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Towards climate-proof urban transport systems

Urda EichhorstWuppertal Institute - Energy, Transport and Climate Policy Research Group

Transforming Transportation 2010Washington, DC15 January 2010

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Why adapt urban transport to climate change?

Climate-proof urban transport systems . . .

1. Ensure reliable mobility

2. Secure public assets with large replacement value and avoid cascading effects

3. Protect health and safety of urban residents

4. Enable disaster risk management

➔ Guarantee the economic well-being of cities

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Expected climate change impacts

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Average global temperature increase…

sea-level rise temperature extremes

tropical storms drought flooding

Photos: GTZ, NASA, prozac1 + dan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net, PhotoDisc

Intense rainfall

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Impacts on transport

Transport infrastructure

Mobility behaviour

Vehicles and operations

Three main categories:

Sources: GTZ

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Who needs to act?

1. Public authorities•Transport planners•Urban/spatial planners•Disaster risk managers•Environment agencies•Construction departments•Public procurement agencies•…

2. Transport service providers

3. Individuals

➔ Cross-departmental decision-making!

15 January 2010 Photos: GTZ

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Three basic approaches to adaptation

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Overview of adaptation options

Four main areas of action:

1. Spatial/urban planning

2. Resilient design standards and materials

3. Regular maintenance

4. Contingency and emergency planning

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Overview of adaptation options1. Spatial / urban planning (1)

• Avoid high-risk areas • Create sufficient redundancy

15 January 2010 Sources: ADB, itbm

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Overview of adaptation options1. Spatial / urban planning (2)

• Compact urban planning • Green spaces for cooling / decreasing heat island effects• Improved drainage

15 January 2010 Photos: GTZ

Seoul: before and after redevelopment

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Overview of adaptation options2. Regular maintenance

e.g. London Underground

• Monitoring programme (temperature/humidity)

• Identification of additional ventilation and cooling needs

• Purchase of new air-cooled trains

15 January 2010 Photo: GTZ

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Overview of adaptation options3. Adapted (resilient) design standards and materials

• Infrastructure• Vehicles

15 January 2010 Photos: GTZ, ITDP

Source: The Hindu

Cycle way shadings in Hangzhou, ChinaAir-conditioned bus in Changzhou, China

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Overview of adaptation options4. Contingency and emergency planning, insurance

• Integrate needs of public transport users into planning, e.g. emergency bus routes, hot weather contingency plans for subways

• Provide public transportation for evacuation• Use (climate/weather) insurance to divert risk

15 January 2010 Photos: Reuters, PhotoDisc

Impacts of Hurricane Katrina

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Integrate climate-proofing into transport planning and maintenance!

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Module for decision-makers in developing citiesFinanced by gtz in its Sustainable Urban Transport Project

for details see ...

Free electronic copy at www.sutp.org

Wuppertal Institute1612.04.2023

Changes in transport policy Increasing capacity of staff Development of sustaina-

bility oriented projects

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SUTP – Sustainable Urban Transport Project

Implementing Projects

• World Cup 2010: Bus Rapid Transit System

Johannesburg

• Climate oriented concept for

sustainable mobility, Ukraine

• Emission Reduction in urban transport,

Indonesia

• ASEAN Clean Air in Cities

Sharing Experiences and Best Practices

Developing and Dissemi-nating Resources

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Conclusion and outlook

• Climate change will increase current problems in intensity and frequency

• Ensure that transport systems are climate-proof and tackle existing deficiencies to avoid costly damages

• Link adaptation and mitigation

What needs to be done:• Raise awareness and build capacity• Integrate climate risk assessment into transport planning• Engage transport planning and disaster risk management• Allocate (raise) resources for adaptation planning and

implementation• Start action early to avoid maladaptation!

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Download the module at: http://www.sutp.org

Thank you!