Exploring resource-efficient urban mobility for sustainable low emission solutions: A case study of Ile-de-France, France.

Abstract

Urban areas and their associated mobility stocks exert substantial environmental impacts, necessitating urgent mitigation efforts. However, prevailing research predominantly concentrates on operational requirements for urban mobility. Few stock studies have quantified the embodied environmental requirements of mobility stocks. This study quantified both the embodied and operational environmental requirements and examined the stock-flow-service indicators to offer a new perspective on options for low emissions on urban mobility. Focusing on the mobility dynamics of the Ile-de-France region and its three sub-regional zones from 2010 to 2018, our findings reveal a pronounced imbalance in the utilization of materials within different mobility modes (car, public transport, motorized two-wheelers, cycling, and pedestrian) across Paris, Petite Couronne, and Grande Couronne. Local disparities in the stock of mobility modes and their capacity to facilitate movement are evident, particularly when considering various service metrics (person-trip, person-travel time, and person-kilometer). Furthermore, the different patterns of service-flow-stock indicators among mobility modes are investigated to find their impacts on regional carbon emissions changes from 2010 to 2018. Stock turnover rate and service demand were the main drivers of embodied emissions of public transportation and cycling, while operational carbon intensity showed a major impact on car operational emissions. This study enriches our comprehension of the intricate interplay between resource utilization and the provision of people's mobility, thereby promoting sustainable mobility in the Ile-de-France region.