TENSE

Trends in City Expansion and Transport: the Non-Sustainability of Exurbia

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Cities are expanding outwards in an unsustainable fashion. Urban sprawl is a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly evident at the fringes of cities of the developed world. The transportation required to support such low-density extra-urban habitation requires vast energy consumption and produces very high level of greenhouse gas emissions. This level of transport consumption both for personal mobility and for freight movements (including urban deliveries) runs contrary to global and European policies regarding emissions and energy reduction.

The level of increase in overall transport movement in the exurbia of cities remains unknown. This project aims to fill in that gap and address policies that could mitigate its uncontrolled expansion.

Although there is a recognition of the growing pace and level of exurbanisation, there is dearth of information and hard data on the level of exurbanisation and the associated transport movement.

This project aims to fill that gap by not only providing up-to-date data on transport movements in the periphery of large cities but also demographic and transport trend data for four of the world’s major metropolises, London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. This data will be compared to available regional demographic and transport data in Europe. Furthermore using innovative techniques of backcasting that have been largely pioneered (extended and modified) for transportation at the Transport Studies Unit of Oxford University, it will be possible to relate this both to transport and regional planning policies.

An objective will be not only to publish innovative academic research but also involve the cities and regions in the understanding and promotion of more environmentally sustainable human urban habitats. Overall, the project will aim to reach out and involve city regions in the debate of sustainability and urban sprawl, providing both hard data and policy proposals.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Several negative environmental and public health outcomes are associated with the quick spread of cities into neighbouring regions. An EU initiative proposed solutions to unrestrained expansion.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The uncontrolled spread of urban development is leading to high levels of emissions and energy consumption. Mitigation strategies and policy measures are urgently needed to tackle this unsustainable growth. However, data is lacking regarding this intensification of mobility and transport in residential areas outside of cities. This is a necessary first step in dealing with the negative consequences of urban sprawl.

Thanks to EU funding, the 'Trends in city expansion and transport: The non-sustainability of exurbia' (TENSE) project examined demographic and transport trends in the outskirts of London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. Overall, the aims were to supply much-needed research on transport shifts and outward urban growth and to assess total transport energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It also addressed policies that could potentially slow unnecessary sprawl.

Project partners began by taking stock of the planning history and policy of regions outside London and New York suburbs in relation to their respective transport systems. Findings show that in New York cars are used to get around more often than in London.

A study was carried out to supply new data on population, employment, transport movement and car ownership in the four major cities. It also measured overall transport energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Results reveal that the per capita car use and emissions are more than double in London's urban fringe compared to its core. Similarly, the residential areas outside of New York are four times more dependent on cars than urban regions. All outcomes were then contrasted with existing regional demographic and transport data in Europe.

TENSE demonstrated that the four cities are in fact growing inward rather than outward, as was originally believed. Future legislation and measures aimed at setting emissions and energy reduction targets in Europe and around the world will need to take into account these contradictory outcomes. Transport and regional planning policies will also need to address the car as the predominant mode of transport.