India is a rapidly developing nation. While a major proportion of its population continues to live in rural areas, a demographic shift towards urban spaces is fast taking place. The number of urban spaces in India increased from 5,161 in 2001 to 7,935 in 2011 and continues to grow steadily. Urban areas offer better opportunities for economic prosperity and better access to resources, making them the preferred choice of a growing number of people.
However, the increasing population in cities also puts a strain on the resources of the city, leading to congestion and urban sprawl as well as pollution. In order to sustainably meet the demands of a growing number of people, cities need to allocate resources carefully and rely on cleaner sources of energy to power their economic activities. Cities also need to be planned efficiently in order to accommodate not only the present-day populace inhabiting them and also anticipate future demand and provide for it.
Transport is one of the first sectors to be impacted by an increase in demand in the urban space. Growing numbers in cities translate into a heavier load on the public transport systems in the city. If the public transport infrastructure is not strong enough to meet the demand, it leads to an increase in private vehicles which leads to greater congestion on the roads and leads to a lack of parking spaces. As the urban spaces in India continue to grow and expand, the country must look towards building sustainable transport systems that can contribute to cleaner and more efficient towns and cities.
230 million
registered vehicles in India (as on March 31, 2016)
8-fold
Increase in travel demand since the 1980s
$22 billion
Collective congestion costs borne by Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru
Sustainable transport focuses on developing transport systems that integrate better urban public transport systems and non-motorised transport, land-use planning and transit-oriented development, in cities. Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation works to promote policies that pave the way for the adoption of such systems.
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Financing Sustainable Urban Transport through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
Sector: Sustainable Transport Undertaken By : Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Recent Publication: 2016The Smart Cities Mission will require significant amounts of capital to meet the rapidly growing requirements of cites. One way for cities to generate additional funds is Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). The Smart Cities Mission has placed significant emphasis on the PPP model encouraging the private sector to mobilize capital, technology and...Read more
Improving Traffic Signal Operations in India
Sector: Sustainable Transport Undertaken By : IBI Consultancy India Private Limited Recent Publication: 2016Signalised road intersections in Indian cities are hotspots of vehicular emissions and poor air quality as inappropriate signal timing cycles increase delays and vehicle idling at intersections. Improving efficiency of traffic signals to handle traffic can reduce vehicular emissions at signalised intersections by 20-30% in most situations.
Analysing the Role of Intermediate Public Transport in Kolkata
Sector: Sustainable Transport Undertaken By : Centre for Policy Research Recent Publication: 2015The limited reach of public transport systems in cities has led to the emergence of informal privatised services such as the Intermediate Public Transport (IPT). These services provide shared transport services along predetermined routes through modes like three wheeled auto-rickshaws. In Kolkata, IPT modes have been mainstreamed into the...Read more
Public Bicycle Sharing Schemes in Delhi
Sector: Sustainable Transport Undertaken By : Centre for Green Mobility Recent Publication: 2015Non-motorized transport modes such as walking and cycling provide first and last mile connectivity to and from public transit systems. But given the lack of good NMT infrastructure, people avoid public transport and instead prefer to use private vehicles. It is here that Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) systems can serve as an alternative for...Read more
Promoting Integrated Land Use-Transport Planning
Sector: Sustainable Transport Undertaken By : Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) Recent Publication: 2015Land use policies and development control regulations adopted by a city have a significant impact on its mobility patterns. Development plans that limit population densities within city boundaries by imposing limits on built up areas, cause city to sprawl to accommodate the land requirements of a rapidly growing city population.