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The city of Baltimore, Maryland, is now served by one heavy and one light rail line in addition to commuter rail service to Washington, D.C. However, the lines do not share any common stations and do not function as a network. The larger objective of this research was to evaluate ways in which the Baltimore transit system could be better integrated and contribute more to community well-being, environmental quality, and economic prosperity for all socioeconomic and racial and cultural groups. An underlying goal was to improve the mobility of a wider range of Baltimore residents so that their employment choices would not be limited by an underdeveloped transit system. This outcome was addressed in the context of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the Livable Communities Initiative, and the state of Maryland’s Smart Growth initiative. Only part of the larger agenda is presented here—the development of a community-based model for selecting and designing potential light rail line corridors in the larger system. The model used seven quality-of-life and livable community criteria—( a) potential to serve low-to moderate-income neighborhoods that have no direct access to public transportation (including bus access), ( b) high concentrations of employment opportunities along the route, ( c) highest number of intact commercial districts along the route, ( d) proximity to dense population centers (within a ¼-mi radius), ( e) proximity to numerous community social or cultural centers (including schools and churches), ( f) minimal physical environmental impacts, and ( g) the most potential to improve the pedestrian environment.

Motor vehicle ownership and utilization are growing rapidly in Asia, because of rapid urbanization and growing urban incomes. This sudden growth is resulting in increasing traffic congestion, fuel use, and CO2 emissions and in deteriorating air quality. This paper presents a common framework to explore scenarios of vehicle and energy use and emissions in three South Asian cities: Bangalore, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Scenarios are built by separately analyzing transportation activity (in tonne kilometers or passenger kilometers), modal structure (i.e., share of tonne kilometers or passenger kilometers occurring on each mode), modal energy intensity (in energy burned per tonne kilometer or passenger kilometer), and emission factors. Although the types of data available across cities vary widely and there are deficiencies and inconsistencies in the available data, the analysis suggests that motor vehicle use would roughly double in each city by 2020 in the business-as-usual scenario, largely because of expected income increases; fuel use and CO2 emissions would triple; and pollution loading would rise exponentially. An alternative scenario of slower vehicle and energy growth is explored, premised on substitution of personal vehicles with buses and reduction in traffic congestion. Consequently, fuel use and CO2 emissions would only double in Bangalore and Dhaka, whereas in Colombo the increase would not be significantly lower than in the business-as-usual scenario. The cumulative carbon mitigation potential over a 15-year period would be 13% in Bangalore, 9% in Dhaka, and 2% in Colombo. The drop in pollution loading would be different in each city.

Abstract Various vulnerability assessment studies have revealed the effect of climate change and related extreme weather events on the small-scale fisheries households of coastal regions. However, hardly any study assesses the economic vulnerability of the poorest coastal households to extreme climatic events. The present study attempts to fill this gap by examining the economic vulnerability of deprived coastal households through a vulnerability assessment framework developed based on the IPCC approved strategy. A gender dimension is also brought to this study by assessing the households based on the household headship. A total of 120 male headed households and 30 female headed households from two coastal taluks of Thrissur district in Kerala, the Southwestern state of India, was selected for analysis. Female headed households emerged to be the most vulnerable group in all the three aspects considered – exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The study put forward suggestions to reduce the risks and improve the economic characteristics of poorest sections of the coastal households through women empowerment and policy intervention.

With rapid growth in the number of personal motor vehicles, Indian cities have been facing increasing congestion and worsening air quality. Yet until early 2005 little attention was paid to this problem, and remedial measures were focused largely on overpasses and new roadway capacity. Only Delhi, Calcutta, and Chennai had built functioning metro rail systems. However, by the second half of 2006, barely a year and a half later, the situation changed considerably, and public transport became the focus of attention in most large and medium-sized cities. This paper looks at the national initiatives that helped bring about those changes. The adoption of a national urban transport policy along with the launching of a national urban renewal mission with a sizable commitment of funds helped focus attention on improving public transportation. These were supplemented by a series of well-conceived and -planned initiatives, again led by the national government, to generate more widespread awareness of urban mobility problems and how they could be successfully addressed. The results were visible in a mere 18 months, by which time several cities had already formulated plans for significantly improved public transport and the first incremental phase of what will be India's first bus rapid transit system had become operational.

Urban transport in most cities around the world is developing in an unsustainable fashion, as reflected by rapid growth in traffic congestion and air pollution driven by individual motorization. Strengthened bus systems, built on rapid bus corridors, and improved bus technologies could play an important role in putting cities on a more sustainable path. Results and some of the main messages are presented from a recent study at the International Energy Agency, Paris, which has assessed the situation in a number of the largest cities in the developing world, while also drawing on experience from several cities in the developed world. A principal finding is that buses tend to carry a large share of travelers but contribute only a small part of total traffic and pollution. Also, although bus ridership is declining in many cities, new types of bus systems are emerging that offer the potential to reverse these trends and have done so in several cities (e.g., Curitiba, Brazil, and Bogota, Columbia). Advanced bus propulsion systems, that is, fuel cell and hybrid buses running on a variety of fuels, could eventually provide substantial relief from busrelated pollution problems. However, in developing countries, spending scarce funds for cleaning up the emissions from present technologies, along with developing improved bus systems that enhance traffic flow, would provide far more relief in the near-term than spending on a few advanced technology buses. Both paths must be followed, but the latter must not obscure the former. Conditions necessary for bus systems to prosper are discussed and, in conclusion, recent promising developments are highlighted.

For many of the poorest people in the world, water transport is the only means of mobility and access to basic services. Improvements in rural water transport (RWT) technologies, infrastructure, and services can help eliminate poverty and reduce isolation. Yet in a transport climate dominated by motorized vehicles and roads, traditional waterways have been neglected and deprioritized. The importance of RWT in the lives of the rural poor is explored by examining the results of the International Forum for Rural Transport and Development's Waterways and Livelihoods networked research project. Why RWT has become a marginalized issue is discussed. A new networking and information resource that promotes the integration of RWT through improved policy and practice both within the transport sector and in the wider development community is introduced. The lack of integration of RWT in mainstream transport and development planning is manifest in the deterioration of traditional waterways and infrastructure and in conflicts between waterway use and land transport (or other) interventions. The consequences of this lack of integration are lost opportunities for poor people to improve their livelihoods and lost potential to develop ecologically and financially sustainable transport technologies. Why has RWT been neglected? The Waterways and Livelihoods research identified a lack of positive visibility as the prevailing factor, including poor perceptions of RWT as outmoded and unsafe, a dearth of reliable statistical information on the sector, and an "unfair playing field" on which RWT suffers in comparison with other transport options.

India's burgeoning population has led to an increased demand for transportation services, particularly in urban areas. To address the growing mobility needs and mitigate the adverse effects of personal vehicle usage, efficient public transit services are imperative. Several Indian cities have implemented bus rapid transit (BRT) systems to address this problem, but ridership for the majority of the BRT systems remains below breakeven (this refers to the point at which the revenue generated from ridership equals or surpasses the costs associated with operating and maintaining the transportation system). Thus, it is necessary to assess the determinants of commuter satisfaction with BRT. The present study aims to examine factors affecting travel satisfaction among BRT commuters. By using structural equation modeling (SEM), the effect of demographic (age and gender) and travel-related variables (fare price, travel time, trip frequency, reliability, ease of using bus service, and comfort level) on BRT commuters' satisfaction and usage of BRT services were analyzed. It was found that while ease of using the service, comfort level, and reliability positively affect BRT travel satisfaction, trip frequency is significantly affected by the ease of using the service only. Furthermore, demographic variables (age, and gender of respondents) were not found to have significant effect of travel satisfaction and trip frequency. The findings from this can study serve as a base for policymakers, city officials, and urban planners to identify commuters' priorities for a well-functioning BRT in India and formulate policies to attract riders by enhancing their preferences.

Policymakers as well as corporate managers want to know how to gain the lead and benefit from a paradigmatic shift in technology. This paper develops and uses a combined policy and firm-level theoretical framework to derive policy implications from a case study of the development of battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles (BEVs, HEVs and FCVs) in Japan. Among the implications of the study, it is argued that Japanese national policy has so far had a limited direct role in the electrification of vehicles; this has been very largely decided and carried out in-house at the automakers. Policymakers need to consider this as well as the inherently international nature of the automotive industry. One key factor behind Toyota's and Honda's early and sustained lead in the electrification trajectory is the intense and in some aspects quite specific type of competition on the domestic market, which has nurtured firms with a strong product development capability. Finally, it is argued that the proposed theoretical framework contributes to a more balanced view of the role of policy in this potential paradigmatic shift in technology in a mature industry, compared to traditional policy or firm-level approaches.

Trends in urban transportation and environment are reviewed, with a focus on developing countries. “Sustainable transportation” is defined to include economic and environmental sustainability as well as equity as key criteria. Governance sustainability is also important if policies and technologies are to reduce the main externalities of urban transport. It is important to relate emissions to traffic, modal share, fuel use, and fuel characteristics; transport policies must confront all of these components if emissions are to be reduced significantly. Urban areas in developing countries have become the most polluted and congested cities in the world because of barriers to serious transport sector reform addressing these ills. However, some policies and technologies are permitting regions in Latin America and Asia to begin to change. Strong actions by cities, backed by national government formulation of equipment and fuel standards and supported by private-sector initiatives, are all needed— together with political will—to reverse the unsustainable trends in urban transport in the largest urban areas today.

This paper presents long-term scenarios on the development of urban passenger mobility and related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050 in global cities that have populations greater than 300,000 on the basis of the International Transport Forum’s new global urban passenger transport model. Results from the policy scenarios analysis show that in the baseline scenario total motorized mobility and related CO2 emissions in cities will grow by 94% and 27% in 2050 compared with 2015. The share of private cars will continue to increase in developing regions while slightly decreasing in developed economies. Policy measures exist to fulfill mobility demand while reducing the carbon intensity of travel. Technology contributes the most to the CO2 mitigation in the most transit-oriented scenarios. Behavioral policies such as fuel tax, lower transit fares, and controlled urban sprawl can bring the additional mitigation efforts required to make cities sustainable and are essential to combat congestion and health issues.