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The impacts of climate change are already wreaking havoc on ecosystems and economies. To meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and for a chance of limiting global warming to less than 1.5°C, governments worldwide will need to use every possible policy tool to reduce emissions from transportation. Neither vehicle electrification nor mode shift is sufficient alone: the world needs both. 

In The Compact City Scenario – Electrified, researchers from ITDP and the University of California, Davis (with support from the ClimateWorks Foundation) have found that the only way to prevent the worst effects of climate change is to engage in a comprehensive strategy of compact, mixed-use cities built around walking, cycling, and public transit, combined with investments in electric vehicles. Embracing walking, cycling, and public transit over the next decade can quickly reduce the demand for car travel, buying time for electric vehicle technology to improve. Only electrification and mode shift combined can keep emissions below the threshold curve. 

If cities around the world employ those policies while also switching to electric vehicles, emissions from urban passenger transport would fall to a level consistent with limiting global warming to less than 2°C — and possibly less than 1.5°C.

Learn More

• Continue Reading on the ITDP Blog →
• Watch  the “Compact Cities Electrified” Panel at Transforming Transportation 2023 →
• Watch “The Compact City Scenario Electrified” video →
• Download “The Compact City Scenario Electrified” infographic → 
• Access the country-focused “Compact Cities Electrified: Roadmaps” →

Interested in learning more about this research or have a press inquiry? Email us at mobility@itdp.org.