>  of urban growth. The International Energy Agency
>> warns that>  cars will also>  drive energy demand. Currently, one-third of our
>> urban>  population in three>  mega-cities accounts for nearly half of the
>> carbon>  emissions from transport.>  Parking needs are devouring urban
>> commons‹10% of>  urbanized Delhi is wasted>  as parking spaces.>  >  Can we
>> make our cities livable? Make public health, urban>  design quality and>
>> community well-being the basis of this growth?>  >  Our future depends on the
>> choices we make today. And the>  choices are clear>  in our densely built
>> cities, where the bulk of all travel>  trips have short>  distances‹5-10km. In
>> fact, walking and bicycling make up>  more than a quarter>  of all trips in
>> major cities and greater than half in small>  towns. Public>  transport and
>> para-transit modes meet more than three>  quarters of the>  passenger demand
>> for motorized transport. Protect and scale>  up this>  strength, and ensure
>> equity in allocation of road space to>  all users.>  >  Make the change real.
>> Leverage the emerging policy>  opportunities‹reform-based agenda of the
>> Jawaharlal Nehru>  National Urban>  Renewal Mission and the clean air action
>> plans. Cities must>  deliver on>  public transport reforms, control pollution
>> sources and>  pursue innovative>  measures to restrain the car bulge. There is
>> no other way.>  >  Look at Delhi. With less than a quarter of households>
>> owning cars, and>  despite the largest road network, life¹s ebbed out of its>
>> streets. Road>  widening and flyovers have not helped.>  >  The signpost is
>> clear: Cities need mobility, not cars.>  Scale up alternative>  mobility
>> choices, set the post-2010 road map to leapfrog>  vehicle technology,>  and
>> redesign cities to promote safe mobility. Cities must>  interlink a full>
>> range of actions that form the big solution.>  >  *Anumita Roychowdhury is
>> associate director at Centre for>  Science and>  Environment.** Comment at
>> feedback at livemint.com*>
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>>      
> --
> Erica Schlaikjer
> Media Relations and Online Engagement Coordinator
> EMBARQ ­ The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport
> World Resources Institute
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-- 
P. Christopher Zegras
Ford Career Development Asst. Professor, Urban Planning&  Transportation
Dept. of Urban Studies&  Planning | Massachusetts Institute of Tech.
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 10-403 | Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617 452 2433 | Fax: 617 258 8081 | czegras at mit.edu
http://web.mit.edu/czegras/www/Zegras.htm

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