Urbanization O Transition from rural to urban society
O Increasing proportion of urbanized population
O Urban mobility problems have increased
exponentially Introduction What comes to your mind when you think about urbanization? (Influences, Reasons, etc.) Introduction Urbanization O Due to three main domestic trends: O Natural increase: more births than deaths O Rural to urban migrations: expectation to find employment, increased agricultural productivity O International migration: urbanization of gateway cities Introduction Who takes part in the traffic in urban areas? Urban Transportation Urban transportation is organized in 3 broad categories: O Collective Transportation (public transit): O Publicly accessible mobility over specific parts of the city O Efficiency by transporting large numbers of people & achieving economies of scale O Modes: buses, trains, subways, tramways and ferryboats Urban Transportation Can you think of any challenges to the transit systems? Challenges Transit systems: O Buses & tramways share road space with cars
O Attempts to mitigate congestion: creation of road
lanes reserved to buses
O Subways and rail have their own infrastructures
Urban Transportation O Individual Transportation: automobile, walking, cycling and motorcycle O Frequency depends on city: walking accounts for 88% in Tokyo and 3% in LA Urban Transportation Historically: movement in cities were restricted to walking O Made medium & long distance urban linkages inefficient and time consuming Many modern cities have inherited such an urban compact form O Examples: European, Japanese & Chinese cities
O Dispersed urban forms in Australia, Canada and the
US (were build more recently) Urban Transportation Spatial imprint of urban transportation are: O Pedestrian areas: Refer to the amount of space devoted to walking O sidewalks may use between 10% and 20% of a road's right of way
O In central areas, pedestrian areas tend to use a greater
share of the right of way Urban Transportation Can you think of any challenges to individual transportation? Challenges Roads and parking areas: amount of space devoted to road transportation O 2 states of activity: moving or parked vehicles O In a motorized city, on average 30% of the surface is devoted to roads while another 20% is required for off- street parking O North American cities: road and parking lot account between 30% to 60% of the total surface Challenges Cycling areas: O Cycling simply shares access to pedestrian and road space O Attempts have been made to create spaces specifically for bicycles Challenges Traffic congestion and parking difficulties: O Congestion is the biggest problem in urban agglomerations O Motorization has increased demand for transport infrastructures O Supply of infrastructures has often not been able to keep up with the growth of mobility O Expended demand for parking space Challenges Difficulties for pedestrians: O Mobility of pedestrians & vehicles is impaired O Lack of consideration for pedestrians in the physical design of facilities
Loss of public space:
O Majority of roads are publicly owned & free of access O Increased traffic has adverse impacts on public activities Challenges Public transport inadequacy: O Public transit systems are either over or under used O During peak hours: crowdedness creates discomfort O Low ridership makes many services financially unsustainable (particularly in suburban areas)
Almost every public transit systems cannot
generate sufficient income to cover its operating and capital costs Urban Transportation O Freight Transportation: large movements of freight in urban cities O Delivery trucks between industries, distribution centers, warehouses & retail activities O Also movement from ports, railyards, distribution centers & airports Urban transportation Transport terminals: O Space devoted to terminal facilities such as ports, airports, transit stations, railyards & distribution centers O Major terminals are located in the peripheral areas of cities Challenges
Can you think of any challenges facing freight
transportation? Challenges Freight distribution: O Growing quantities of freight moving within cities O Freight traffic commonly shares infrastructures with the circulation of passengers mobility of freight in urban areas has become increasingly problematic Challenges Environmental impacts and energy consumption: O Pollution, including noise has become a serious impediment to the quality of life O Energy consumption by urban transportation has dramatically increased dependency on petroleum Challenges Accidents & safety: O Accidents account for a significant share of recurring delays Land consumption: O Territorial imprint of transportation is significant O Between 30 and 60% of a metropolitan area may be devoted to transportation Underlines the strategic importance of transportation in the economic & social welfare of cities