The New Urban Mobility: Trends in Transportation Development
The article examines the transportation systems of modern cities. The author considers the key transport issues and their economical, environmental and socio-cultural consequences. On the basis of the best international practices the author substantiates that a reorientation of transport policy from providing travel demand to managing it is required. Moreover, the author describes the new development vectors of transportation systems in progressive cities, which includes a new concept of urban mobility centered on human beings and their needs for comfortable habitat, as opposed to the auto-centric approach of the 20th century. In the context of the shifting paradigm the author describes new methods of social analysis that enriched traditional economic-mathematical approach to transport planning. Special attention is paid to specific notions such as “multimodality”, “intermodality” and “sustainability” applied to urban transport. By considering the main global trends in urban transportation systems' development, the author underlines the key factors affecting the quality, stability and sustainability of urban transportation and proposes a model of transport system efficiency.