Transport, Climate Change and the City

Sustainable mobility has long been sought after in cities around the world, particularly in industrialised countries, but also increasingly in the emerging cities in Asia. Progress however appears difficult to make as the private car, still largely fuelled by petrol or diesel, remains the mainstream mode of use. Transport is the key sector where carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions seem difficult to reduce.

Transport, Climate Change and the City seeks to develop achievable and low transport CO₂ emission futures in a range of international case studies, including in London, Oxfordshire, Delhi, Jinan and Auckland. The aim is that the scenarios as developed, and the consideration of implementation and governance issues, can help us plan for and achieve attractive future travel behaviours at the city level. The alternative is to continue with only incremental progress against CO₂ reduction targets, to ‘sleepwalk’ into climate change difficulties, oil scarcity, a poor quality of life, and to continue with the high traffic casualty figures. The topic is thus critical, with transport viewed as central to the achievement of the sustainable city and reduced CO₂ emissions.

Robin Hickman is a Senior Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London and Visiting Research Associate at the Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford, UK.

David Banister is Professor of Transport Studies and Director of the Transport Studies Unit at University of Oxford, UK.