Session 1
History and geography of urban transport; some perpectives on human behaviour and the role of infrastructure
Chairman of the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety
The urban environment is usually associated with a variety of activities for matching the demand for goods, commerce, services, rules and laws, culture and intellectual exchange. Proximity and congregation are essential factors when it comes to the economic efficiency of urban society. However, the attractiveness of urban environments has caused cities to expand without control in many areas, causing congestion, environmental and social problems. Freedom of mobility versus sustainability, environment and urban settlement will have to be examined from new perspectives.
Can lessons be learned from history? How can human demands for urban living space harmonize with freedom of mobility, prosperity and sustainable development? Do we need a new set of behavioural patterns? Which value systems will be necessary?
Topics
- The drive for mobility.
- Cities and their infrastructure. An historical perspective
- Planning for transport and traffic in heterogeneous large cities in low-income countries.
- Gender-related effects on travel, energy consumption and the environment.
- Coping with complexity: the politics, environmental concerns and aesthetics of large infrastructure projects.