Framework for assessing sustainability of urban transport projects—Case of India

Abstract

<p>The majority of the population in million-plus cities of India, especially the lower- and middle-income groups, are largely dependent on public transport (PT), intermediate public transport (IPT), and non-motorized transport (NMT) for their mobility. There is a need to assess such urban transport projects with regard to their contribution to various developmental goals, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the context of the Paris Agreement of 2015 and the Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), independently as well as in their interactions with each other. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India published a checklist for project appraisal of urban transport projects in 2015. This viewpoint proposes to expand the existing checklist for assessing public transport projects, i.e., BRTS and city bus services, IPT sector, i.e., auto-rickshaw, E-rickshaw, cycle-rickshaw, and shared mobility like Uber and Ola, and NMT infrastructure, i.e., walkways and cycle infrastructure to include parameters related to climate change mitigation, relevant SDGs targets, and participatory governance.</p>