How Mobility Shapes Inclusion and Sustainable Growth in Global Cities

The report argues that access to reliable transportation is a prerequisite for social equity and economic growth. It introduces a six-step transportation equity methodology and tests it on three archetypal cities: Chicago (car-centric), Berlin (compact middleweight), and Beijing (high-density megacity). The findings suggest that while car-centric cities need to optimize supply through new modes like on-demand shuttles, compact cities should balance supply and demand, and megacities must focus on shifting demand to avoid oversaturation. The report concludes with five imperatives for policy-makers, emphasizing the need for multimodal innovation, better data collection on underserved populations, and the use of pilots to validate inclusive mobility solutions.

• The report identifies five imperatives for shaping equitable mobility: prioritizing underserved groups, considering both supply and demand, adopting multimodal solutions over the car/public transport binary, refining data collection for minorities, and using pilots to test user acceptance and new financing.
• In Chicago, a car-centric city, the implementation of on-demand shuttles in underserved areas could increase the share of public transit usage by 26% and expand the number of jobs reachable within 40 minutes by 90%.
• In Berlin, a compact middleweight city, introducing differentiated service levels (a premium 'business class') on public transit could increase the share of public transit trips by 11% and generate 28% higher revenue for the operator, which could cross-subsidize inclusivity initiatives.
• In Beijing, a high-density megacity, a digital metro reservation system could reduce one-way commute times by 29% by flattening peak-hour demand, while a green travel Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform could reduce city-wide transportation carbon emissions by up to 12%.
• The report establishes a six-step transportation equity methodology: 1) applying a solutions framework of over 40 approaches, 2) baselining social inclusion status, 3) identifying pain points, 4) delineating affected population centres, 5) specifying pilot solutions, and 6) generating calls to action.
• The World Economic Forum Inclusivity Quotient (IQ) provides five dimensions to gauge mobility inclusivity: availability, affordability, performance and reliability, safety and health, and the impact of digitization.
• Urban transport planners face three primary obstacles: resource constraints and competing stakeholders, a lack of granular data on underserved populations (such as the unbanked), and declining community engagement.

APA

World Economic Forum (2021). How Mobility Shapes Inclusion and Sustainable Growth in Global Cities. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_How_Mobility_Shapes_Inclusion_and_Sustainable_Growth_in_Global_Cities_2021.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. How Mobility Shapes Inclusion and Sustainable Growth in Global Cities. 2021. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_How_Mobility_Shapes_Inclusion_and_Sustainable_Growth_in_Global_Cities_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=How Mobility Shapes Inclusion and Sustainable Growth in Global Cities |date=December 2021 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_How_Mobility_Shapes_Inclusion_and_Sustainable_Growth_in_Global_Cities_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2021how, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{How Mobility Shapes Inclusion and Sustainable Growth in Global Cities}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_How_Mobility_Shapes_Inclusion_and_Sustainable_Growth_in_Global_Cities_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }