Transport Development in Asian Megacities

In recent decades, the Asian region is known as the region of fastest economic growth. The region is also characterized by a concomitant trend of rapid urbanization with concentration of urban population in large cities. In fact, rapid urbanization simply reflects the aspiration of people for economic prosperity and better quality of life with modern urban services. On the other hand, urban conurbations serve as the engines of economic growth providing opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, and both unskilled and skilled labors. In this sense, the urbanization trends as observed in Asian region is potentially a part of the virtuous cycle of growth and prosperity, which many developing countries in the region endeavor to trigger or sustain.

Prevailing urban transport system in megacities is a combined result of dynamic interaction of institutions; the society’s evolving need in mobility brought about by their changing physical, social, economic, and political environments; and the advancement in technology. The development of urban transport in different cities involved a process of modernization and adaptation. European and American cities, which followed similar patterns of urban transport development up to the early twentieth century, pursued quite different policy directions in the late twentieth century. Asian cities, on the other hand, followed a trend of adaptation in the past but gradually moved to locally adaptable systems.

Chapter 2 reviewed the historical evolution of urban transport technologies and system along with related theoretical concepts and practical measures. As noted, most of the concepts that provide conceptual underpinnings for practical policies in the urban transport field were influenced by the situation and problems in now developed western cities. Given the theoretical rigor and conceptual consistency, the concepts are universally acceptable. However, translating these into practical policy agenda for a city may require an examination of the local conditions. The basic characteristics of Asian megacities and the nature of urban transport problems seem to be different from those in megacities from other parts of the world. Without considering such typical characteristics, appropriate policies for sustainable transport development cannot be formulated, let alone effectively implemented. In this chapter, specialties of Asian megacities that are relevant for urban transport policies are first discussed, and implications for urban transport policies are drawn discussing key issues and challenges.

Urban transport system, which comprises many interconnected subsystems, is characterized by complexities. Some observers even described it as “a system of system” (e.g., see Kaijser 2005). The performance of urban transport depends upon the state and interactions of all related factors of these subsystems and other exogenous factors. However, changes in economic, demographic, and spatial aspects of the metropolitan area bring corresponding changes in the state of various system elements. Most importantly, the pattern of transport demand along with users preference changes over time (Mayer and Miller 2001). The multiple subsystems undergoing dynamic changes significantly increase the complexities of the urban transport system and, thereby, pose difficult challenges to the policymakers. Several policy paradoxes and dilemma are the norms rather than exceptions in the domain of urban transport policy. Understanding such complex and dynamic characteristics of urban transport system is essential to explore effective policy options particularly for developing Asian megacities. This would also help to overcome the apparent dichotomy of short-term versus long-term perspective, which often takes the center stage while debating important urban transport policies particularly in developing countries. The core arguments advanced in this chapter are based on the premise that the notion of short term versus long term is, in a way, false dichotomy and is basically the result of ignoring underlying currents of urban transport dynamics while setting policy strategies.

Rapid urbanization trend in Asian countries is accompanied by rising motorization. Motorization, as interpreted in terms of the degree of ownership and usage of motorized vehicle, is mostly concentrated in urban areas. The trend is more pronounced in megacities due to higher demand and affordability for private vehicles. The increasing urban population and vehicle numbers in Asian megacities have caused a range of problems, such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and unsustainable level of energy consumption. Growing popularity of motorcycles in some Asian megacities has accelerated motorization even at a lower level of income, magnifying the challenges. However, provision of road infrastructure in Asian megacities is far inadequate to satisfactorily serve the motorized traffic. As for the road investment, policymakers face the binding constraint of funding. There is also a risk of promoting motorization because of road expansion as is often pointed by road skeptics.

Public transport plays undisputable importance and role in Asian megacities: on its own rights as basic modes for the majority of users with minimum economic, social, and environmental cost. As discussed in Chap. 5, the strategic role for public transport is to complement policies targeted for better road traffic mobility. That is, public transport is indispensable to ensure smooth mobility of road traffic—interest of private mode. This is mainly due to the limited road infrastructure in Asian megacities for impending travel demand. This also makes the apparent dichotomy of private mode versus public mode disappear. As such, we need to explore for more effective framework that offers complementary role of both private and public modes.

Transport problems in megacities are usually rooted into the structural problem of regional disparity, that is, inappropriate city size distribution.

Asian megacities are known not only for their rapid economic growth but also for their rapid and large-scale urbanization. Due to their high concentration of population, economic activity, and motorization, megacities are primary contributors to both local and global environmental problems. The environmental problems in megacities are closely linked to the quality of life, which has direct implications for their competitiveness. The transport system in a megacity directly influences its ability to compete, and contributes to local and global environmental problems. Measures that govern urban transport should therefore be the cornerstone of the long-term development strategies for Asian megacities.

Previous chapters dealt with the key components of urban transport system, such as urban roads, public transport, land use, and so forth, focusing on issues and policy options for the Asian megacities. Addressing policy issues on these components certainly contributes to improving overall urban transport system. However, policy strategies designed to address issues on individual components may have only limited impacts. In particular, the special context of the Asian megacities calls for a more systemic and integrated approach to work out sustainable solutions to the urban transport problems. The concept of integrated urban transport as currently debated among both academic and policy communities may provide useful framework to take this challenge. Coordinated or integrated transport system has been remained one of the major transport policy agenda since long ago in developed countries. However, actual transport policy path has been often drifting away from the concept of integrated urban transport, and the concept itself has been subjected to many ups and downs (Scholler-Schwedes 2010).

Addressing urban transport issues and implementing policy measures recommended in previous chapters call for a provision of effective institutions including funding and financing mechanisms. As urban transport systems have some characteristics of public goods, role of public sector is significant particularly in investment and regulation. However, private sector’s role in recent year has been expanded and redefined. The performance of both public and private sectors depends upon the institutional framework in place. Urban transport in developing megacities suffers from the lack of effective institutional arrangements. The expanding boundary of functional metropolitan area covering a multitude of administrative units makes the task of urban governance and coordination much challenging. Further as urban transport activities are more capital intensive, adequate provision of funding and financing is prerequisite for the success of any well-designed plans and policy. However, funding and financing gaps have remained as a major barrier in implementing necessary policy measures.

As highlighted in the preceding chapters, there is a good stock of theoretical and empirical knowledge, which has been generated over time to address various urban transport problems. Important policy insights have been drawn out of this knowledge base, which are further translated into a wide range of practical policy measures. Despite the fact that most of these policy measures were first worked out to respond to the urban transport problems in developed cities, they are equally useful and potentially effective to address the transport problems in Asian megacities. Many developing Asian megacities have made concerted efforts to address emerging urban transport problems. However, urban transport condition in these megacities is continuously degrading. Now the question is: Where does the problem lie?