Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.3
Manila, Philippines. The city is now where most people live globally, and is the context where
the climate change problem needs to be resolved. Yet often transport infrastructure dominates
and acts against the quality of urban life. In some contexts, including in many Asian cities, highway
infrastructure has become very intrusive.
Figure 1.4
The Westway, London. In some contexts, urban highway building has been discredited and is no
longer the main transport investment option. But, in many cities, there is still a reliance on highway
infrastructure provision, and much less is spent on public transport, walking and cycling. Civilisation
has only recently - in relative historical terms - become highly mobile. The car has become a
common feature of everyday life since the 1950s and 1960s, almost a background to the background
(Thrift, 2004), with our urban areas designed around the use of the car. Although it might be
difficult to envision, perhaps we are only at the start of the modern era of travel. We are very
likely to see very different mobility patterns in future years.
