Session on "Moving More With Less: Promoting Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive UrbanTransport"
Opening Remarks by
Ursula Schaefer-Preuss
Vice-President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development
Asian Development Bank
2 May 2009
Bali, Indonesia
Thank you-distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen-for participating in today’s seminar on "Promoting Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Transport". I am happy to introduce this panel session.
The world faces many challenges in 2009 including a global economic crisis and climate change. The global economic crisis is affecting virtually every nation, bringing down GDP growth - from countries in the European Union to the newly emerging countries in our region. The global economic crisis is placing additional stress on our developing countries in effectively dealing with the imminent challenges of climate change that have risen to become one of the biggest issues facing mankind.
Global challenges like poverty and climate change can be seen as great dividers – exposing the degrees of separation between people who can afford to cope and people who cannot. But equally, they can bring distant communities together. Although it is the world’s poorest countries that face the greatest challenges, we live in an increasingly globalized world; we’re all in this together. Tackling poverty and climate change is a priority for us all.
ADB has accorded high priority to the role of transport as an important component of poverty reduction and economic development. Nearly a third of ADB lending is for transport projects. ADB's new transport philosophy is underpinned by the three pillars of ADB's long term strategy: Inclusive economic growth; Environmentally sustainable growth and Regional cooperation. It is clear that a paradigm shift is needed in transport operations where priorities are not only on roads, but also on urban transport, low-cost public transport, and on addressing safety and environmental issues.
ADB's future work on urban transport will require involvement with cities to deal with strategic urban transport issues and support public transport systems and non motorized transport that makes the most efficient use of the limited space and creates environments in which inhabitants want to live, work and play. Special attention must be given to the marginalized in society, ensuring that opportunities for employment, education and health are available to all.
The region's future economic growth and the fight against poverty are directly linked to our ability to address the complex problems facing cities across Asia and the Pacific. Cities in our region are plagued by a number of challenges. Rapid urbanisation coupled with an unprecedented growth in personal motorized transport poses a huge challenge for sustaining the economic vitality of many Asian cities. This has also resulted in reduced access to transport for the urban poor and other vulnerable groups.
Congestion, local pollution, traffic accidents, and noise are deteriorating the quality of life in many urban areas and it is the marginalized in society that suffer the most. The urban poor are the most exposed to the negative externalities of transport, living in areas with poor or no affordable transport services and often traveling by foot, thus being exposed to the health risks of local pollution and suffering the greatest from road accidents. These can be addressed by integrated actions that place efficient transport modes and land use planning at the forefront.
Unless urgent action is taken to ensure effective movement of people and goods, continued economic growth will suffer and along with it the ability of the growing number of urban poor to lift themselves out of poverty. A new paradigm is required in how urban mobility is visioned, planned and implemented. Traditional approaches to accommodate for the increase in private vehicles cannot be accommodated in the dense urban areas and mega cities of the region. It is time to give roads and urban spaces back to the people and to restrict the use of private vehicles. I believe that reducing the need to travel, shifting to less polluting modes, and improving existing modes are the three major starting points for developing sustainable urban transport.
In conclusion, Ladies and gentlemen, the challenges of urban transport across Asia are profound, numerous and complex. To meet them, we have to be innovative and imaginative. Let us discuss these possibilities with some of the world's leading experts and analyze how we can help solve the urban transport problems and create a better quality of life for all individuals. I would like to extend my personal appreciation to the audience, speakers, panelists, and most importantly our moderator, George Wehrfritz (Newsweek, Hong Kong Bureau Chief), for making this very interesting session possible.
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