This module introduces to students transport systems in selected cities around the world. It addresses the co- evolution of land use and transport planning; assesses the health of travel mode share; and relates this to the overall performance of the city. This will involve investigation into the schemes and policies implemented in these cities for promoting sustainable transport including walking, cycling and public transport. Drawing from experiences in a range of cities the module attempts to identify the ingredients of a well-balanced travel mode share and evaluates the transferability of successful policies and schemes in some of the world’s celebrated cities.      

 By the end of the module students should be able to: 

• appreciate the differences in social, economic, political, cultural and planning contexts that often shape transport scene and performance;
• appreciate the ingredients of successful transport systems in cities famed for their sustainable transport systems;
• understand the scope for and limitations of policy transfer between different cities;
• understand the institutional and political barriers involved in different cities;
• critically appraise and report on the transport systems in different national contexts.  

The module will be delivered by lectures, seminars, and field study visits.

• Skills to apply principles of sustainable transport to a city context;
• Ability to critically compare and contrast different planning systems and transport performance;
• Ability to present a comparative study;
• Ability to produce a professional report on the basis of field study.

Group Presentation - Comparative transport planning: London and Paris (50%)

Individual Report - Comparative transport planning: London and Paris (50%)

• City case study: Freiburg and Copenhagen
• City case study: Curitiba and Bogota
• Logistics progress meeting for field visits
• City case study: Los Angeles
• City case study: Seoul
• City case study: Amsterdam
• City case study: Paris and London
• Schemes case study: Cross rail in London (Guest speaker from TfL)
• Pre-FSV workshop / Travel arrangements and briefing on field visits
• Post-FSV group presentations

Banister D (1994) Transport Planning in the UK, USA and Europe. 

Richmond J (2001) A whole system approach to evaluating urban transit investments.  Transport Reviews 21(2) 141-179. 

Cervero, R (1998) The transit metropolis: a global inquiry. Island Press: Washington DC. 

Dolowitz, D (2000) Policy Transfer and British Social Policy – Learning from the USA? Open University Press: Buckingham and Philadelphia.

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