35 years ago, Mexico City was devastated by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake. The 1985 quake killed as many as 30,000 people, damaged 31 percent of the city’s buildings, and razed the homes of up to 700,000 people. Today, Mexico City is one of the most important economic hubs in the region, straddling both North and…
As the Impacts of Coronavirus Grow, Micromobility Fills in the Gaps At the time of this writing, COVID-19 is disrupting peoples’ daily lives in many ways, including restricting daily travel, from optional work-from-home arrangements to complete shutdowns. While the most common advice remains to limit travel, having reliable, affordable choices for that travel matters now…
Transport Solutions for the Air Quality Crisis Our cities are in the midst of an air quality crisis. According to the WHO, 80 percent of urban residents are breathing air that does not meet standards for health, with middle- and low-income nations suffering from the highest exposures. While air quality concerns are far from breaking…
Chennai, the birthplace of the Indian railway system, was also home to the nation’s first electric trams, in 1895. Unfortunately, politicians chose to end the service in the early 1950s, with the idea of building “modern” roads and bridges for cars. By 1985, Chennai, then known as Madras, had seen its car and motorcycle populations…
Cycling offers ample benefits to the daily commuter: light exercise, fresh air, and a low stress commute on two wheels. However, people may not even consider cycling as they view it as treacherous due to the many motorized vehicles traversing roads quickly alongside them. A lack of safe, comfortable cycling routes in many cities exacerbates…
On the Anniversary of ITDP’s 35th Year, Transport Matters will be publishing a series of articles about cities that ITDP has worked in, comparing them from 1985 and today. The article in full can be found in Sustainable Transport Magazine. 35 years ago, Buenos Aires, along with the surrounding country, was reeling in the aftermath…
New ITDP Report Helps Cities “Plug” E-bikes and E-scooters into their Transport Networks The report positions cities to take an active role in managing the use of e-bikes, e-scooters, and other electric micromobility modes, maximizing benefits and minimizing negative impacts. Within the past couple of years, cities have witnessed a proliferation of personal mobility devices:…
Transjakarta, the longest BRT in the world at 244 km, has, in the past few years, more than doubled their daily ridership to 950,000 people over the last few years. One of the reasons for its success is a well executed integration with other transportation cooperatives, expanding both reach and ridership. 15 years after the…
BostonBRT All Door Boarding Demonstration from ITDP on Vimeo. Allowing passengers to board a bus at any door (front, back, middle) and pre-pay are basic elements of BRT. These elements are also the foundation of good bus service. Boston embarked on demonstrating to riders how such improvements could dramatically change the daily commute with the…