Economic Fall-out of Failing Urban Transport Systems: An Institutional Analysis

This chapter describes how a good public transport system is essential to the creation and sustainability of economically, socially and environmentally successful cities. Good public transport systems share one important characteristic: a widespread acceptance of the socially diverse populations that comprise contemporary cities. Acceptance requires that systems are to be as safe, affordable, speedy, convenient and reliable as possible for all users. The success of global cities such as New York, London, Paris, Rome, Moscow and Tokyo rests in no small measure on the fact that they have public transport systems that tend to meet these criteria with varying degrees of success. While none of the cities get a perfect score, it is still the case that all of them, along with many other similar systems in the cities of the Global North, get sufficiently high marks that they contribute immeasurably to the well-being and prosperity of these cities. The same generalization cannot be made for cities of the Global South. Most of the largest cities in middle- and low-income countries do not come close to meeting the above criteria. Instated, and especially in the poorest cities, public transport, to the extent that is exists at all, is largely an improvised system.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.e-elgar.com/bookentry_mainUS.lasso?id=12681
• Corporate Authors:

  Edward Elgar Publishers

  William Pratt House, 9 Dewey Court
  Northampton, MA  United States  01060-3815
• Authors:
  • Sclar, Elliott
  • Touber, Julie
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; References;
• Pagination: pp 174-202
• Monograph Title: Urban Transport in the Developing World. A Handbook of Policy and Practice

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic development; Public transit; Quality of service; Safety; Sustainable development; Transportation planning
• Geographic Terms: London (England); Moscow (Russia); New York (New York); Paris (France); Rome (Italy); Tokyo (Japan)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01352270
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781847202055
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 21 2011 7:14AM