Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
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3.3. Transport Network and Land Use Planning
The importance of coordination between land use and transport planning has been extensively
analysed in academic literature and research as a key to sustainable urban development. Given the
strong interrelationship between urban form and transport, the integration of land use and transport
planning represents a unique policy opportunity. On the one hand, the provision of transport
infrastructure plays a critical role in forming the long term shape and character of a city and any stage
of its development along with the citizens’ mobility patterns and modal choices. On the other hand,
land use planning and effective management of urban growth are essential to promoting compact and
sustainable urban development. A planning approach that engages both with existing flows and urban
form can contribute to identifying how best to sequence, coordinate and integrate various
infrastructure investments with land use development, which in turn will determine the city’s energy
efficiency, economic performance and competitiveness in the long term (Banister, 2008; Cervero,
2013; Gehl, 2010; Rode et al, 2014).
The transport network and land use patterns of the megacities in the developed and developing world
differ significantly, mainly as a result of their political and economic history. The cities of the
developed world have generally enjoyed longer periods of economic and political stability allowing
coordination between urban expansion and infrastructure but also the establishment of unsustainable
mobility patterns and an automobile culture. On the other hand, most megacities of the developing
world started to expand in terms of size and economic capabilities after 1950. Until 1950, 10 of the 15
largest cities were in the developed world. This number fell to 6 in 1990 and today only 3 cities are in
the developed world (UN, 2014b). While there are certain exceptions, rapid urbanization has resulted
in huge investment demand for infrastructure and other services which is beyond the capacity of
developing countries. In addition, the high urbanization rates are putting much strain on the
institutional capacity of these countries given that governance structures take some time to evolve
before they are able to deal with the consequences of such rapid growth (Newman and Kenworthy,
1996; Morichi, 2005).
3.3.1. Transport network and infrastructure
The type and scale of urban transport infrastructure critically determines the mobility patterns within
a city and is one of the most important factors affecting modal choice, especially in the long term. This
section provides an overview of the reasons that have led to the current form of urban transport
infrastructure for all modes in developed and developing countries and an overview of how the
current capacity can be managed and changed in order to achieve efficiency and sustainability in
urban mobility.
3.3.1.1. Transport network and infrastructure of megacities in developed countries
After World War II, most cities in the developed world adopted a “predict and provide” approach in
transport planning. Conventional transport analysis has been based on the premise that travel is a
cost and travel times should be as short as possible. The continuous provision of new infrastructure
to meet the projected traffic growth led to the occupation of large sections of the urban area by
highways, and the destruction natural environments and food producing areas. Although urban
growth inevitably leads to such results, roads have been built and widened as a measure to reduce
congestion, save fuel and reduce emissions. On the other hand, public and non-motorized transport
infrastructure has been widely neglected in a planning process optimized for automobile centred
mobility (Banister, 2008; Kenworthy, 2006).
Although part of the academic community argues that automobile oriented planning is deeply
embedded in urban governance structures), a shift towards sustainable transport infrastructure
planning is being observed in many cities around the world. To begin with, a growing amount of
evidence and research on persisting congestion in urban areas has shown that traffic can be induced
by additional infrastructure. Completely new trips that have never been predicted are generated when
new road facilities become available. In addition, the focus on travel time savings changes as new