Who Needs Cars? Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable

The authors contend that current 'business-as-usual' urbanization, characterized by car-oriented infrastructure, leads to high greenhouse gas emissions, economic losses from congestion, and safety risks. They advocate for 'smart urban mobility'—which combines technology with coordinated planning—to 'leapfrog' car-centric development. Examples of successful interventions include Mexico City's Metrobús BRT, Beijing's low emission zone, and Medellín's Metrocable. The document highlights 2015 as a pivotal year due to the finalization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, upcoming climate negotiations, and the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety.

• Current urban growth patterns are unsustainable, with cities producing 70 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents causing 1.2 million deaths annually, primarily in developing cities.
• Car-centric urban sprawl and congestion cause significant economic losses: Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo lost $43 billion in 2013 (8 percent of GDP), Beijing faces costs of 7-15 percent of GDP, and the United States loses $400 billion annually due to urban sprawl.
• Smart urban mobility, defined as systems that leverage technology and coordinated planning to be socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable, can reduce emissions and improve equity. Examples include Mexico City's Metrobús BRT, which is expected to save $141 million in productivity on one line, and Medellín's Metrocable, which reduced travel time from slums to the urban core from a day to 30 minutes.
• Transport accounts for 23 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, with urban car use being the primary driver. Beijing is addressing this by planning a low emission zone to help reach a 40 percent air pollution reduction target.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). Who Needs Cars? Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable. https://www.wri.org/insights/who-needs-cars-smart-mobility-can-make-cities-sustainable

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Who Needs Cars? Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable. 2015. https://www.wri.org/insights/who-needs-cars-smart-mobility-can-make-cities-sustainable.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=World Resources Institute |title=Who Needs Cars? Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable |date=15 January 2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/who-needs-cars-smart-mobility-can-make-cities-sustainable |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{worldresourcesinstitute2015who, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Who Needs Cars? Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/who-needs-cars-smart-mobility-can-make-cities-sustainable}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }