Abstract
Over the past few decades, particularly in urban areas, mobility needs have significantly grown and changed as a result of the normal social and economic development. The mobility is nowadays a very diverse and complex reality, in reason of the tendency for a more disperse residential occupation and for a more decentralized location of most commercial and service activities, as well as of different population mobility habits resulting from their increased wealth. As a consequence urban mobility has been ever more dependent on the private car and, in many cases, by the existence of inefficient and costly public transport systems, with obvious negative impacts at the environmental, social and economic levels for the society as a all. It is also relevant to refer that in some European Union (EU) countries transports use up to 30% of the energy used by the different human activity sectors and is responsible for 25-30% of the total of greenhouse gases (EEA, 2000; Civitas, 2006), with the car being responsible for as much as 50% of the emissions produced by passenger transport systems. It is also important to notice the negative impacts that transport systems can, and often have, over several quality of life aspects. In many cases these systems invade many of the cities public spaces, which are otherwise used in many other activities such as leisure. This situation has led to an increased emphasis being placed in the development of transport strategies and solutions within the Sustainable Development Global Agenda (Commission of the European Communities, 2006). The EU Green Paper over Urban Environment, the EU Treaty, the successive EU environment and transport action programs, the Rio de Janeiro UN Conference on Environment and Development or the different UN conferences culminating with HABITAT II, constitute some of the initiatives witch have been raising the sustainability issue and, in this context, have been discussing the future of urban mobility. An urban strategic planning process, taking into consideration the urban area fundamental characteristics and its population needs, is thus an essential framework for the identification of adequate sustainable transport policies. These planning processes can vary significantly but generally it can be said that they are evermore inter-disciplinary and focused mainly on two different but complementary areas. 12
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Document information
Published on 01/01/2010
Volume 2010, 2010
DOI: 10.5772/9567
Licence: Other
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