The Urban Transport and the Environment for the 21st Century Conferences have always included not only mainstream traffic research and case studies, but also less conventional approaches to traffic control in our cities. Each meeting has attracted lively debate often revolving around broad strategic issues which researchers feel should be pursued.
Featuring papers from the fifth conference in the series held in September 1999, this book reflects the major preoccupation with the environment, an area of investigation which, if anything, is set to increase still further. The volume contains the work of scientists from around the world, each bringing their own particular urban experiences to enrich the transportation debate, and papers are divided under the following headings: Environmental Aspects; Air Quality; Emissions; Urban Transport; Parking; Freight; Traffic Modelling; Location Planning; Cost Studies; Noise Pollution; and City Planning.
Collectively the contributions to Urban Transport V demonstrate that whatever policy may seem appropriate for any city or region, it is an inescapable fact that government at local, and ultimately at national level, will find no easy panacea to transport problems in their cities. At the same time, citizens are now actively demanding a healthier environment in which to live. The benefit of heavy infrastructure investment is not always easily quantifiable, but will be a compound of greater productivity, urban regeneration and greater social stability for all.