Housing, mobility and urban sustainability - examples and best practices from contemporary cities

Abstract

This paper deals with relationships between urban form and travel and shows examples of cities in developed and developing countries that have used spatial planning in order to promote more environmentally friendly mobility. Based upon studies in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Hangzhou, China, the first part of the paper explores how the location of residences relative to concentrations of workplaces, service and leisure facilities influences the physical mobility of the residents and its related environmental consequences. The notion of transportation rationales
is important in order to understand the causal mechanisms by which residential location affects travel behavior. The studies show that
avoiding low-density urban spatial expansion is indispensable in order to minimize the need for motorized transportation in general and car travel
particularly. In particular, densification close to the main center of the urban region contributes to reduce the amount of travel and to increase the proportion of non-motorized travel. In the second part, these findings form the background for a review of a variety of urban development strategies in non-European metropolitan areas that are dealing creatively with urban transportation and its environmental impacts, using land use and urban design to selectively change travel behavior. Finally, the paper offers some
public planning and policy proposals in order to reduce the amount of travel, encourage environment- and climate-friendly travel modes and help mitigate climate change.