Sustainable Mobility in a Fast-Changing World

Our world is changing fast. Countries’ transport systems, which have long been shaped by project-by-project considerations, must help achieve higher-level goals for the well-being of mankind, as embodied by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. New forces impose greater effectiveness in the way public choices are made, such as making better use of data and technologies, adopting a more inclusive and participatory approach to decision making, and addressing social concerns about equity.

Transport practitioners and country decision-makers have been looking for structured and coherent guidance about ways to adjust to these new dynamics and change the trajectory of transport system. This book examines the rationale for and details an innovative approach for public decision-making to expedite the pace to sustainable mobility.  

“Above all, the ambition of the Sustainable Mobility for All partnership is rooted in strategically meeting the challenges of an unstable and unpredictable future. True to its roots, Sustainable Mobility in a Fast-Changing World takes readers through the dynamics shaping our world today and in the future, and what can be done to help ensure a brighter future for all through sustainable mobility. The action needed today has never been clearer, and this book shares this message and related tools with country decision makers in search of objective answers and strategic guidance.” —Sustainable Mobility for All Steering Committee

“Progress towards sustainable mobility has been slow, not because of a lack of effort but more because a global vision has been lacking. This book calls for a new global approach to public decision making on mobility through a focus on decentralised and participatory measures. The authors have produced an authoritative, well-researchedand ambitious perspective through the development of a global sustainable mobility score, a toolkit, and a comprehensive range of actions at the national level. We all contribute to unsustainable mobility and this new systematic guidance provides a clear framework within which to compare, debate and decide on effective action. This book will help all countries facilitate progress towards sustainable mobility.”

—David Banister, Professor Emeritus of Transport Studies, University of Oxford, UK

“I wish this book existed when I was the Mayor of Quito, especially when I decided to undertake the construction of the first metro line in my city, the first in Ecuador. The authors’ expertise in the field is a great resource and solid foundation for the development of a much-needed new approach to transport, which highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships between and across local, national governments, and other sectors. Innovative partnerships are key toa paradigm shift in urban mobility for attaining sustainability in transport, emphasizing the focus of planning needs to shift from traffic to people.”

—Mauricio Rodas Espinel, former Mayor of Quito

“The mobility of people and goods within domestic borders and internationally is a critical lynchpin of global economic development. As such, sustainable mobility is a requirement for sustainable development, a known requirement to reverse the effects of climate change. Vital for both developed and developing countries, this book sets strategic goals for sustainable mobility coupled with practical ideas and actions for a better future.”

—Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Honorary Director General of UIC, International Association of Railways; Member of the UN High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport

“This is an invaluable read for countries that are serious about achieving the collective aspirations of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. Drawing ontheir decades of international experience and expertise in the field, the authors outline the dynamics shaping the future of global transport and offer a useful toolkit for strategic national policy formulation in the sector. Policymakers, public transport officials, financiers of transport infrastructure and services, and transport professionals will find this book on sustainable mobility very useful.” 

—Zeph Nhleko, Chief Economist, Development Bank of Southern Africa

“The authors address the right set of issues and challenges facing the transport sector. It comes at the right time when decision makers are in search of ways to change current development trajectory toward a new one incorporating the SDGs and climate mitigation and adaptation considerations. It brings together the deep knowledge generated by the World Bank Group, SuM4All and the affiliated organizations into a coherent structure proposing a new approach, set of tools and solutions.”

—Jamal Saghir, Professor of Practice, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University. Former Director at the World Bank Group.

 

 

Nancy Vandycke designs and manages sustainable infrastructure initiatives at the World Bank, is author of the award-winning Sustainable Mobility for All program and has a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics, UK. 

José M. Viegas is Professor Emeritus at the University of Lisbon, Portugal and methodological coordinator of the Global Roadmap of Action.