Neighborhood Planning for Sustainable Transport

Indian cities are experiencing rapid urbanization as an effect of economic growth and industrialization. The urbanization process impacts the spatial distribution of land uses and travel demand created by the distribution of activities. Therefore it becomes imperative that the mobility of people and goods should be planned appropriately to minimize congestion and other environmental impacts on the cities. Mobility demand of people living in urban and metropolitan areas has continuously been growing due to the increasing socio-economic needs which lead to varied activities. Hence, people tend to use individual motorized transport modes in order to satisfy this ever-changing mobility demand. Mobility and accessibility are an integral component for planning and design of road transport infrastructure. Pedestrian traffic is most neglected road users while planning and designing the road transport infrastructure. In 1988 Indian Roads Congress (IRC) released the guidelines for pedestrian facilities (IRC: 103-1988) after getting the approval from the Highways Specifications and Standards Committee. The guidelines kept forward an argument that pedestrians are more vulnerable to being involved in accidents and it is imperative that adequate consideration should be given to their safety (IRC: 103-1988, 1989). It recommended that pedestrian facilities should be planned in an integrated manner to ensure a continuous pedestrian flow and an overall strategic plan should be made to ensure that. Another important recommendation by the guidelines was that the convenience of the pedestrian should be a paramount consideration; otherwise the facilities provided will not be fully used. This paper is an effort to look into the status of mobility pattern in Delhi's different kind of neighborhoods (Residential, Commercial, and Institutional) and give solution for their needs. Aim of the study is to give a mobility and accessibility plan for neighborhood according to sustainable transport to ensure safe & secure movement. This paper focuses on the understanding of urban mobility, and its issues related to economy, society and environment. The paper proposes a definition of sustainable urban transport by incorporating the mobility and accessibility needs of the people and goods, by emphasizing the relation and interdependence of land use and transportation system.