Methodology to Assess Sustainable Mobility in LATAM Cities

Abstract

As the first step toward implementing strategies to improve mobility in urban centers, governmental authorities must assess their present situation in order to identify the most effective actions that should be included in their short and long-term plans. However, there is not a well-established methodology to carry out such an assessment. The already existing ones are subjective, incomplete, costly, and hard to implement, especially for the case of Latin American (LATAM) countries. This paper proposes a comprehensive methodology to carry out this assessment. It uses recent advances in information technologies and includes the use of web map services, telematics data, and low-cost vehicle emission tests. As an example of application, a mobility assessment was carried out for Saltillo, a medium-sized city in northeastern Mexico, which is considered a typical city in LATAM countries. Results indicate that this methodology can be replicated at a low incremental cost and that it leads towards the identification of the most sustainable (economic, environmental, and social) actions that should be implemented in these cities considering their local circumstances.

The Role of Information Technology in Sustainable Urban Mobility Development

“…Group 05 -GIS (Geographic Information Systems), focuses on IT applications with a georeferencing focus, used for planning [138][139][140][141][142], public transportation route planning [143], stop sizing [144,145], and travel time analysis [146]. Group 06 -ICT presents studies that use the approach of Information and Communication Technology to qualify the management and planning of mobility and electric eets [147][148][149][150][151], creating information to facilitate travel decision-making [3,[152][153][154][155][156][157], incentives and promotion of multimodality [4-158-167], and improvements in passengers' relationship with public transportation through management resources [22,23,[168][169][170][171][172][173][174], planning [1,2,5,10,[175][176][177][178][179][180][181][182][183], and the integration of various distinct systems as a solution [184][185][186][187]…”

Assessment of Sustainable Mobility Initiatives Developed in Montevideo, Uruguay

“…In Colombia, Lyons [21] examined the effective implementation of sustainable mobility initiatives in Bogotá in order to reduce reliance on automobiles. Huertas et al [22] developed a methodology for assessing sustainable mobility from relevant factors in Latin American countries. The methodology incorporated technological tools and considered economic, environmental, and social aspects.…”