City Mobility Index

The Index is a collection of conscious choices based on a vision of what smart urban mobility should look like, with intermodal journeys, active transportation options (e.g. sidewalks and bike lanes), and public transit playing a prominent role.

The key findings were quite clear:

·         Some of the cities we looked at are centuries old, the product of countless choices made by political leaders, businesses, and residents over time. But the most successful ones have shown a remarkable ability to overcome their circumstances through new approaches.

·         Having multiple regulatory providers inhibits a smoothly functioning and integrated transportation system—and integration is key to success. Having multiple regulatory authorities and service providers also appears to be correlated with a lower ability or willingness to explore innovative solutions.

·         Our analysis—and many others’—reveals a number of deleterious consequences from overreliance on private autos: congestion, pollution, accidents, among others. Private cars can work well in some circumstances and are an important piece of the mobility landscape. Cities that rely heavily on personal vehicles should think through ways to optimize their use.

·         The role of culture is also much more important to the development of a transport system than we usually assume. A city’s mobility system will ultimately be shaped by its culture and “terroir” and have its own distinctive local flavor. Social attitudes toward public transportation or car culture could be particularly challenging for transportation planners.

·         London, Helsinki and Singapore get top marks for demonstrating how innovative solutions can create a better and more efficient movement of people and goods around a city via a great multi-modal transport system.