Megacity Initiative Study - Coursework Example

Geography: Mega Initiative Study The of Shanghai is the commercial capital of China which doubles up as a cultural city given the rich cultural designs and architecture that the city boasts of. Shanghai is the home of one of the largest port city in the Asian Peninsula thus it is strategically located to be a commercial hub for the People’s Republic of China. The immense commercial activities that are conducted in the city have made it draw a lot of people making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Due to its commercial viability the city contributes a substantial amount of GDP to both the local authorities and the Chinese government in general. In line with Shanghai’s millennium development goals the city’s manager together with the governing committee came up with a declaration which came to be known as the Shanghai Declaration which was meant to transform the city into a modern class cosmopolitan city both commercially and culturally. As part of the declaration, the committee developed a sustainable urban transport system which sought to solve the transportation problems that the city encountered to ensure that the system is reliable for both business and tourism. Just like in any developing city, an elaborate transport system is crucial to stir economic growth. Thus the idea to revamp the transport system of Shanghai city was a noble idea and timely as it was to solve the myriad transportation problems that the city had encountered for long (Newman, & Matan, 2013). Issues and challenges Given the fact that Shanghai is one of the most densely populated city in China majority of the residents have acquired automobiles leading to a large of vehicles in the city. A recent survey that was conducted indicated that in every a thousand residents of the city they owned thirty thousand cars translating to three cars to every resident. Uncontrolled motorization is a serious issue which is impacting negatively on the elaborate urban transport initiative which seeks to improve the transportation system in the city (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). The large numbers of vehicles in the city translate to high levels of pollution that is occasioned by the fumes that are emitted by the cars. Thus, this in turn leads to emission of greenhouse gases which destroys the ozone layer hence leading to drastic climatic changes that pose negative effects on the city’s climatic conditions as well as the health of the inhabitants (Chen, & Technische Universiteit Delft, 2007). In addition, road safety is also a question of concern since as the number of automobile increases the safety of road users tends to be jeopardized and as a result road related accidents are expected to be more frequent. Mobility of the poor people who are residing in Shanghai is a factor that the new initiative is sought to tackle. The transport system that existed was designed in a manner that it only served the rich suburbs conveniently leaving the shanties that are occupied by the poor to be inaccessible to any transportation means (Yang, & Sung, 1996). The urban poor were often left with the option of utilizing non-motorized means of transport such as cycling and walking to reach their destination, since the transport system that existed did not serve all sectors of the city proportionately thus the disparity coming up (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). The areas that are occupied by the urban poor, which were privileged to be served by the transport system were prone to a varying transport pattern which made it inflexible for the users as it implemented chained transportation which required the user to connect a number of times before they can reach their destination. That notwithstanding the mobility needs of the elderly people and those people with disabilities was not taken care of by the system that existed before. These made them undergo a lot of hurdles whenever they were travelling as they could not find a convenient way of using the transport system which was in place. For instance, the buses did not have an allowance that would enable people with wheelchairs to board them (Yang, & Sung, 1996) conveniently. The uncontrolled motorization that existed with the previous system posed a serious danger to the energy security of the city. Since gasoline is a non-renewable source of energy the extravagant use of it by an unnecessary large fleet of vehicles would lead to depletion of the energy reserves thus posing a danger for the future of the city (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). Policies of sustainable urban transport system The sustainable transport system initiative seeks to implement policies to transform the transport system in Shanghai while overcoming the challenges the previous system encountered at the same time. The initiative implemented an elaborate public transport system which incorporated a mass transport system that ensured people were collectively ferried to their destinations instead of using individual means that contributed to traffic jams, pollution and extravagant use of energy resources (Yang, & Sung, 1996). The mass transport system included subways the largest subway in the world connects Guangzhou to Shanghai. Moreover, the system was supplemented with light trains and trumps to ferry people to short distances. Non- motorized transport was yet another policy that was established under the sustainable transport initiative (Chen, & Technische Universiteit Delft, 2007). Therefore, this policy provided for use of non-motorized means of transport to shorter distances to avoid the general impact of pollution that was caused by the fumes which are emitted to the atmosphere by motor vehicles (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). The road system was reconstructed to include bicycle lanes and racks where cyclist would use to connect conveniently to their destinations (Martin, 1996). Walking was also another mode of transport that this policy provided for in case of short distances and those involved do not feel like cycling they would walk to their destinations conveniently (Yang, & Sung, 1996). The new road system is well demarcated with pedestrians’ pavements that enable people to navigate them easily in a safe manner. Non-motorized transportation would also save on the use of renewable energy as people would embrace collective public transport. Further, travel demand management is another policy under the sustainable transport initiative that is aimed at reducing unnecessary travel to ensure the impact of emitted gases is reduced at the same time reducing the number vehicles on the roads thus minimizing traffic jams. Transport oriented development is another policy, which is solely aimed at ensuring efficient use of energy in the transport sector (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). This ensures the automobiles that are manufactured with techniques to consume less fuel to reduce the environmental impact that the emissions from the automobiles have on the environment. Finally, the initiative implements to avoid a shift in policy improvement. The policy entails avoiding all practices that jeopardized sustainable transportation, for instance, avoiding the use of personal vehicles for a more convenient public transport system (Chen, & Technische Universiteit Delft, 2007). Avoidance mainly serves to prevent the negative effects that unreliable transport techniques bring about. Shifting is moving from the old systems and embracing the new and elaborate transport system to ensure that sustainability in the transport sector benefits all the users. Improving involves taking the elaborate steps to move from the previous system to a more enhanced system which is sought to give better results (Yang, & Sung, 1996). Policy and measures for road safety Engineering is the premier policy for ensuring road safety it involves redeveloping of the road design to ensure they are constructed in a manner that the safety of road users is always guaranteed (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). The design is also done in a manner that ensures the vulnerable groups that are the elderly people and those who are disabled are protected whenever they are utilizing the roads. The roads have been clearly demarcated complete with road signs that ensure all the road safety rules are adhered to accordingly (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). Emergency response has been improved with emergency response teams been strategically located across the city to respond to any emergency cases in a timely manner. That notwithstanding the team have been educated ensuring the quality of services offered is of required standards. Road users are subjected to periodic civic education on road use to ensure they are well informed on how best to utilize the transport system to minimize cases of road accidents and related deaths. The initiative sets up a special team of traffic marshals who will be tasked with ensuring the traffic rules are enforced to the letter and anybody who is found of breaking the rules is punished accordingly (Chen, & Technische Universiteit Delft, 2007). Policy options for mobility of the urban poor and other disadvantaged social groups The previous transport system had unfavorably disadvantaged the urban poor and other disadvantaged groups like the disabled and the elderly (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). However the sustainable urban transport system seeks to resolve these challenges as it has implemented women only carriers in trains and buses to ensure women who are vulnerable in nature get comfortable accommodation in the public transport means as opposed in the previous system whereby they were not taken care of. The new initiative has also introduced a multi-time ticketing system whereby people can use one ticket to travel a number of destinations within a certain period (Morichi, & Acharya, 2013). This initiative seeks to provide a cheap travel alternative for the urban poor. Introduction of cross subsidies enables the poor to afford the cost of transport as their tickets are subsidized by those in high-income groups. Finally the initiative implements a universal access technique that ensure flexible transport system which penetrates to all parts of the city including the urban poor residence to ensure all city dwellers are equally served by the transport system (Chen, & Technische Universiteit Delft, 2007). Conclusion The sustainable transport system initiative that was implemented by the city of Shanghai is a noble idea which has indeed revolutionized the city both socially and commercially. Business transactions can now be conducted in a timely manner thus raising the commercial viability of the city. That notwithstanding the city through the implementation of the initiative has adopted a green strategy which is aimed at reducing environmental pollution by ensuring the city is free from environmental pollutants. Finally, the city residents have immensely benefited from the transport system since they have got subsidized transport cost thus reducing the cost of living. (Number of words 1740) References Chen, Y., & Technische Universiteit Delft. (2007). Shanghai Pudong: Urban development in an era of global-local interaction. Netherlands: IOS Press. International Conference of Chinese Transportation Professionals, Liu, R., Yang, D. Y., Lu, J., North America Chinese Overseas Transportation Association., Transportation & Development Institute (American Society of Civil Engineers), & Tong ji da xue (China). (2008). Plan, build, and manage transportation infrastructure in China: Proceedings of the seventh International Conference of Chinese Transportation Professionals (ICCTP) : May 21 and 22, 2007, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. Reston, Va: American Society of Civil Engineers. Martin, B. G. (1996). The Shanghai Green Gang: Politics and organized crime, 1919-1937. Berkeley: University of California Press. Morichi, S., & Acharya, S. R. (2013). Transport development in Asian megacities: A new perspective. Heidelberg: Springer. Newman, P., & Matan, A. (2013). Green urbanism in Asia: The emerging green tigers. Yang, R. W., & Sung, Y. W. (1996). Shanghai: Transformation and modernization under Chinas open policy. Hong Kong: Chinese University press. Read More