18 METROPOLITAN
Cities in Eurasia reposition public transport [ by Pamela Luică ]
Urbanisation is a natural process determined by the opportunities offered by cities and if they don’t rethink their transport priorities or the surface allocated to infrastructure development and to the connections with national transport systems, most probably they will not be able to answer to the increasing density and population. This will inevitably create issues such as congestion, insufficiency of transport services, excessive extensions and intense pollution in the entire area. Also, if actions will not be efficiently coordinated and in conformity with urban development plans, the cities will be confronted with the lack of proper investments to benefit from positive externalities generated by the increasing density.
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nfrastructure investments are vital, but tant international institutions show that, programme on public transport that would at the same time the financial value of due to the increasing urbanisation, it is consider urban expansion and to determine projects is massive as it requires the necessary to create an efficient, performing the appropriate use of space, urban social construction of new transport routes that and developed transport system that would facilities and urban infrastructure. would sustain the entire mobility system, focus on public transport rather than on electricity systems, supply systems etc. individual motorized transport. The reason New development projects still face “Once set, the physical structures of a city is well-known: it has a negative role on the the financing issue can remain in force over 150, years and in social, ! ! economic and environmental ( " ! "% seg &" ! -311:* 27 !" 3115* 8 . ! conformity with current trends, the esti- ments and implicitly on the development of Cities play a key role in increasing pro % ! -311:* 48 !" 3115* 1 . mated increase of urban population will public transport systems. To give a chance duction and export by delivering a wide be accompanies, at city level, by the three- to sustainability, the priorities of the trans- range of services which, in turn, contrifold increase of the surfaces of construction port infrastructure have to be redefined and bute to maintaining economic activities ,38( " !" " " !" !"# ' -311:* 75 ! facilities from 200 thousand ,square km to the adopted # " % ! ! policies have to include social, and the dynamics of a state’s urbanisation. 600 thousand square km, shows the latest economic, space and environmental visions % Big cities tend to have good domestic and .( #" " &" ! ! " " " 3115 -311:* 8 !" 3115* report elaborated by the World Bank and over society development. Practically, it is external links and to provide the most varthe International Monetary Fund (“Rural- quite clear that transport policies, especial- ied services and products. Urban Dynamics and the Millennium De- ly for passengers, can strongly influence the Cities in Eurasia are no exception being velopment Goals�). efficient use of the urban space, as well as a crucial factor in the integration of the reThe developing world’s urban centres are the simulation and long-term expansion of gion in the world markets. But to reach this expected to burgeon, drawing 96% of the peri-urban expansion. The challenge con- objective, the political class in every counadditional 1.4 billion people by 2030. To sists in elaborating a political regulation to try of Eurasia has to plan its urban areas meet urban growth, it is necessary to align allow the planning of long-term investment very efficiently to tackle traffic congestion policies in order to develop essential infraNetwork length under construction structures for delivering efficient services. In the context of urbanisation, cities are forced to grow and the urban transport network becomes extremely important in ensuring the mobility and connectivity of the regions of the city with jobs, the highly industrialized areas with highly populated areas. “Urbanization does matter. However, in order to harness the economic and social benefits of urbanization, policy-makers must plan for efficient land-use, match population densities with the required needs for transport, housing and other infrastructure, and arrange the financing needed for such urban development programs,� said Jos Verbeek, Lead Economist at the World Bank and lead author of the Global Monitoring Report. Source: Metro, light rail and tram systems in Europe, Published by ERRAC Roadmaps, The FP7 project of ERRAC – „The European Rail Most of the reports elaborated by impor- Research Advisory Council�
www.railwaypro.com | May 2013