IGLUS Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 3 – Urban traffic congestion: Alternatives to the private motor vehicle from around the world

Around the world, as urban populations are growing, so too are rates of private car ownership, which in turn leads to complex challenges in the urban governance sphere. With private vehicle ownership rapidly outpacing the growth of our road infrastructures, issues of traffic congestion, road and parking infrastructure maintenance and construction are at the forefront of cities’ agendas. These challenges are only compounded by the sustainability concerns associated with the private motor vehicle. In response, many cities are prioritizing other modes of transport in an attempt to reduce the population’s reliance on their private cars. In this issue of IGLUS Quarterly, we hear from four experts in different cities around the world and see how their administrations are adapting to this threat.

In the first article, author Yaron Cohen outlines the history of urban development in the Vancouver city center and describes how the city has successfully motivated a pedestrian population through integrated policy and well-thought out zoning. In the second article, Martha Delgado outlines the processes undertaken and the policies that were drafted by the administration in Mexico City to develop the successful bike-sharing scheme “Ecobici”. The third article, by Fatih Canitez and Umut Alkim Tuncer, describes the bus rapid transit system that was completed in Istanbul in 2012 and the revitalizing effects that the system has had for the city and its citizens. The fourth article by Matthew Daus takes a different tone and analyzes the impacts that the proliferation of Transportation Network Companies, like Uber, have had on the urban mobility landscape in New York and explains the antithetic effects that such companies can have on sustainable transportation initiatives.

Each of these contributions introduces a different aspect of the mobility framework, and each in very different contexts. As with any infrastructure system, the mobility challenges facing each city are unique, and these cases offer but a snapshot of the many innovative transportation initiatives in place around the world. We invite you to share your experience and join in on the discussion at www.iglus.org, and if feel you that there are innovative practices underway in your city-region and you would like to contribute to an upcoming edition of IGLUS Quarterly, we encourage you to contact us at rebecca.himsl@epfl.ch, mohamad.razaghi@epfl.ch and maxime.audouin@epfl.ch.

Download full pdf – IGLUS Quarterly – vol 2 – issue nr 3 – year 2016