URBAN PLANNING
SUSTAINABLE CITY CENTRES
Praveen Jaiswal calls for viable solutions to the world’s urban transport woes
Cities are home to over half the world’s population. City dwellers are the heart of the global economy, accounting for over 80 percent of the world’s GDP. Roads, railways and other forms of transport are the arteries that nourish that heart; and when our arteries are clogged, the body suffers. Similarly, when the arteries of business are clogged, businesses, residents and cities suffer.
The movement of goods is an essential part of economic life where commercial vehicles account for a large share of traffic, and add to modern city woes of traffic congestion and pollution. A billion more people are projected to be living in cities by 2030, which implies there will be more vehicles on the roads, and heightened congestion and pollution.
City planners must identify approaches to reduce congestion and resultant pollution in advance. They need to devise policies that are location specific as each city is unique. Solutions that will work in Colombo might not be sustainable in Bangkok or Mumbai. But congestion and pollution can be reduced through solutions such as reducing the number of commercial vehicles on the road, improving efficiency and shifting delivery times.
The concept of urban consolidation centres (UCCs) must be optimised. UCCs are typically located in the outskirts of cities where deliveries are taken to, sorted and dispatched. Goods from multiple suppliers can be consolidated into fewer shipments, making it possible to optimise loads and truck sizes, thereby cutting down on the number of trips and vehicles required.
Night deliveries are an option that should be evaluated selectively. By opting for night deliveries, suppliers can use larger trucks on less congested roads – and cities would have less peak hour traffic and lower vehicle emissions.
The use of electric vehicle (EV) fleets should be made mandatory by law for transporting goods in cities. In the more distant future, drones could play a role in delivering small and low weight parcels in busy congested cities.
McKinsey expects up to 20 percent of urban commercial vehicles to be electrified by 2030. At that level, they would add about two percent to the global electricity demand. While the resulting increase in electricity demand may not be large, greater vehicle electrification could add to peak loads.
Power companies will also need to be able to respond to spikes in demand that could result from the simultaneous charging of EVs.
Approaches – both individually and in combination – can benefit urban economies, the environment and society. But for sectors such as retail, logistics, motoring and energy, changes in urban commercial transport will challenge existing revenue and operating models.
Improving the way people and goods move will require new technologies, business models and regulations. It will need new mindsets among businesses, governments and consumers, to imagine a future that is both different and better than the present.
The need for change is urgent. With more vehicles and people on the road, the time to start preparing is upon us. With extreme constraints on parking spaces and congestion, we’re witnessing growth in the e-commerce segment.
Many companies are already working to reduce delivery costs, the number of vehicles on the road, distances driven and vehicle related emissions. But government cooperation and intervention is required for them to succeed. Governments must adopt a holistic view; the success of approaches will depend on planning, infrastructure, regulatory direction and timely implementation.
Indeed, governments should develop a vision for a modern commercial mobility system, and create a framework that encourages early adoption of solutions and penalises those that damage urban life.
The private sector will need to collaborate with regulators as logistics will become a critical element in business models and supply chains. Automotive and technology companies will have to combine skills to create products that will define the future of urban commercial transport.
Both the private and public sectors must understand that the status quo is not sustainable and only bold action can change it.
There is no one top-down solution to urban sustainability – a plethora of bottom-up approaches are required instead. One of the strengths of cities is the initiative and inventiveness of their citizens. Seizing this opportunity requires critical rethinking, application of innovative non-market solutions and the active involvement of all concerned.
A ‘mass movement’ of sorts is the need of the hour.
The process towards creating sustainable cities commences with profound analyses of their past and present culture. It builds on an inclusive and holistic vision, applies integrated planning and transparent governance, and monitors implementation rigorously.
Even a large number of excellent but disconnected citizens doesn’t make for a well functioning whole.
There is no perfect solution that fits all.
South Asian cities are comparatively densely populated with more traffic and obstructive roadways than those in the West. As for countries in Europe, these are interconnected by roads and waterways. Hence traffic movement will also depend on the volume of connected countries and peak seasons in addition to peak times. Similarly in the USA, the traffic levels and transport movements of states may vary from one to the other.
City planners should consist of teams of professionals like economists, scientists, environmentalists, private and government officials not excluding representatives from the general public. Feedback of the common public or a rational person cannot be underestimated, for these will guide such a planning process to be economically and ecologically viable. Research has proven the ideas of the common man can be much more valuable than those provided by experts.
This should ideally be an ongoing exercise, for continuous monitoring and reviews will help to deal with hiccups and loopholes, to iron out irregularities and revise business and operating models accordingly.
The approach adopted could deploy resources at hand in a meaningful way. It is a matter of organising the transportation of goods to cause less hassle in a cost effective manner.
With increasing urbanisation and consequently environmental pollution on the rise, health concerns are becoming another burning issue. A successful city transport system could be recognised as one that operates with minimal cost and time, resulting in the minimal burning of energy, traffic and emissions.
In Sri Lanka, the Western Province is crowded with towns, high population density, and many industrial zones and industries. In such a setup, an urban consolidation centre (UCC) concept could come in handy to determine suitable combinations of road network utilisation and the allocation of transport trips. This could lead to fewer trips, lower transportation costs, and less congestion. Goods could be transported during off peak hours from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to keep air pollution at bay.
A UCC approach would be beneficial for a country like Sri Lanka due to its fuel burning levels and road congestion. Since the country incurs massive import costs on fuel, the concept of UCC is worth considering in the local context.
Not all roads can take you there. It is how you come up with methods that will make urban transportation smoother. Consider the possibilities of spending a fraction of the cost of constructing roads and expressways and achieving a more productive, congestion and pollutant free method to transport goods. The initial cost may be relatively high but over time there will be almost no maintenance unlike with roads.
Well, these are not dreams but may be within reach with ample investments in R&D led by creative and innovative minded professionals. Similar products to drones provide courier services to transport lightweight goods and parcels and may be GPS navigated or remote controlled. Orders can be tracked by the supplier and customer with an app in place and secured delivery and acceptance can be enabled by passwords or biometrics.
Moreover, once a particular type of product is launched (say mobile phones, TV etc.), there are no barriers. Such products are bound to progress and transform by way of technological disruption. As such, these tech driven carriers may be extended for a higher capacity, equipped with sensors to detect barriers, thefts, adverse weather conditions and traverse through airways at a determined altitude to reach a given location.