Resource information
Severe congestion, poor air quality,
increases in road accidents, and explosive growth in energy
consumption are manifestations of rapid motorization in
cities around the globe, especially in the developing world.
The tendency in most developing cities has been to deal with
these problems in a piecemeal fashion, largely through
supply side interventions, such as widening roads,
constructing flyovers, or building high-cost mass transit
systems. It is becoming increasingly recognized that
effective solutions lie in comprehensive and holistic
approaches that integrate what would normally be patchwork
efforts and, in addition, combine supply side efforts with
demand side measures. In general, this means that multiple,
well-integrated actions need to be taken. Integrated and
comprehensive thinking and implementation is required across
multiple subsystems and disciplines, such as land use
planning, environmental quality, energy efficiency, and
services for the poor and physically disadvantaged. The
ability to undertake comprehensive planning and execution
that is integrated functionally, spatially, sectorally, and
hierarchically is too often constrained because of the
highly fragmented governance of urban transport in most
cities. The functions that need to be performed can be
classified as strategic, tactical, and operational.
Strategic functions include policy formulation and
long-range planning; tactical functions involve regulation
and detailed planning; and operational functions concern the
construction of facilities and ensuring the availability of
services. National governments can play a pivotal role
through their ability to provide financing to lead agencies
at lower levels of government and take advantage of
economies of scale by coordinating and undertaking
activities of interest to multiple cities, such as capacity
building and research.
