Keeping it Clean - Transport, Health and the Environment

Wednesday 25 May, 15.45: Hall 3

Session Outline

Session Summary

Are societal expectations for transport services, environmental quality and health incompatible? Much has been done to reduce pollutant emissions from new vehicles, but air pollution levels in cities have not reduced as much as expected. We generally have access to more jobs and opportunities through modern transport systems, but we rely less on walking and cycling, which could contribute to rising health problems. Society demands greater environmental quality, but our mobility decisions often run counter to this. Dense urban areas have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote active mobility, but many choose not to live there and our transport systems allow sprawl. This session will discuss these and other paradoxes and challenges that are posed by our mobility patterns. What is getting better, what is getting worse and is policy action required to change behaviours?

Are more speed, services and comfort in transport incompatible with a healthy and clean environment? If so, what are the trade-offs? If not, where are the synergies? Is transport making us more or less healthy? If the latter, what needs to change? Do measures to reduce environmental and health impacts from transport benefit all? Are there unintended social impacts and how might they be addressed? What can the next generation expect from the city of tomorrow? What actions are required today to offer healthy and clean urban transport in future?

Chair

Eva Molnar, Head of the Transport Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Panellists

Lawrence Burns, Professor, University of Michigan, USA Yasuo Hozaki, Executive Officer, West Nippon Expressway Company, Japan Kee Yeon Hwang, President, Korea Transport Institute, Korea Haixiao Pan, Professor, Tongji University, China Helle Søholt, Founding Partner and Managing Director, Gehl Architects, Denmark Jean-Francois Toussaint, Director, Institute for Biomedical Research and Sports Epidemiology, France

Staff Contacts

Philippe Crist and Véronique Feypell

Related Information Public Acceptability of Sustainable Transport Measures: A Review of the Literature Alison PRIDMORE & Apollonia MIOLA, European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability Discussion Paper No 2011-20, May 2011 Car Fleet Renewal Schemes: Environmental and Safety Impacts International Transport Forum-OECD-FIA Foundation-IEA-UNEP-GFEI Pedestrian Safety, Urban Space and Health. Summary Document International Transport Forum, May 2011   What Does Improved Fuel Economy Cost Consumers and What Does it Cost Taxpayers? Some illustrations Kurt VAN DENDER and Philippe CRIST, International Transport Forum Discussion Paper No 2011-16, April 2011 Implementing Sustainable Urban Travel Policies in China Prof. Pan Haixiao, Tongji University, Shanghai, China Discussion Paper No 2011-12, May 2011 Cycling Safety International Transport Forum/OECD-KOTI Seminar, Seoul, Korea, 7 April 2011 Green Growth and Transport Stephen PERKINS Discussion Paper No 2011-02, March 2011 Reducing Transport Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Country Data (2010) International Transport Forum/OECD, December 2010 Implementing Sustainable Urban Travel Policies. Moving Ahead: National Policies to Promote Cycling ECMT/OECD, Paris, 2004

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