Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
1
Executive Summary
WYG and Fimotions were commissioned by COMCEC to carry out this study on Urban Transport in
OIC Megacities in order analyse the latest trends in OIC megacities, identify the common challenges
these cities are facing and provide insights and suggestions for future policy actions. The ultimate aim
of the study is to trigger a serious debate among OIC member countries on urban transport related
issues and how to address these efficiently.
Today more than half of the world’s population lives in cities and this figure is expected to reach 75%
by 2050. Not surprisingly, rapid urbanization is one of the most pressing global issues. At the moment
there are 28megacities in the world, of which six are Islamic. These six cities are Cairo, Dhaka, Karachi,
Istanbul, Lagos, and Jakarta. These six cities, along with Tehran, (which is considered as a megacity
based on the population of its wider metropolitan area), are examined thoroughly in this report. The
Islamic megacities share both differences and similarities, in terms of their size, geographic location,
political and economic status and economic development. The cities are divided into three groups:
the Asian group, the Arab group, and the African group. All megacities share common transport and
transport related issues and all suffer from extreme congestion conditions. In addition, they are faced
with serious environmental problems and low levels of liveability in the urban environment,
particularly in the central areas. All Islamic megacities have made efforts and received help to carry
out reforms and improvements in their transport systems. The levels of success also varies across
cities, as well as the level of their organizational and institutional capacity to manage their transport
networks and urban development.
The literature review conducted for this project was based on a framework of 10 subject areas, in
order to better understand the lessons learned from the best practices and also the mistakes of the
developed world megacities, and at the same time to identify the most pressing problems faced by the
developed world megacities. The ten areas of the framework, which was used as a basis for the entire
report, are: transport network and land use planning, mode availability and shares, freight and
servicing, road safety, institutions and organizational structure, urban infrastructure financing, health,
climate change, social exclusion, and human dimension. An in-depth investigation of the different
aspects of each area was given for developed and developing world contexts.
In addition three case study site visits were conducted in Cairo, Jakarta and Dakar, for which a detailed
analysis of the findings is provided. Additional SWOT analyses were conducted for the remaining five
megacities of the Islamic world. The results from the literature review, the site visits and the SWOT
analyses are summarized in the last section of the report along with the recommendations for the
future.
The study concludes with concrete recommendations for the future of transport in OIC megacities. It
is stressed that an integrated approach is key for sustainable operations and that understanding the
interrelationships between the different areas analysed in the report is vital in order to develop
strategic plans for a megacity. It is suggested that the transport network needs to be coordinated with
urban transport infrastructure as well as integrated, in order not to cause fragmentation and disrupt
the quality of urban life. Land uses should be mixed as separation results in additional needs for trips,
which are necessary to be managed efficiently and effectively, particularly in cities of such large scale.
In addition, value capture mechanisms and transport oriented development are key in order for the
cities to be able to maximize the benefits derived from new infrastructure. At the same time, the focus
should shift from private motorized to mass public and non-motorized transport. This means that