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Delivering sustainable urban mobility

A new ACOLA report shows that Australia's cities are not sustainable and a major rethink is required. The report Delivering Sustainable Urban Mobility warns that Australia is heading down the wrong path and a new approach to urban transport is needed that prioritises people rather than one particular mode of transport. Cars and trucks are choking Australian cities costing billions of dollars in traffic congestion, harming human health and adding to greenhouse gas emissions. Australia is one of the most urbanised nations in the world, with almost two thirds of the population concentrated in five metropolitan areas. Projected urban expansion, and the residential expectations of many Australians, are raising acute questions relating to the planning and provision of social, economic and physical infrastructure, with mobility and accessibility at the centre. The capacity for Australia to transition to affordable, reliable, low emission transport will underpin the future security of the mobility of people and goods. This report synthesizes cutting-edge research on alternatives which look at optimising the transport system for lower emissions within and between innovative urban infrastructures, and examines effective ways to counter the institutional and cultural obstacles to transformational change.

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