Connecting (and transforming) the future of transportation: a brief and practical primer for implementing sustainable door-to-door transportation systems in communities and regions

Abstract

Recognizing that no single solution will save the day for transportation in this rapidly urbanizing and increasingly complex world, a groundswell of transportation innovation is arising worldwide. However these innovations are too rarely linked and optimized in a way that can provide a convenient, practical, affordable and sustainable door-to-door trip for the user. The next generation of urban transportation is about connecting transportation modes, services, and technologies, bringing diverse innovations together in ways that favour accessibility (meeting needs) over mobility (moving for the sake of moving), and that work significantly better for people, economies, and the planet. This brief white paper has been written in response to demand for a “New Mobility Primer” by project partners of the SMART initiative at the University of Michigan. Developed with the benefit of knowledge, experience, and new discoveries gained from these groundbreaking projects in cities around the world, it is a discussion document leading to a more comprehensive primer slated for completion and distribution in the autumn of 2010.