ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 aims to incorporate the local context, mainly through fieldwork of both observational and questionnaire surveys, to refine and make specific recommendations of modified sustainable transport strategies for the three city clusters (A–C), which were primarily identified through the ten mobility drivers related to population, income, road infrastructure, total transport volume, vehicle fleet size, public transport, energy, government policies, general public affordability and road safety conditions. Cluster A is a group of 43 cities which are relatively small but extremely vibrant and are expected to have rapid urbanisation and economic transformation up to 2030. Cluster B consists of 31 cities which are closest to the ‘average’ and typical large cities in China now, as measured by the ten mobility drivers. These cities are already beginning to encounter many unsustainable transport problems that have faced developed countries in the last decade associated with the rapid expansion of road networks, motorisation and traffic fatalities, but many competing needs for limited government funding to foster a sustainable transport transition towards 2030. Cluster C refers to nine cities sharing common features of large high-density Asian metropolises, which are still having enormous growth potentials in population and income growth in the coming two decades. The scale and nature of these cities’ unsustainable transport challenges are almost unprecedented in history (mostly based on the western contexts with much lower population and land use densities) and are in need of extra academic research.
While the initial sustainable transport strategies for the three different city clusters discussed in the previous chapter (Chapter 6) are helpful in eliminating highly irrelevant measures, the success of any sustainable transport strategy depends critically on a good understanding of the local contexts. In order to have a better understanding of the local context of the three city clusters, Maoming, Changsha and Beijing were selected as case studies of City Clusters A, B and C respectively. Based on the local circumstances, further modifications are suggested.
