What is urban mobility: concept thinking to build sustainable cities
Urban mobility has been one of the most important and challenging issues in our times. It is a catch-all term which means we are discussing the ease and speed with which people, goods, and services can move around in urban areas.
It is currently estimated that the percentage of people living in urban areas has increased from 64% to 83% since 1950. By 2050, it is forecast that 89% of Americans will live in urban areas.
With cities getting more populous and more congested, there will be new challenges for transportation systems that will impact how we design and build our urban locations.
What is urban mobility exactly?
The definition of urban mobility refers to all aspects of movement in urban settings. It can include modes of transport, such as walking, cycling, and public transit, as well as the spatial arrangement of these modes in a built environment.
Why is urban mobility important?
Urban mobility is a critical factor underlying global sustainability and has a significant effect on the quality of life in cities.
At its most basic level, urban mobility is about getting people from one place to another. However, that is not all it encompasses; it also includes how people get around within urban areas for both work and leisure activities like shopping, dining out, or visiting cultural sites.
The ease with which people can go about their lives without having to use motorized vehicles is an important feature for many cities.
Urban mobility influences our quality of life. The more people who can move around without cars, the better cities are for the environment, public health, and even for our mental health.
The problem is that urban mobility has never been easy. We must live with congestion, long distances, and poor infrastructure.
What are the barriers to improving our cities?
There are many barriers to improving our cities, including lack of public officials who believe that their job is to lead, lack of engagement from communities that often feel disconnected from decision-making processes, and lack of trust by the public when it comes to city budgets. Talking about budgets, money is clearly also an issue that we must overcome.
It’s clear, however, that when designing and building city infrastructure, we must prioritize urban mobility – it should be at the heart of urban policy.
Mobility-driven cities are more sustainable than ever before
A car-free city is not just a trend of the moment. It is a movement that aims to make our communities healthier, safer, more livable, and sustainable.
More cities are embracing the idea of becoming car-free cities. In fact, there are dozens of cities in Europe that are either car-free or have large areas that have been designated as car-free.
Here in the United States, the same trend is apparent. Fort Collins in Colorado has seven acres of car-free urban area. An area that houses 5,000 residents in Memphis is car-free. In New Orleans, several blocks between the French Quarter and the river are now free of cars. The list goes on.
Mobility-driven cities will be more sustainable than ever before. With less pollution from cars, they have cleaner air to breathe. This allows people to enjoy recreational activities in their city without worrying about the risks that come with air pollution.
The future of urban mobility
Future mobility trends are not just about electric cars or self-driving cars. There are many other aspects to the future of transportation.
One of them is infrastructure construction. We must design our urban spaces to improve urban mobility and create sustainable cities in which to live. This includes consideration of energy usage and the materials we use to build homes, schools, shopping malls, and places of work.
Achieving the vision of sustainable cities through urban mobility
Mobility is the key to achieving the vision of sustainable cities. The future of urban mobility is a reduction in cars, encouraging greater use of public transport, and providing alternative mobility systems. In this way, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution in cities, while also improving the quality of life for urban residents.
Public transport in the future will be increasingly connected, providing real-time information about traffic conditions and how it will affect when you reach your destination.
The smart city of tomorrow will integrate with mobility solutions that are based on efficient energy usage, electric vehicles, and shared resources with a high level of infrastructure integration among its inhabitants. Cities will be planned to house their citizens closer to work and recreation.
None of this can be achieved without a substantial focus on the design, planning, and delivery of urban infrastructure that enables vast improvements in urban mobility.
At ACB Consulting, we are committed to helping improve the communities in which we live, work, and play – including how they are conceived, designed, and created. To learn more, contact ACB Consulting.