Evolving Concepts in Urban Transport

Abstract

Prevailing urban transport system in megacities is a combined result of dynamic interaction of institutions; the society’s evolving need in mobility brought about by their changing physical, social, economic, and political environments; and the advancement in technology. The development of urban transport in cities involved a process of modernization and adaptation. European and American cities followed similar patterns of urban transport development up to the early twentieth century, and pursued quite different policy directions in the late twentieth century. Asian cities, on the other hand, followed a trend of adaptation in the past but gradually moved to locally adaptable systems. This chapter discusses the evolution of urban transport concepts and the connections of these in the industrialized European and North American cities and East Asian cities. The chapter initially discusses some practical urban transport concepts in the USA and Europe after the dawn of the automobile in the late nineteenth century to the present. The discussions proceed to an overview of urban transport development in Asian cities. The last section attempts to draw broad policy implications and forward an argument that the special contexts of developing cities need to be carefully examined as the specialties may demand special policy measures rather than direct borrowing of concepts and lessons that evolved in the industrialized world. Why is it important to understand the evolution of urban transport policy concepts? There are two primary reasons that may explain the dynamics of trans- port policy development in cities. First, the basic time series characterization of urban transport policies in relation to the development of urban transport systems provides patterns that may potentially provide dynamic policy solutions for trans- port systems in Asian cities. Second, contextual understanding of the underpinnings of policies provides definitive cue points in introducing or reforming policies necessary for dynamic policy responses. The efficiency of solutions to urban transport challenges, measurable or qualitative, and policy responses to these problems can be evaluated through basic understanding of concepts. These policy lessons may provide useful insights for consequent policy development and decision-making practices in which the definitions of policy transitions are critical.