Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Transport Projects

Problems or even failure in transport
initiatives are more likely for projects set in the urban
areas of developing countries. Connecting a rural village to
an all-weather road or restoring a section of national
highway is usually straightforward. Costs are modest,
institutional issues limited, and the benefits obvious. In
contrast, urban transport is not a single mode governed by a
single agency but a collection of modes with varied
administrative boundaries and many private sector
stakeholders. Successful urban transport strategies reflect
an understanding of linkages among transport, land use, and
environmental factors. Working out the complex local
challenges requires social, political, and technical
capacities often in short supply in developing countries.
And even when a project manages to attain its physical
objectives, the civil and governmental capacity needed for
sustainability often remains underdeveloped. The
institutional frictions and gaps point to the elements of
the way forward on urban projects: thoroughly understand the
local context, then build broad public consensus around the
value of better transport and the value of institutional
arrangements to sustain it.