Why Urban Transport Matters
World Bank Group “Value Added”
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World Bank Group investment is quite small compared to the overall volume of urban transport investment globally and growing need for improved policies, systems, services, and sectoral management and oversight in the face of rapid urbanization. Yet IEG case studies, stakeholder and counterpart interviews, and the literature review found indications that World Bank Group influence went beyond its investment projects.
The World Bank Group contributed to client countries and to global interactions on urban transport through (i) advanced knowledge and knowledge sharing, (ii) convening and mobilizing power and policy influence, and (iii) international operational expertise including environmental and social practices.
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More than half the people on earth now live in cities, and this share will grow to 60 percent by 2030. While cities function as powerful engines of economic growth and poverty alleviation, rapid urbanization is exerting pressure on all urban systems and services.
Mobility and accessibility are deteriorating in most cities because increasing motorization overwhelms the system, with negative effects on urban structure, health, and safety, and with serious implications for the welfare of the urban poor and the effective functioning of cities.
Urban transport can provide arteries for movement of people and goods for efficient, sustainable cities. It can connect the urban poor, women, and persons with disabilities to labor markets, public services, and markets. With planning and investment in public transit, integrated services and ticketing can improve its affordability and convenience so that the poor and disadvantaged can manage their often more complex travel. Well-managed urban transport can also help address congestion, pollution, safety, security, unplanned growth, and other critical concerns.