Green transportations systems – a step towards sustainable cities

Abstract

According to the census 2011, Indian is the second most populated country with population of over 1.21 billion people. In the last decade (from 2001-2011) the acceleration in urbanisation level has increased from 27.81% to 31.16%. According to some documents by the United Nations and the International Energy Agency, India will probably witness the largest increase in urban population in the next four decades followed by China. With the rapid urbanisation and increased income levels, the mobility of people and freight will become even more critical. The quality of the mobility is a key factor in determining the quality of life in any city or town. Many factors such as inadequate public transportation, high fare, no last mile connectivity, poor city bus services etc. contribute to the people choosing personalised mode of transportation over public transportation. There is a dire need to encourage cities to adopt sustainable transportation systems. This paper attempts to understand the challenges and needs of developing sustainable transportation system in Indian cities. The paper examines the case of three mega cities Copenhagen, Tokyo and New York and explores the efforts taken by these cities for making cities more sustainable through green transportation systems. The aim of the paper is to chalk out the possible strategies for green transportation systems which could be followed in Indian cities to make cities more sustainable.