Does Sustainable Transport Deliver Societal Value? Exploring Concepts, Methods, and Impacts with Case Studies

Abstract

Transportation is one of the main enablers of development. It connects communities, allows the trade of goods among territories, and provides equitable access to public services. However, it is also one of the main causes of climate change, impacting directly and indirectly on human health. This raises the need for transportation infrastructure to be more sustainable so that it can enable more sustainable development. This paper investigates how sustainability in the transport sector can be conceptualized, assessed, and implemented. Definitions are proposed, indicators identified, existing methods reviewed, and three case studies presented. The Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) method and resulting integrated simulation models are used to assess the multidimensional outcomes of conventional and sustainable transport investments. The cases of roads, public bicycle-sharing and bus rapid transport systems are discussed. These investments are assessed using an integrated cost–benefit analysis that goes beyond traditional assessments, considering the benefits and avoided costs of the externalities of a project in the social, environmental, and economic dimensions. The use of the method led to the conclusion that including externalities in a cost–benefit analysis is meaningful and can be relevant for assessing the economic viability of transport infrastructure projects.

Keywords

• sustainable transport
• sustainable development
• system dynamics
• social costs
• integrated assessments
• externalities