Foresight
Autonomous Vehicles
The shift to fully autonomous transport is an evolution via…
Read moreTitle: Access to Transport
Author: Future Agenda | https://www.futureagenda.org
Permalink:
https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/access-to-transport
The widespread need for individuals to travel short distances becomes a key feature of urban design and regeneration. Planners use transport infrastructure to influence social change and lower carbon living.
The impact that transport has had on society is all around us. The past century’s near universal love affair with the automobile shows that transport can shape landscapes, stimulate economies and feed individual desires. The US Federal Highway Administration says that every $1 billion invested in highways supports 27,823 jobs. Globally, many road building strategies rest on that premise, and the CIA Factbook estimates that in 2013 there were over 64m kilometres of (paved and unpaved) roads in the world. Car-based systems have brought much accessibility, connectivity and convenience but at the price of introducing pollution, high land-use needs, urban sprawl, urban decay, respiratory issues and in some high-use areas, increased social isolation. Countries like the US are very car-dependent, a need compounded by underinvestment in maintenance of roads as well as in other transport forms.
But not all countries are equally beholding. In the World Economic Forum Global Competitive Index, the UAE and Singapore top the rankings for (all) transport infrastructure and in the EU the Netherlands is the highest ranking country (4th overall).
Transport could be used as a transformative tool in shaping the societies that we hope for, addressing significant challenges such as inclusivity, mobility, urban design and adjustment to lower carbon living. Inclusive transport solutions will challenge inequality, while flexible and integrated solutions develop mobility. Design and environment-led transport solutions can improve urban living (better serving our growing urban populations) while low carbon lifestyles help address climate change. Transport is much more than the journey, it can positively influence how we move, and even why we might want to move.
Part of the thinking required is to focus less on providing transport and more on providing access. In its Future Demand Scenarios, looking out to 2042, the NZ Ministry of Transport states: We should recognise we are trying to improve access not just mobility. There are three different ways we can achieve this: with good transport systems; with good spatial planning; or by improving digital access.
Read more64 m
km of roads in the world
33 percent
greenhouse gases contributed by transport
From
The World In 2025