URBAN MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES: A CASE STUDY IN KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

Abstract

— In recent decades, the rates of urbanization, motorization, population growth, and population density have increased. Congestion has detrimental effects on the efficiency of transportation, as well as on travel times, air pollution levels, and fuel consumption. Kabul is the most crowded city in Afghanistan. Unrestrained urbanization and motorization often lead to a socially, economically, and ecologically unsustainable urban land use and transportation system. In developing nations, urban mobility systems are quite diverse, taking into consideration their components in terms of transport modes and the development path associated with urban expansion. As a case study, this article examines Kabul, the most populated and economically significant city in Afghanistan. This study starts by doing a literature review on sustainable transportation systems to help the reader comprehend the link between sustainable development and transportation. The article then assesses the present transportation and infrastructure system, national transportation regulations, and urban transportation initiatives to see whether the current paradigm is shifting toward or away from sustainable mobility. Furthermore, the principles for sustainable urban transportation are designed to determine the importance that national transportation policies have given to urban transportation from the standpoint of sustainable transportation. Finally, I proposed several public transportation alternatives and strategies for Kabul city, the implementation of which may result in a more sustainable urban development and transportation system in the future.