Compact Cities Electrified: The Benefits of Small Vehicles

Wednesday 27 May 2026 | 10:00AM EST

As SUVs and other large vehicles dominate global sales, new research from ITDP and University of California-Davis (with support from the FIA Foundation) finds that limiting vehicle size growth, prioritizing mode shift, and electrifying transport systems offer cities a number of benefits. These strategies together can cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions, reduce traffic deaths, lower consumer and energy costs, and support more sustainable, zero-emission urban mobility systems.

Join ITDP for an overview of this first-of-its-kind study as we present key findings from our global and country-level analyses, diving into how growing vehicle sizes are impacting urban transport around the world, particularly in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States. We will also share why limiting vehicle size growth should be part of a comprehensive policy approach to building more compact, electrified cities for all.

Find the full report at ITDP.org/Publications.


 

Presenter

Jacob Mason Senior Director of Global Program, ITDP

Jacob manages data collection, reporting, and evaluation for ITDP globally. He specializes in strategic research that drives the conversation about sustainable transportation and development, assessing new technologies and identifying new, quantifiable ways of meeting program goals.

Jacob has been the lead researcher for many of ITDP’s most recognized publications, including the Bike Share Planning Guide, the BRT Standard, and A Global High Shift Cycling Scenario and Three Revolutions in Urban Transport, quantifying the multi-trillion-dollar savings in transportation costs and massive reductions in CO2 emissions possible through more sustainable urban transport. He also oversaw the production of ITDP’s People Near Transit report, which developed and measured an international metric for rapid transit coverage, which has since been adopted by city, national, and international governments.

Jacob has been responsible for data collection analysis—and, often, metric development—for ITDP projects worldwide, including a walkability study in five African cities and a BRT project in Nairobi, Kenya. Within the World Bank’s Sustainable Mobility for All program, Jacob co-chairs the Urban Access working group, which is developing sustainable urban transport indicators that are shared across multiple international institutions.

Jacob has a master’s in urban planning from McGill University (Montreal) and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Columbia University.

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