<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 9"> <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 9"> <link rel=File-List href="cid:filelist.xml@01C792F4.9B88D560">  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='tab-interval:36.0pt'> <div class=Section1> The following notice just in via Sustran from Sujit Patwardhan. I thought that the Pune case was so interesting that I just went in and cut and pasted it just below to bring it even more immediately  to your attention. Congratulations Sujit and team on a fine job. <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> And congratulations too is very much due to the UNDP and the Global Environmental Facility GEF Small Grants program behind this, which I would draw to your attention at <a href="http://sgp.undp.org/index.cfm?module=ActiveWeb&page=WebPage&s=AboutGEF">http://sgp.undp.org/index.cfm?module=ActiveWeb&page=WebPage&s=AboutGEF</a> .<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Here is an idea that comes to mind, concerning which I would be interested to have your comments and suggestions. What about seeing if we can encourage the GEF team to underwrite a cycle of “living case studies” which will look at one or two dozen similar citizen based projects in as many places, building on the Pune experience and perhaps taking it further in several respects. <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <ul style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm' type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4;tab-stops:list 36.0pt'>First, I would like to see how we in our various working combination might be able to put our heads together to develop a guiding “template” for these various case reports, not so much to tie the hands of the authors and the groups concerned, but rather to give them our best ideas about a reporting format that they can themselves take, build on and improve for their own purposes. <![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo4;tab-stops:list 36.0pt'>Second, I would like to see them brought on line and developed in iterations, with feedback from these and other groups and fora who can perhaps help strengthen not only the case reports themselves, but also and far more impotent I believe the mechanisms that they are working with in their own cities. In this way it becomes a kind of collaborative group learning process, not all that different from what we already do here.<o:p></o:p></li> </ul> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Your thoughts?<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Eric Britton<o:p></o:p>  - - - - <o:p></o:p> From Sujit: <![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and lessons from community initiatives<o:p></o:p> This publication is a result of a review of 65 sustainable transport community projects funded by the GEF Small Grants Programme. Lessons and experiences documented in the publication demonstrate that community initiatives play an important role in testing new approaches, raising awareness of new ideas, piloting innovative strategies, and informing and stimulating policy dialogue in a cost-effective way. <o:p></o:p> For instance, community initiatives with local civil society organizations in Pune, India, prompted a policy shift by the city towards supporting bus rapid transit and the development of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, the municipal government is re-allocating a portion of its transport funds towards non-motorized transport infrastructure. In other cases (e.g., Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Jordan, Egypt, and Lithuania), sustainable transport community projects have resulted in government policy shifts and stimulated commercial activities, leading to sustainable strategies for addressing local transport challenges while benefiting the global climate. <o:p></o:p> The publication was first published and launched at the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP-12) and second meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP-2) in Nairobi, Kenya, 6-17 November 2006<o:p></o:p> <a href="http://sgp.undp.org/img/GEF_SGP_Sustainable_Transport_and_Climate_Change.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"></a><a href="http://www.undp.org/sgp/download/GEF_SGP_Sustainable_Transport_and_Climate_Change.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and lessons from community initiatives</a> (PDF, 1.44 MB)<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Report editors<o:p></o:p> Editorial support: Marie Khan<o:p></o:p> Copy editor: Rosemarie Philips<o:p></o:p> Technical support: Espen Beer Prydz<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Experiences and lessons from community initiatives<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Case study contributors<o:p></o:p> Neda Leonaviciute & Inga Ringailaite, GEF SGP, UNDP Lithuania<o:p></o:p> Poonsin Sreesangkom, GEF SGP, UNDP Thailand<o:p></o:p> Nirandorn Potikanond, Chiang Mai Sunday Bicycle Club, Thailand<o:p></o:p> Sujit Patwardhan, Parisar Samrakshan Samvardhan Samstha, Pune India<o:p></o:p> Omar Kaba, GEF SGP, UNDP Mali<o:p></o:p> Przemek Czajkowski, GEF SGP, UNDP Poland<o:p></o:p> Sodhi Prabhjot. GEF SGP, UNDP India.<o:p></o:p> Shireen Samarasuriya, GEF SGP, UNDP Sri Lanka<o:p></o:p> Ibrahim Togola, Mali Folkecenter, Mali<o:p></o:p> Emad Adly, GEF SGP. UNDP, Egypt<o:p></o:p> Nehemiah Murusuri, GEF SGP, UNDP, Tanzania<o:p></o:p> Livinus Manyanga. KAKUTE Ltd, Tanzania<o:p></o:p> Adam Friedensohn, Himalayan Light Foundation. Nepal<o:p></o:p> Yadav Gurung, Himalayan Light Foundation. Nepal<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Case Study 2:<o:p></o:p> India: Environmentally Sustainable,<o:p></o:p> People-centred Urban Transport, Pune<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Project Overview<o:p></o:p> Pune is a burgeoning city in the Indian state of Maharashtra.<o:p></o:p> With a vibrant industrial sector as well as a growing<o:p></o:p> IT sector, the population of the Pune metropolitan area<o:p></o:p> has grown from 800,000 in 1971 to its current 4.5 million.<o:p></o:p> This rapid development has outpaced public transit services,<o:p></o:p> and unplanned neighbourhoods have sprung up<o:p></o:p> in areas poorly served by the Pune Municipal Transport<o:p></o:p> (PMT) bus network. As public transit has come under<o:p></o:p> increasing strain and the price of motor vehicles has come<o:p></o:p> down, motorization has exploded, polluting the air and<o:p></o:p> making walking and cycling increasingly dangerous.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Since the 1960s, Pune’s road network has increased by<o:p></o:p> a factor of 5, while the number of vehicles has increased<o:p></o:p> by a factor of 87. Formerly known as the ‘cycle city of India’,<o:p></o:p> Pune now experiences over 300 road fatalities per year<o:p></o:p> and the fifth worst air pollution in Asia. The drive towards<o:p></o:p> motorization has made transport less affordable and<o:p></o:p> more burdensome for the poor while spewing greenhouse<o:p></o:p> gasses and large amounts of toxic air pollution.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The grantee, Parisar Samrakshan Samvardhan Samstha<o:p></o:p> (Parisar), is a Pune-based environmental NGO. Parisar<o:p></o:p> mobilized a diverse network of stakeholders from a<o:p></o:p> variety of sectors, NGOs, and communities throughout<o:p></o:p> the city into the Pune Traffic and Transportation Forum<o:p></o:p> (PTTF), which lobbies for, raises awareness about, and<o:p></o:p> crafts policy for sustainable transport, traffic demand<o:p></o:p> management, and non-motorized transport in the city.<o:p></o:p> Acting simultaneously as a pressure group, a think tank,<o:p></o:p> and a policy watchdog, the grantee and its partners have<o:p></o:p> been instrumental in persuading the city to implement<o:p></o:p> (beginning in 2006) several NMT and BRT policies and<o:p></o:p> projects.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Implementation<o:p></o:p> Parisar has been active in urban transport in Pune for a<o:p></o:p> number of years, lobbying successive city administrations<o:p></o:p> for improvements in the PMT. Although most were<o:p></o:p> reluctant to address politically sensitive issues such as<o:p></o:p> traffic demand management, or were not particularly<o:p></o:p> receptive to civil society organizations, Parisar gained<o:p></o:p> experience during those years in municipal traffic and<o:p></o:p> transport advocacy, developed networks of partner<o:p></o:p> organizations representing various stakeholders, and<o:p></o:p> developed a suite of policy recommendations for the<o:p></o:p> city. With a new, more sympathetic administration taking<o:p></o:p> charge in June 2004, the grantee was offered an opportunity<o:p></o:p> to present its case for NMT, BRT, and TDM to the<o:p></o:p> administration.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Several presentations, seminars, and informal discussions<o:p></o:p> were held between the PTTF and city officials during<o:p></o:p> the second half of 2004. While city officials were broadly<o:p></o:p> supportive of some sustainable transport measures,<o:p></o:p> they required considerable convincing in many areas,<o:p></o:p> including adding sidewalks to Pune’s narrow streets, the<o:p></o:p> continued relevance of bicycles in an age of increasingly<o:p></o:p> available motor vehicles, and the utility of bus-only lanes.<o:p></o:p> Initially, the view of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)<o:p></o:p> was that traffic was too heavy for these measures. Using<o:p></o:p> examples from sustainable transport accomplishments<o:p></o:p> in Singapore, Bogot�, London, and Curitiba, the grantee<o:p></o:p> slowly shifted the view of the PMC towards recognition<o:p></o:p> that certain forms of traffic restrictions actually speed<o:p></o:p> traffic rather than restrict it while also benefiting the<o:p></o:p> environment, improving public safety, and increasing<o:p></o:p> the mobility of the poor.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> As city officials became increasingly receptive, outside<o:p></o:p> experts were brought in and administrators from the<o:p></o:p> PMT were included. Holding a seminar entitled ‘One Right<o:p></o:p> Turn: Critical Issues in Urban Mobility for Developing<o:p></o:p> Countries for Coming Decades’, the grantee attracted<o:p></o:p> participants from noted NGOs such as the Delhi-based<o:p></o:p> Centre for Science and Environment, transit officials from<o:p></o:p> Delhi and Mumbai, other noted Indian advocates for<o:p></o:p> BRT systems, and officials from the Central Institute of<o:p></o:p> Road Transport. The seminar was well-received by officials<o:p></o:p> and garnered a lot of media attention, catalyzing<o:p></o:p> popular support. A major publication on sustainable<o:p></o:p> transport came out of the seminar; combined with an<o:p></o:p> appearance by Enrique Pe�alosa and his flagging-off of a<o:p></o:p> major cycle rally (~4500 cyclists), it went a long way in<o:p></o:p> persuading the PMC to take a more sympathetic<o:p></o:p> approach to NMT, BRT, and TDM.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> In early 2005, PMC hired a consulting firm to help<o:p></o:p> develop a transport action plan, with the grantee being<o:p></o:p> given a role in the oversight of their work. The consulting<o:p></o:p> firm’s recommendations were largely auto-centric and<o:p></o:p> failed to take account of the progress of the past year.<o:p></o:p> The grantee engaged the consultants and successfully<o:p></o:p> persuaded them to revise the document. For unclear<o:p></o:p> reasons, however, the recommendations were not<o:p></o:p> accepted by the PMC, casting doubt on future progress.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The 2006 municipal budget allayed these worries,<o:p></o:p> however, when it made significant financial commitments<o:p></o:p> to sustainable transport development, including:<o:p></o:p> <ul style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm' type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;margin-bottom:4.5pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops:list 36.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>upgrade of Pune’s citywide cycling network, including several kilometres of cycling tracks,<o:p></o:p></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;margin-bottom:4.5pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops:list 36.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>initial funding for a multi-million dollar BRT system, including construction of two initial routes, and<o:p></o:p></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;margin-bottom:4.5pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops:list 36.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>mandated footpaths for all public roads in the city.<o:p></o:p></li> </ul> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> These provisions represent outstanding successes and<o:p></o:p> pave the way for further progress in the future. Parisar<o:p></o:p> and its partners continue to lobby for sustainable transport<o:p></o:p> and serve as policy watchdogs, monitoring city<o:p></o:p> policy and ensuring continued improvement.<o:p></o:p> Results and Impacts<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> a) Environmental Benefits<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Global: By encouraging infrastructural changes to promote<o:p></o:p> modal shifts in transportation systems, this project is<o:p></o:p> contributing to greenhouse gas emission reductions now<o:p></o:p> and into the future. By changing perceptions of policymakers<o:p></o:p> and establishing the beginnings of NMT, BRT,<o:p></o:p> and TDM programmes, the project has also set the stage<o:p></o:p> for continued reductions and emissions prevention into<o:p></o:p> the future.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Local: Reduction in the numbers of motorbikes, autorickshaws,<o:p></o:p> cars, and trucks has the potential not only<o:p></o:p> to significantly improve the air quality of Pune and its<o:p></o:p> environs, but also to improve quality of life by reducing<o:p></o:p> noise and congestion and to reduce the threat to the<o:p></o:p> city’s environmental assets from auto-centric development.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> b) Livelihood Benefits<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Safety: With motorbikes in the bicycle lanes, poor road<o:p></o:p> discipline, and extreme congestion, Pune’s current transport<o:p></o:p> infrastructure is considered unsafe by many people.<o:p></o:p> Increased investment in public transit, improved infrastructure,<o:p></o:p> traffic calming measures, and a general reduction<o:p></o:p> in the use of motorized vehicles should improve the road<o:p></o:p> safety situation and entice more people to walk or ride<o:p></o:p> bicycles where they previously feared for their safety in<o:p></o:p> doing so.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Gender: Women in Pune are less likely to operate motor<o:p></o:p> vehicles than men, and are more likely to walk or take<o:p></o:p> public transit. Many women in Pune would cycle, but for<o:p></o:p> their perception that the activity is unsafe. Improving the<o:p></o:p> safety of traffic will make cycling a more acceptable activity<o:p></o:p> for increasing numbers of women. Also, since the majority<o:p></o:p> of pedestrians and users of public transport are women<o:p></o:p> (whereas men are more likely to cycle or take a motorbike),<o:p></o:p> improvements in these modes will directly affect<o:p></o:p> the welfare of women.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Marginalized and Vulnerable: Transportation represents<o:p></o:p> a higher proportion of total household income for Pune’s<o:p></o:p> poor and middle-income households than it does for<o:p></o:p> Pune’s high-income households. Making public transport<o:p></o:p> more effective, making it reach neighbourhoods that it<o:p></o:p> currently does not, and making cycling and walking<o:p></o:p> more viable will improve the mobility of lower-income<o:p></o:p> households, giving them greater access to education,<o:p></o:p> opportunities, markets, and services, while reducing the<o:p></o:p> proportion of their income that is spent on transportation.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Reduced Congestion: Reducing traffic congestion benefits<o:p></o:p> Pune’s economy by improving worker productivity by<o:p></o:p> reducing traffic-related tardiness and absenteeism. The<o:p></o:p> situation has grown so bad that several large employers<o:p></o:p> in and around the city currently charter private busses to<o:p></o:p> shuttle their workers to and from their shifts. Reducing<o:p></o:p> traffic congestion can improve Pune’s business climate<o:p></o:p> and quality of life simultaneously.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Lessons Learned<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> a) Barrier Removal<o:p></o:p> Information/Awareness: The project began with awareness<o:p></o:p> raising, placing the issue of sustainable transport into the<o:p></o:p> forefront of the minds of policymakers who had previously<o:p></o:p> not considered bicycling, mass transit, and traffic<o:p></o:p> demand management to be viable or progressive options.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Experiences and lessons from community initiatives 27<o:p></o:p> Institutional: Over the past few decades, Pune’s approach<o:p></o:p> to transport development has been largely limited to<o:p></o:p> widening roads and constructing flyovers. This makes<o:p></o:p> cycling and walking less viable and has led to increasing<o:p></o:p> numbers of motor vehicles. The grantee sought to remedy<o:p></o:p> this through citizen involvement, working with both<o:p></o:p> sympathetic officials and citizenry to develop a constituency<o:p></o:p> for sustainable transport infrastructure that will<o:p></o:p> hopefully guide how the city develops into the future.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> b) Project Approaches<o:p></o:p> This project achieved remarkable policy success in part<o:p></o:p> because it leveraged social capital by mobilizing coalitions<o:p></o:p> of stakeholders, including low-income residents, environmentalists,<o:p></o:p> journalists, former bureaucrats, and good<o:p></o:p> governance campaigners. The grantee also effectively<o:p></o:p> used outside expertise, exploiting national and global<o:p></o:p> networks of sustainable transport professionals from<o:p></o:p> other Indian cities and NGOs, as well as foreign experts<o:p></o:p> who have implemented successful programs elsewhere.<o:p></o:p> Each of these project participants brought different<o:p></o:p> strengths to bear on the project and represented different<o:p></o:p> and complementary constituencies and interests.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> The policy advocacy approach of the grantee uses GEF SGP<o:p></o:p> funding to support not implementation or procurement,<o:p></o:p> but efforts to make the city redirect transport resources<o:p></o:p> from increasing road building to sustainable transport<o:p></o:p> development. This represents an excellent return in both<o:p></o:p> local and global environmental benefits to GEF funding,<o:p></o:p> while the localized implementation of the advocated<o:p></o:p> activities ensures increased local ownership of the project,<o:p></o:p> improved prospects for economic and social sustainability,<o:p></o:p> and high potential for replicability in other cities<o:p></o:p> and regions in the country.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> c) Scaling Up<o:p></o:p> The grantee remains committed to sustainable transport<o:p></o:p> development in Pune and continues to press to see the<o:p></o:p> city’s commitments properly implemented and expanded.<o:p></o:p> The PTTF now has a life of its own; it is expected that it<o:p></o:p> will be registered as a trust and has become a major and<o:p></o:p> growing force in Pune civil society.<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Sources Consulted<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p> Astrop, A. et al.1996. ‘The urban travel behaviour and<o:p></o:p> constraints of low income households and females in<o:p></o:p> Pune, India’. National Conference on Women’s Travel<o:p></o:p> Issues, Baltimore Maryland, October 23-26.<o:p></o:p> Boralkar, D.B. ‘Action Plan for Control of Air Pollution at<o:p></o:p> Pune’. Powerpoint Presentation. Available from:<o:p></o:p> http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/SAR/sa.nsf/Attachments/<o:p></o:p> PresPuneAP/$File/Action+Plan-Pune.ppt.<o:p></o:p> Accessed July 2006.<o:p></o:p> Parisar Website. www.parisar.org.<o:p></o:p> Patankar, P.G. 2006. ‘Concept Note for a Comprehensive<o:p></o:p> Transport Policy for the Pune Metropolitan Region:<o:p></o:p> Vision, Policy and Recommendations’.<o:p></o:p> Patwardhan, Sujit. Parisar Samrakshan Samvardhan<o:p></o:p> Samstha. 2006. Email Communication (July).<o:p></o:p> PTTF. 2005. ‘Pune Declaration: Citizens’ Recommendations<o:p></o:p> for a Saner, Safer and Sustainable Urban Mobility in Pune’.<o:p></o:p> PTTF. 2004. ‘Pune Traffic: It’s Time We Act…’ Pamphlet.<o:p></o:p> SGP Database. Project no. SGP/GEF/IND/OP2/03/MS13.<o:p></o:p> www.undp.org/sgp.<o:p></o:p> Sodhi, Prabhjot. GEF SGP India. 2006.<o:p></o:p> Email communication (July).<o:p></o:p> PTTF Website. www.pttf.net.<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>