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1José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
Policy Integration
as a condition for Sustainable Cities
José Manuel Viegas
Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisboa, Portugal
Contribution to CiSTUP Workshop on Urban Mobility
Bangalore, India , 10th January 2011
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2José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
Cities as Complex and Innovative Systems
Large cities are very complex systems, arguably among the most complex man-made systems ever produced
Density of opportunities for contact and exchange provide marketability for a very diverse spectrum of talents and fertility for innovation
A multitude of agents pursuing their own goals each agent and group of agents counting not only on the availability of
particular types of resources, but on that availability at specific times in specific places
A large part of the rules and of exchange of information are informal, and not even uniform across society
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3José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
Poor sustainability leads to unfairness
Sustainability problems arise because significant parts of those resources are common goods without strict access and fruition rules
Many of the activities of the agents produce significant externalities, across space and time affecting the availability of some resources and the wellbeing of other
agents
Besides unfairness to future generations (i.e. poor sustainability), there also issues of unfairness within contemporary society
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4José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The Road Safety challenge
High levels of road crashes and fatalities represent a very strong blow to (social and economic) sustainability
Indian roads with especially high levels of indiscipline, aggravated by the great dispersion of masses and speeds of the “objects” present on the road Even in two-way urban streets, frequent occurrence of vehicles on the
wrong lane
Very complex problem, requiring changes of behaviour Multiple fronts in a coordinated approach
Education & Information about individual cases Driving training Strict Enforcement of traffic rules, even if only on a few areas each month
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5José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The Congestion challenge: Basic balances required
Two essential balances are crucial for quality in Urban Mobility Internal Balance: Capacity for Flow (Circulation) and
for Stock (Parking) must be balanced Metaphor: the Oesophagus and the Stomach
External Balance: Pressure for Mobility from Land Use must be balanced with the ability to serve it (both on flow and stock)
Metaphor: The Appetite and the two former
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6José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The Congestion challenge: Car ownership, Parking Supply, Public Transport Quality
Several factors increase pressure on system Car ownership increases with economic development
But owning a car should not mean driving it to work Increasing parking supply (or making it more accessible) induces more
traffic Be especially aware of employer-supplied parking (felt as free by workers), but
a bigger stomach always increases the pressure on the oesophagus Relieving pressure is more difficult
Good public transport may lead to favourable modal shift, but this is far from certain (often, more trips by previous users and pedestrians, but not from car drivers)
Suggestion: Make price of parking higher in areas with good public transport service
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7José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The Congestion Challenge: 2-wheelers vs. Cars
In India, private vehicle ownership is already similar to that of many developed countries A large parte of those vehicles being two-wheelers
High emissions (but can easily be electrified) High indiscipline in traffic, high vulnerability Much higher level of space efficiency than cars
Economic growth naturally leads to replacement of 2-wheelers by cars much tougher congestion for same number of vehicles This can be resisted / delayed by policy measures
Taxation of clean 2-wheelers much lower than for cars Traffic management with priority measures for 2-wheelers Parking supply oriented for 2-wheelers in design and in price
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8José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The congestion challenge: Manage space.time
No moral superiority of any transport mode over the others Allocation of road space by modes based on higher performance and
on safety Ex:Bus lanes or 2-wheel lanes ICT makes timeshare allocation relatively easy (intermittent status
lanes) Great efficiency (and also safety) gains
More sophisticated space allocation systems require not only technology but also discipline (respect for rules) Evolution is possible, but takes time and requires multi-pronged
approach Clear strategy, persistent (and adaptive) implementation
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9José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The “right to mobility” challenge: Access to Public Transport
In spite of high vehicle ownership, Urban Public Transport has strong patronage, largely due to rural migration / urban population growth Client “refresh” from the (economic) bottom
Attracting (and maintaining) clients with an option (who own and could use their private vehicle) requires a market segmentation approach Higher quality segment with higher prices Basic quality segment must be the backbone of the system, providing good
accessibility overall (“right to mobility”) Spot migration between two segments made easy (urgency, experimentation),
pay only the “upgrade”
Prices of higher segment Public Transport defined in conjunction with parking prices Cross-subsidization from parking to PT possible
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10José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The Integration challenge: Key components of any successful approach
Two recommendations towards any effective solution of this very severe problem can be made:
Sustainability has to be pursued in all its three dimensions: economic, environmental and social
None dominates the other two
Policies arising in any Department, Ministry or agency should always (hopefully) be designed but at least be checked for integration with other policies
So as to obtain the maximum benefit without endangering any of the dimensions of sustainability.
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11José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The Integration challenge: The need for a holistic vision
Not only there are three dimensions of sustainability to consider, there as also four different levels of possible policy intervention
The main challenge is to be consistent across the board Multi-instrumentality is not only a condition for effectiveness, but also for acceptance
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12José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
The integration challenge: Appropriate Institutional Design
An unsolved question: What is the most adequate institutional design to tackle this challenge?
Two different solutions have been adopted in other areas needing the global picture In monetary issues: previous approval of a Budget (and respect for it) ensures
that all departments play in a consistent game In (purely) environmental issues: all significant projects submitted to
Environmental Assessment Study ensures that no serious aggression is possible
First example is uni-dimensional, second is too defensive Besides complexity of the problem, a bi-dimensional institutional split:
by administration level (national / state / local) and by sector How to promote effective integration?
Innovative solutions needed !
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13José M Viegas - Contribution to Workshop on Urban Mobility, CiSTUP, Bangalore – Jan 2011
Thank You for your attention!