Blog Posts: sustainable urban mobility

Climate change is an important driver of urban inequality. These five ideas show climate action can help cities become more equitable.

As cities re-open from the COVID-19 pandemic, urban planners and designers are considering how to make urban and transport infrastructure more resilient. A recent study from WRI China found that dockless bike-share systems can be an excellent and sustainable last-mile urban mobility solution.

Expanding biking infrastructure in cities will not only protect human health and curb climate change, it can help economies recover after COVID-19.

Future cities will need a near-zero-carbon footprint, an end to dependence on fossil fuels and an ability to manage weather extremes while finding ways to lift up already vulnerable and marginalized groups. To envision these cities of the future, we have to demand more of our collective imagination.

Mobility is a gateway to opportunity, and transportation can make cities more wonderful, livable and equitable. WRI Vice President Lawrence MacDonald is joined by Robin Chase and Harriet Tregoning to talk about the New Urban Mobility alliance (NUMO) and how they are building better cities for all.

Looking at four studies of scooter safety, it's clear that one factor outside riders' control needs to be studied more: road design.

Every Sunday, Guadalajara closes more than 60 kilometers of streets to car traffic, opening them up for public use by pedestrians, cyclists and performers. Since starting the "Via RecreActiva," Guadalajara has more open space for recreation, a new collective image of public space and a revitalized movement for transit equity.

Quito, Semarang City, Vienna and São Paulo are just a few of the cities that have used data to reshape transportation policy to reduce sexual violence, improve road safety and increase access for the disabled.

New taxes and fees shouldn't just raise revenue. They can do more than that: they can make cities more livable and transport more sustainable.

WRI Board Member and Zipcar co-founder Robin Chase argues that we should make sure that taxes encourage all forms of sustainable mobility, including walking and biking.