PLANNING AND DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE

URBAN MOBILITY:
GLOBAL REPORT ON HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS 2013
PAPERBACK: 344 pages
PUBLISHER: UN-Habitat
via Routledge
(November20,
2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1-315-85715-2
(ebook)
PRICE:
free

AUTHOR
UN-Habitat, the United Nations programme for Human settlements, is
considered the worlds leading authority on urban issues. This book is a
report compiled utilising the database of its global research team along
with statistical publications from a wide list of
international organizations.
PURPOSE OF THE BOOK
This book, part of the 2013 Global Report series analyzing all essential
parameters of human settlements, caters to the issue of Urban Mobility.
The purpose of 'transportation' and 'mobility' is ultimately to gain
Access to destinations, activities, services and goods. The report
advocates Access as the ultimate objective of transportation.
Urban form and the functionality of the city are the major focus of this
report, highlighting the importance of integrated land-use and transport
planning.
CONTENTS
I.
The Urban Mobility Challenge
II.
The State of Urban Passenger Transport
III.
Metro, Light Rail
and BRT IV.
Urban
Goods Transport
V.
Mobility and Urban Form
VI.
Equitable Access to Urban Mobility
VII.
Urban Mobility and the
Environment

VIII.
The Economics and Financing of
Urban Mobility IX.
Institutions and
Governance for Urban Mobility X. Toward
Sustainable Urban Mobility

REVIEW
The report begins with illustrating the interlinked efects of rapid
urbanization, hyper- mobility, and the health & climate hazards
associated with car-dependent cities. And goes on to explain the social
benefits of free market transport services without exceeding social costs.
Then moves on to brief about the challenge to ensure efciency of goods
transport, while minimizing externalities such as congestion, the
emission of pollutants, noise and
accidents. The importance of equitable access with respect to both
economy and gender are dealt in fair depth.
The solutions are ofered through modes of public transport such as Metro,
Light Rail and BRT, which becomes feasible upon the premises of
integrated land use and a TOD based city form. It acknowledges the role
of a robust regional governance structure to realise an integrated and
sustainable multi-modal urban transportation system.
APPROACH
The views arrived in this book are based on the extensive
statistical data covering a wide range of categories as
demography, households, housing, economic and a string of social
indicators.
A meticulous compilation of Country & State level data of these
categories can be observed. Such humongous data has been
comprehensibly illustrated in a series of figurative charts, tables
and boxes
Scenarios of tackling some of the existing transport issues have
been explained through interesting case studies.
The entire book is interspersed with a systematic display of
highlighted key notes, driving attention to the issues dealt in the
relevant chapters.

CONCLUSION
The interventions suggested for achieving sustainability in urban
mobility, call for a conceptual leap in the management of space, the
engineering of transport systems, social behaviour, right up to the
institutional and financing arrangements related to urban development.