Carbon-Free City Handbook: Transportation and Mobility

The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Transportation and Mobility is a guide by RMI that outlines twelve strategic actions for cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, which accounts for 36 percent of emissions in large cities. The guide provides descriptions of these actions—ranging from fleet electrification and combustion vehicle reduction to the implementation of car-free zones and expanded public transit—and supports them with a curated list of action documents, recommended resources, and citations from various global cities.

• The transportation sector is a major contributor to urban climate impact, accounting for 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in large cities.
• Cities can reduce emissions by transitioning municipal fleets to electricity, specifically by replacing fossil-fuel vehicles—including police vehicles, public buses, and light- and heavy-duty trucks—with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) or battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
• Strategies to reduce internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles include establishing policies that limit these vehicles in city centers, implementing penalties for "dirtier" vehicles regarding parking or driving, and creating long-term plans to ban diesel and all ICE vehicles.
• Urban freight emissions can be mitigated through a combination of voluntary and regulatory programs, such as off-peak delivery programs, designated truck routes, stopping and standing laws, and mandatory emissions standards.
• Cities are employing diverse tactics to eliminate cars from high-density districts, including the use of congestion pricing, the creation of pedestrian zones, and limiting vehicle access on specific days of the week.

APA

RMI (2017). Carbon-Free City Handbook: Transportation and Mobility. https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-transportation-mobility/

Chicago

RMI. Carbon-Free City Handbook: Transportation and Mobility. 2017. https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-transportation-mobility/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Carbon-Free City Handbook: Transportation and Mobility |date=9 November 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-transportation-mobility/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2017carbonfree, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Carbon-Free City Handbook: Transportation and Mobility}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-transportation-mobility/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }