International Conference on Public Transport and Urban Citizenship
Abstracts and Presentations
- Mr Salvador Alvarez - An Integrated Approach to Tramways: the Barcelona Experience
- Prof David Banister - Sustainable Transport: Challenges and Opportunities for Cities in Europe
- Ms Louise Duggan - This Way to Better Streets: Learning from Current Practice
- Mr John Henry - Quality of Life and Transport
- Prof Julian Hine - Transport Disadvantage and Social Exclusion
- Prof Jeff Kenworthy - Ten Key Transport and Planning Dimensions for Sustainable City Development
- Prof Kevin Leyden - Sustainable Planning: The Interconnections between Urban Design, Transport, Citizenship and Health
- Mr Frank McDonald - Re-imagining the City
- Dr Pascal Pochet - Social Inequalities in Access to Cars and in Daily Mobility: the French Experience
- Prof John Pucher - Promoting Safe Walking and Cycling to Improve Public Health
- Mr David Sim - Urban Planning from a People Point-of-View
- Prof James Wickham - Making Dublin the Capital of Ireland
Mr Alvarez gives a brief description of the Barcelona Tramway systems, commonly known as Trambaix and Trambesos, and recount his experiences of the three-year operations period since they were inaugurated in 2004.
Describing problems that have arisen in negotiating the respective demands of vehicles, pedestrians, neighbours and urban authorities, he will argue that correct urban implementation at the design stage, and correct urban adaptation during the construction and operation phases, are essential to the success of this type of transit system.
This paper explores sustainable transport within the European Union (EU), arguing that a strong sustainable transport definition needs to be used if targets set at Kyoto are to be achieved. The EU strategy is now (2006) based on modal shift, decoupling and technological innovation, weakening the more radical strategy set up in 2001. It seems that expansion of the EU, lower levels of growth, and the possibilities of continuing high costs of oil have resulted in changing priorities, but above all travel demand has continued to grow. The Kyoto targets are becoming much harder to reach.
The paper outlines the three groups of measures that have been promoted, looking at (1) technology and pricing, (2) regulation, taxation and congestion charging, and (3) land use, development and planning, arguing that strong action is required on all three sets of options. Even then, there is an additional requirement, namely the need to gain public acceptability through information, marketing and engagement so that positive outcomes can be matched up with policy intentions. Real progress towards reducing carbon emissions is possible provided that mutually supporting measures are taken, with political commitment to real change and public support for that change.
CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, is the UK government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. Over the past two years CABE has engaged intensively with street design issues. Louise Duggan will introduce CABE's view on the crucial role of streets in creating successful places. Her presentation will take delegates through a series of street design case studies which describe how current practice is adapting to deliver streets that work in both placemaking and movement terms.
This presentation looks at the links between transport disadvantage and social exclusion. The role of public transport is explored in relation to potential reductions in poor transport access amongst low income/non car owning groups. The presentation also explores the implications of current patterns of transport disadvantage for transport policy and planning.
Making existing cities and new urban development more ecologically based and livable is an urgent priority in the global push for sustainability. This presentation summarises ten critical responses to this issue and presents them in a simple conceptual model that places the nexus between transport and urban form at the heart of developing a more sustainable city. This involves compact, mixed use urban form, well defined higher density, human-oriented centres, priority to the development of superior public transport systems and conditions for non-motorised modes, with minimal road capacity increases, and protection of the city's natural areas and food producing capacity.
These factors form the framework in which everything else is embedded and must operate and without addressing them only marginal changes in urban sustainability can be made. Within this framework environmental technologies need to be extensively applied. Economic growth needs to emphasise creativity and innovation and to strengthen the environmental, social and cultural amenities of the city. The public realm throughout the city needs to be of a high quality and sustainable urban design principles need to be applied in all urban development. All these dimensions need to operate within two key processes involving vision-oriented and reformist thinking and a strong, community-oriented, democratic sustainability framework for decision-making.
- Sustainable Planning: the Interconnections between Urban Design, Transport, Citizenship and Health
In this presentation, Professor Leyden examines the linkages between urban design, transport planning, democratic citizenship, and the creation of healthy communities. He draws upon research conducted by various researchers in the US, his work with the World Health Organization and his research examining the effects of car-dependent planning in Ireland. Professor Leyden concludes that pedestrian and transport oriented, mixed-use planning designs are vitally important for health, active citizenship, and community engagement.
- Re-imagining the City
Why is it that Dublin is so dominated by its traffic? Despite the pedestrianisation of shopping streets and the "calming" of some others, the city centre is still choked by cars. Pedestrians are treated as an obstacle to traffic movement, which is why they are given so little time to cross main thoroughfares. The crossing on College Street, between the traffic island and Trinity College allocates just 8 seconds for pedestrians and 96 seconds for traffic - a ratio of 1:12. Compare the unpleasant and chaotic traffic circus at College Green with, say, the now tranquil Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux. There, the introduction of a three-line tramway network has been used to lever major environmental improvements in the city, including a ban on through-traffic in the historic core, giving the streets and squares back to the people. The real question is: How can this be done in Dublin?
This paper deals with the question of social inequalities in access to cars and in daily travel behaviour. It presents attempts to measure these inequalities, using French household travel surveys. In particular, the impact of income on 'motorisation' and daily mobility, “all other things being equal”, is discussed.
The importance of access to cars (as a driver) for daily mobility is underlined, as well as the cost of this for households, especially low income households living in the outskirts of cities. One can imagine the possible social consequences of future huge increases in fuel prices in “car dependent” areas, when household income is limited. The social frailty of the spread out, diffuse city, shows the need for “planned, non-sectorial policies”:
- transport policies to improve public transport and non-motorized forms of mobility,
- but also, urban and housing policies, in order to preserve and develop affordable, easily accessible and liveable dwellings for lower and middle class households in densely populated areas.
In his presentation, Prof Pucher examines a range of public health impacts of our urban transport systems. He argues that car-dependent cities are responsible for enormous environmental harm, social isolation, lack of physical activity, and traffic dangers. To overcome these negative impacts, it is crucial to improve the convenience, safety, and attractiveness of walking and cycling. Many cities in Europe have been successful at greatly improving conditions for walking and cycling, while integrating them fully with high-quality public transit systems.
Pucher discusses and illustrates the many specific policies and programs used in European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. He argues that walking and cycling for daily travel would be ideal for increasing physical activity in Dublin, while at the same time reducing Greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, noise, energy use, roadway congestion, and traffic dangers. Walking and cycling are also keys to the sustainability and livability of our cities.
- Urban Planning from a People Point-of-View
For the past forty years Jan Gehl has been researching the built environment with a particular point of view - namely people.
His seminal book "Life between Buildings" is compulsory reading at Architecture and Planning schools all over the world.
Over the last decade, Gehl Architects have been involved in the improvement of existing environments and the planning of new ones in cities in Europe, the Americas and Australasia with private and public clients.
In recent years, Gehl Architects have been working on a number of large-scale projects in the Dublin area, including the master plan for a new town at Cherrywood, near Laughlinstown.
David Sim, Associate at Gehl Architects, has been leading the Dublin work and will talk about these projects as well as giving a background understanding of the Gehl approach to urban planning.
This presentation argues that a dramatic improvement in public transport in Dublin will not only contribute to environmental sustainability, but will enhance social inclusion and quality of life in the city. Extensive public transport can therefore contribute to the transformation of inhabitants into citizens.
Furthermore, urban design can use public transport to create the public spaces - pedestrianised squares and piazzas - that become the focal points of a great city. As such better public transport can help make Dublin a city of which the entire country can be proud.