Sustainable urban transportation is an important factor that increases the competitiveness of cities. While an efficient transportation system ensures access to jobs, education and health services, in many cities it leads to health problems such as air pollution and noise. Traffic congestion causes people to waste their time, leading to economic losses. Automobile-centric urban transport systems based on fossil fuels consume enormous amounts of energy and significantly increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Road accidents have particularly negative impacts on vulnerable groups such as pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, millions of the urban poor are deprived of safe and efficient transport services, and those who cannot afford to own a car are left with inadequate public transport services and poor pedestrian infrastructure.
The approach to urban mobility in this report can be summarized as follows: We need to mobilize people, not vehicles! These 10 key principles are centered on sustainable transport solutions to make cities more livable. Launched by GIZ in 2013, they were updated in 2023 and enriched with modern research and experience. These principles have been developed to guide transport policies and support decision-making in cities in developed and developing countries. Each principle encourages cities to identify and implement strategies to make mobility more sustainable. This information is taken from GIZ’s report “Sustainable Urban Transport with 10 Principles”, updated in 2023.