Why Transport MattersUrbanization
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The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history; by 2030, five billion of the world’s population will reside in cities and 95 percent of that growth will occur in Africa and Asia. This rapid urbanization has resulted in congestion, slow and poor quality mass transit, air pollution, and an urban quality of life degraded by unregulated automobile use.
Expanding mass transit systems, along with safe sidewalks and bike lanes, at a pace that keeps ahead of urbanization is critical. With good governance and planning, cities can be sites of transformation and examples for the rest of the world. Inspired transport and design principles, such as improved walkablity, mixed-uses, and transit-oriented development, will be fundamental in making rapidly growing cities more sustainable and enjoyable. ITDP believes that the process of change begins by convincing the political and economic leadership of the world’s major cities, and of international organizations, to make informed decisions and take appropriate steps towards transformative transportation and urban design.
- In 12 years, nearly 3 out every 4 city dwellers will live in a megacity.
- By 2030, conditions in megacities will define the quality of life for nearly 5 billion of the earth’s inhabitants
- About 18 million people migrate from rural areas to cities each year in China alone.
- In North American cities, roads and parking lots account between 30 to 60% of the total surface
