Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Introduction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Governance and Sustainable Urban Transport in the Americas

  • 239 Accesses

Abstract

The authors begin by pointing out to the reasons why studying sustainable urban transport is pertinent at this time of human history. Indeed, although cities only occupy 2% of the earth’s landmass, they produce 75% of total greenhouse gases (GHG). The world population living in cities now stands at 50%, and this proportion is growing steadily. The authors then point to the fact that, although other sectors of the world economy have seen progress in working on reducing greenhouse gases, particularly in the energy production and manufacturing sectors, there is no progress in the transport sector, where in fact the situation is getting worse year by year. Yet, the authors conclude, there is little comparative work or longitudinal studies on these important subjects. The chapter then offers a comprehensive list of factors affecting urban transport, divided into upstream factors, such as climate, over which public authorities have little control, and downstream factors, such as policy and policy instruments, where they can act more directly and proactively. Finally, the three cities studied, Seattle, Montreal, and Curitiba are presented and reasons are given for choosing them as cities that have a story to tell on sustainable urban transport.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • AASHTO—American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. (2013). Commuting in America 2013: The National Report on Commuting Patterns and Trends. http://traveltrends.transportation.org/Documents/CA10-4.pdf. Accessed 21 May 2018.

  • Antier, G. (2005). Les stratégies des grandes métropoles. Enjeux, pouvoirs et aménagement. Paris: Armand Colin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arcadis. (2017a). Sustainable Cities Mobility Index 2017. Bold Moves. https://www.arcadis.com/en/global/our-perspectives/sustainable-cities-mobility-index-2017/. Accessed 5 February 2018.

  • Arcadis. (2017b). Sustainable Cities Mobility Index 2017. Bold Moves. North America Edition. https://www.arcadis.com/media/8/1/2/%7B812656B9-7EFE-42CA-B11F-A8DF69EC6DEC%7DArcadis_Sustainability%20Cities%20Mobility%20Index_North%20America_2017.pdf. Accessed 5 February 2018.

  • Bache, I., Bartle, I., Flinders, M., Marsden, G. (2015). Blame Games and Climate Change: Accountability, Multi-Level Governance and Carbon Management. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 17, 64–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-856x.12040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bache, I., Reardon, L., Bartle, I., Flinders, M., Marsden, G. (2014). Symbolic Meta-Policy: (Not) Tackling Climate Change in the Transport Sector. Political Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9248.12123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. R. (2013). If Mayors Ruled the World. Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouteligier, S. (2013). Cities, Networks, and Global Environmental Governance. Spaces of Innovation, Places of Leadership. New York and London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, D. (2012). Comparative Climate Change Policy and Federalism: An Overview. Review of Policy Research, 29(3), 322–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulkeley, H., & Betsill, M. (2013). Revisiting the Urban Politics of Climate Change. Environmental Politics, 22(1), 136–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2013.755797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervero, R. (2005). Accessible Cities and Regions: A Framework for Sustainable Transport and Urbanism in the 21st Century (Working Paper UCB-ITS-VWP-2005-3). University of California Berkeley Center for Future Urban Transport.

    Google Scholar 

  • City of Montreal. (Circa 2010). Le Déplacement des Personnes à Montréal et dans sa Région. Projet de plan de développement de Montréal. Fiche d’information. http://ocpm.qc.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/P70/3a5.pdf. Based on Travel Survey 2008 Data: Secrétariat à l’Enquête Origine-Destination. 2008. L’Enquête OD 2008. http://enqueteod.amt.qc.ca/docs/EnqOD08_Mobilite.pdf (all Morning Trips). Accessed 13 August 2013.

  • Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal. (2016). Portrait of Greater Montreal (2016 edition). Metropolitan Reports (5). http://cmm.qc.ca/documentation/?tx_solr%5Bfilter%5D%5B0%5D=typedocHierarchy%3A%2FP%C3%A9riodiques%2FCahiers%2Bm%C3%A9tropolitains. Accessed 14 May 2018.

  • Demery, L. (2004). Bus Rapid Transit in Curitiba, Brazil—An Information Summary (Special Report 1). Publictransit.us. http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/specialreports/sr1.curitibaBRT.pdf. Accessed 23 June 2018.

  • Dierwechter, Y., & Wessells, T. (2013). The Uneven Localisation of Climate Action in Metropolitan Seattle. Urban Studies, 50(7), 1368–1385. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098013480969.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duarte, F., & Rojas, F. (2012). Intermodal Connectivity to BRT: A Comparative Analysis of Bogotá and Curitiba. Journal of Public Transportation, 15(2), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EMC Research. (2014). 2014 Center City Commuter Mode Split Survey. Seattle, Commute Seattle. http://commuteseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/14-5390-Commuter-Mode-Split-Survey-Report-2-23.pdf. Accessed 21 May 2018.

  • Florida, R. (2008). Who’s Your City? How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life. Toronto: Random House Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frey, K. (2012). Abordagens de governança em áreas metropolitanas da América Latina: avanços e entraves. Urbe, 4(1), 87–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grimsrud, M., & El-Geneidy, A. (2013). Driving Transit Retention to Renaissance: Trends in Montreal Commute Public Transport Mode Share and Factors by Age Group and Birth Cohort. Public Transport, 5(3), 219–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-013-0075-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. (1995). Cidades de Amanhã. Uma história intelectual do planejamento e do projeto urbanos no século XX. São Paulo: Perspectiva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hassan, A. M., & Lee, H. (2015). Toward the Sustainable Development of Urban Areas: An Overview of Global Trends in Trials and Policies. Land Use Policy, 48, 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.04.029.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horak, M., & Young, R. (Eds.). (2012). Sites of Governance: Multilevel Governance and Policy Making in Canada’s Big Cities. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howlett, M. (1991). Policy Instruments, Policy Styles, and Policy Implementation: National Approaches to Theories of Instrument Choice. Policy Studies Journal, 19(2), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howlett, M. (2001). Gouvernance environnementale et gestion de réseaux. In E. A. Parson (Ed.), Gérer l’environnement (pp. 303–341). Montréal: Presses de l’Université de Montréal.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howlett, M. (2011). Designing Public Policies: Principles and Instruments. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howlett, M. (2014). From the ‘Old’ to the ‘New’ Policy Design: Design Thinking Beyond Markets and Collaborative Governance. Policy Sciences, 47(3), 187–207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-014-9199-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howlett, M., Rayner, J., & Jollefson, C. (2009). From Government to Governance in Forest Planning? Lessons from the Case of the British Columbia Great Bear Rainforest Initiative. Forest Policy and Economics, 11, 383–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2009.01.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Energy Agency. (2013). CO2 Emissions From Fuel Combustion. Highlights. Paris: OECD/IEA. http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/CO2EmissionsFromFuelCombustionHighlights2013.pdf. Accessed 13 August 2013.

  • Johnston, R. (2004). The Urban Transportation Planning Process. In S. Hanson & G. Giuliano (Eds.), The Geography of Urban Transportation (pp. 115–140). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, A., Wurzel, R. K. W., & Zito, A. (2003). Comparative Conclusions—“New” Environmental Policy Instruments: An Evolution or a Revolution in Environmental Policy? Environmental Politics, 12(1), 201–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, A., Wurzel, R. K. W., & Zito, A. (2005). The Rise of “New” Policy Instruments in Comparative Perspective: Has Governance Eclipsed Government? Political Studies, 53(3), 477–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassim, H., & Le Galès, P. (2010). Exploring Governance in a Multi-Level Polity: A Policy Instruments Approach. West European Politics, 33(1), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenworthy, J. (2008). Energy Use and CO2 Production in the Urban Passenger Transport Systems of 84 International Cities: Findings and Policy Implications. In P. Droege (Ed.), Urban Energy Transition: From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Power. Oxford: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klink, J., & Denaldi, R. (2012). Metropolitan Fragmentation and Neo-Localism in the Periphery. Revisiting the Case of Curitiba. Urban Studies, 49(3), 549–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koch, P. (2013). Overestimating the Shift from Government to Governance: Evidence from Swiss Metropolitan Areas. Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, 26(3), 397–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, T., & Painter, M. (2015). Comprehensive Local Climate Policy: The Role of Urban Governance. Urban Climate, 14(4), 566–577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindau, L. A., Hidalgo, D., & Facchini, D. (2010). Curitiba, the Cradle of Bus Rapid Transit. Built Environment, 36(3), 274–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littmann, T. (2013). The New Transportation Planning Paradigm. ITE Journal, 83(6), 20–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsden, G., Mullen, C., Bache, I., Bartle, I., & Flinders, M. (2014). Carbon Reduction and Travel Behaviour: Discourses, Disputes and Contradictions in Governance. Transport Policy, 35(2014), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2014.05.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, J. G., Boas, I. Lenhart, J., Mol, A. P. J. (2016). Revealing Curitiba’s Flawed Sustainability: How Discourse Can Prevent Institutional Change. Habitat International, 53, 350–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.12.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, T., & Crass, M. (2007). Sustainability in Transport. Implications for Policy Makers. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2017, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3141/2017-01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayeres, I. (2000). The Efficiency Effects of Transport Policies in the Presence of Externalities and Distortionary Taxes. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, 34(2), 233–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayntz, R. (2006). From Government to Governance: Political Steering in Modern Societies. In D. Scheer & F. Rubik (Eds.), Governance of Integrated Product Policy: In Search of Sustainable Production and Consumption (pp. 18–25). Aizlewood Mill: Greenleaf Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mees, P. (2010). Transport for Suburbia: Beyond the Automobile Age. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meijer, A., & Rodriguez Bolivar, M. P. (2015). Governing the Smart City: A Review of the Literature on Smart Urban Governance. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(2), 392–408. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852314564308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monbiot, G. (2006). Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning. New York: Penguins Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman, P. W. G., & Kenworthy, J. R. (1996). The Land Use-Transport Connection: An Overview. Land Use Policy, 13(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paquot, T. (2006). Terre urbaine. Cinq défis pour le devenir urbain de la planète. Paris: La Découverte.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierre, J. (2011). The Politics of Urban Governance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pierre, J., & Peters, B. G. (2000). Governance, Politics and the State. London: Macmillan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rabinovitch, J. (1992). Curitiba: Towards Sustainable Urban Development. Environment and Urbanization, 4(2), 62–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabinovitch, J., & Leitman, J. (1996). Urban Planning in Curitiba. Scientific American, 274(3), 46–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salamon, L. M. (with Collaboration of Elliot, O. V.). (2002). The Tools of Government: A Guide to the New Governance. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaheen, S., Guzman, S., & Zhang, H. (2010). Bikesharing in Europe, the Americas, and Asia: Past, Present, and Future. Transportation Research Record, 2143(1), 159–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, J., Knowles, R., & Docherty, I. (2008). Introducing Transport Geographies. In R. Knowles, J. Shaw, & I. Docherty (Eds.), Transport Geographies. Mobilities, Flows and Spaces (pp. 3–9). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siemens A. G. (2010). Latin American Green City Index. https://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/features/greencityindex_international/all/en/pdf/report_latam_en.pdf. Accessed 5 February 2018.

  • Siemens A. G. (2011). US and Canada Green City Index. https://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/features/greencityindex_international/all/en/pdf/report_northamerica_en.pdf. Accessed 5 February 2018.

  • Sperling, D. (2018). Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared, and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future. Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Torfing, J., Peters, B. G., Pierre, J., & Sorensen, E. (2012). Interactive Governance: Advancing the Paradigm. Cary NC and New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Torfing, J., & Triantafillou, P. (2013). What’s in a Name? Grasping New Public Governance as a Political-Administrative System. International Review of Public Administration, 18(2), 9–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2013.10805250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay-Racicot, F., & Mercier, J. (2014). Integrating Transportation and Land Use Planning at the Metropolitan Level in North America: Multilevel Governance in Toronto and Chicago. Urbe, 6(2), 184–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United States Department of State. (2010). U.S. Climate Action Report 2010. Washington: Global Publishing Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vedung, E. (1998). Policy Instruments: Typologies and Theories. In M.-L. Bemelmans-Videc, R. C. Rist, & E. Vedung (Eds.), Carrot, Sticks & Sermons. Policy Instruments & Their Evaluation (pp. 21–58). New-Brunswick and London: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickson, T. (2004). A Century of Moving Canada: Public Transit 1904–2004. Toronto: Canadian Urban Transit Association.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

    Jean Mercier

  2. École nationale d’administration publique, Québec, QC, Canada

    Fanny Tremblay-Racicot

  3. Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

    Mario Carrier

  4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Fábio Duarte

Authors
  1. Jean Mercier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fanny Tremblay-Racicot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mario Carrier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fábio Duarte
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean Mercier .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Mercier, J., Tremblay-Racicot, F., Carrier, M., Duarte, F. (2019). Introduction. In: Governance and Sustainable Urban Transport in the Americas. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99091-0_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99091-0_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99090-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99091-0

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation