Synopses & Reviews
This book explores how the issues of transportation strategy and environmental sustainability interact in the context of megacities, especially those megacities in the developing world where the rapid rates of growth in population and economic development outpace the supply of infrastructure. While much of the current literature assumes a tradeoff between transportation and environmental sustainability, this book looks to the synergy between the two if public policies are crafted in the proper way. Transportation infrastructure capacity is typically a serious constraint in urban areas worldwide. Problems in providing additional infrastructure -- whether related to available financial resources, environmental protection, local institutional capabilities, available technology, available land and land use, social disruption, and other factors -- tend to be magnified in rapidly developing megacities. Given the reality of these constraints, there are nevertheless several ways in which the demand for transportation and the efficient operability of the available supply can be managed successfully to relieve the pressure on existing infrastructure, accommodate the time needed to build additional capacity, and balance the competing requirements among urban mobility, economic development, and environmental sustainability such that each area sees gains. This book demonstrates how transportation strategy and environmental sustainability can be pursued in a comprehensive and harmonious, rather than unconnected and potentially conflicting, set of public policies. It applies lessons from several urban areas around the world (e.g., Bogota, Singapore, Mexico City, Sao Paulo), including both "success stories" and less successful "hard-won lessons," to a case study in Guangzhou. From these examples, a number of useful guidelines emerge on how the competition for resources between transportation policy and environmental sustainability can be resolved to support continued economic development in megacities. Among the themes identified in the book that contribute to a successful, sustainable transportation strategy are the need for a comprehensive approach that is tailored to local institutional and cultural norms, the need to understand the tradeoffs among competing goals and resolve them in a balanced strategy, the importance of demand-side management as compared to traditional approaches of investment in new capacity, the usefulness of a range of options in public-private partnerships to strengthen the financial and institutional capabilities needed for sustainable transportation, and -- regardless of the policy that is finally implemented -- the critical role of government in providing leadership and the underlying institutional framework needed to ensure success.
Synopsis
This book has been several years in the making. It has grown out of basic areas of inquiry begun under the auspices of the Alliance for Global Sustainability in the late 1990s, and has culminated with a series of on-site, collaborative studies conducted through AGS in cooperation with of?cials in Guangzhou, People s Republic of China (PRC), during the early 2000s. Many individuals have made important contributions to the ideas, ?ndings, and results that have been compiled in this volume. The authors wish to recognize these signi?cant contributions below. The Alliance for Global Sustainability is an international partnership among four of the leading scienti?c and technological universities worldwide: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-AGS); The University of Tokyo (UT); The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); and The Chalmers University of Technology. Created in 1997, the AGS today brings together hundreds of university scientists, engineers, and social scientists to address complex issues that lie at the intersection of environmental, economic, and social policy goals. Since its inception, the AGS has promoted and supported multidisciplinary research teams drawn from its partner institutions. Working on critical issues in sustainability across several ?elds encompassing energy and climate, mobility, urban systems, water and agriculture, cleaner technologies, public policy, and communications, these teams have developed a signi?cant body of new knowledge. Furthermore, A- sponsored teamshave worked withengaged, farsighted leaders of global businesses and industries, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide innovative but practical solutions to urgent environmental problems worldwide."
Synopsis
Covering a topic of massive contemporary importance, this well written volume demonstrates how transportation strategy and environmental sustainability can be pursued in a comprehensive and harmonious, rather than unconnected and potentially conflicting, set of public policies. It applies lessons from several urban areas (e.g., Bogota, Singapore, Mexico City, Sao Paulo), including "success stories" and less successful "hard-won lessons", to a case study in Guangzhou.
About the Author
Fred Moavenzadeh: James Mason Crafts Professor of Systems Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering Director, Center for Technology and Industrial Development Director, Technology and Development Program Principal Fields of Interest: International Construction, Industrialization, Technology and Development Fred Moavenzadeh's current interests include technology and development with special focus on formulation of technological policies for socio-economic development. He is particularly interested in institutional structures required to develop a viable science and technology infrastructure that could serve the human resource development strategy of newly industrialized nations. As director of the Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development since October 1998, he is focusing on developing an institutional environment at MIT that fosters the interdisciplinary research needed for enhancement of industrial productivity and performance. CTPID's primary areas of concentration are Aerospace, Automotive, Telecommunications, Mobility, Materials Systems, Environmental Policy, and Technology and Law. CTPID emphasizes interdisciplinary research and encourages collaboration with industry and government on issues of major concern to society at large. As director of the Technology and Development Program since 1973, Professor Moavenzadeh has been involved in a wide variety of interdisciplinary research and teaching activities. In collaboration with other MIT faculty, he has taught subjects in engineering, economic, social, and political issues of concern to newly industrialized nations. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Construction Business Review, a journal for construction executives. He is the author and co-author of five books including Future Cities: Dynamics and Sustainability. He has published over three hundred professional articles. He has served in advisory capacity and consultant to several institutional agencies including World Bank, United Nations, Interamerican Development Bank.
Table of Contents
Preface;
Chapter 1: Introduction; 1.1 Megacities; 1.2 Transportation Policies and Sustainability; 1.3 Outline of this Book;
Chapter 2: Sustainability; 2.1 What Is Sustainability?; 2.2 Methods to Analyze Policies and Projects; 2.3 Context for This Study;
Chapter 3: Achieving Sustainable Development; 3.1 Sustainable Cities; 3.2 Sustainable Development as a Resource Management Problem; 3.3 Sustainable Development as a Pollution Control Problem; 3.4 Criticisms of Economic or Market-Based Incentives; 3.5 Other Perspectives on Sustainable Development; 3.6 Sustainable Transportation as an Integrated Concept;
Chapter 4: Transportation Policy and Environmental Sustainability; 4.1 Role ofTransportation; 4.2 Managing Transportation Supply; 4.3 Managing Transportation Demand; 4.4 Land-Use Planning Strategies; 4.5 Advanced Technologies: ITS; 4.6 Advanced Technologies: Alternative Fuels;
Chapter 5: Public-Private Partnerships to Deliver Sustainable Transportation Projects; 5. 1 Background and Rationale; 5.2 Spectrum ofPartnership Arrangements; 5.3 Evaluation of Service Delivery Methods; 5.4 Divestiture or Denationalization; 5.5 Government's Role; 5.6 Ensuring the Public Good; 5.7 Capital Formation, Project Selection, and Investment Stimulation; 5.8 Risk Allocation; 5.9 Environmental Mutual Funds;
Chapter 6: Transportation Policies: Examples and Lessons; 6.1 Introduction; 6.2 Bogota; 6.3 Singapore; 6.4 Portland; 6.5 Washington DC Metro; 6.6 São Paulo;
Chapter 7: Guangzhou Case Study; 7.1 The City; 7.2 Policy and Regulatory Framework Regarding Sustainability; 7.3 Institutional and Financial Aspects; 7.4 Case Study: Guangzhou's Transportation Future;
Chapter 8: Conclusion;
References;
Index.