by Gavin Alford and Jeremy Whiteman
The implications of climate change and peak oil present major challenges for policy makers.These challenges will have an impact on transport costs, mode choice, volume of travel made and the attractiveness of using different transport technologies. They are also likely to influence the structure of our cities and how they function in the future. An important area of debate centres on the capacity of urban form (and investment in infrastructure) to influence mode choice, transport energy consumption and resultant greenhouse gas emissions. Many advocates in Australia and elsewhere have promoted the need to invest more in public transport as the means to positively influence the level of greenhouse gas emitted and transport energy consumed. In addition, arguments for higher urban densities, particularly at activity centres with good accessibility, have been based, in part, on its potential to increase
public transpot ridership and lower negative environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions.
The Victorian Government’s Department of Transport has been undertaking a broad program of work investigating the relationship between urban form, greenhouse gas emissions and transport energy outcomes. The work aims to improve the Department’s understanding of the relationship between the structure of the city and how this influences transport energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. From this may be developed a better understanding of the likely effects that changes in the energy sector will have on transport (including the impact of climate change).
One part of this work, detailed below, relates to the analysis of the potential relative impact of different transport infrastructure options, coupled with different land use development scenarios, on greenhouse gas emissions and transport energy outcomes. It seeks to inform our understanding of the long-term potential for different types of land use to positively influence emissions and energy outcomes if integrated with compatible transport infrastructure and service provision. Moreover, it will demonstrate how the use of analytical tools that highlight potential impacts of transport investments and land-use changes at the small spatial scale can help us better understand the implications for urban structure. The implications of climate change and peak oil present major challenges for policy makers. These challenges will have an impact on transport costs, mode choice, volume of travel made and the attractiveness of using different transport technologies. They are also likely to influence the structure of our cities and how they function in the future.
An important area of debate centres on the capacity of urban form (and investment in infrastructure) to influence mode choice, transport energy consumption and resultant greenhouse gas emissions. Many advocates in Australia and elsewhere have promoted the need to invest more in public transport as the means to positively influence the level of greenhouse gas emitted and transport energy consumed. In addition, arguments for higher urban densities, particularly at activity centres with good accessibility, have been based, in part, on its potential to increase public transport ridership and lower negative environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions.
The Victorian Government’s Department of Transport has been undertaking a broad program of work investigating the relationship between urban form, greenhouse gas emissions and transport energy outcomes. The work aims to improve the Department’s understanding of the relationship between the structure of the city and how this influences transport energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. From this may be developed a better understanding of the likely effects that changes in the energy sector will have on transport (including the impact of climate change).
One part of this work, detailed below, relates to the analysis of the potential relative impact of different transport infrastructure options, coupled with different land use development scenarios, on greenhouse gas emissions and transport energy outcomes. It seeks to inform our understanding of the long-term potential for different types of land use to positively influence emissions and energy outcomes if integrated with compatible transport infrastructure and service provision. Moreover, it will demonstrate how the use of analytical tools that highlight potential impacts of transport investments and land-use changes at the small spatial scale can help us better understand the implications for urban structure.
more about urban environment:
No comments:
Post a Comment