Valuing Sustainable Transport
The impact of the transport sector on the planet is huge, causing over 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions. As populations and cities grow, the world’s transport networks must expand and modernize to meet demand. Sustainable public transport can provide safe, accessible, efficient, and resilient mobility while minimizing carbon dioxide and other emissions. But, despite these benefits, sustainable transport infrastructure is not being developed at the scale needed to adapt to meet net-zero targets by 2050.
One of the barriers to sustainable mobility projects, such as public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling, is that return on investment is not sufficiently quantified and accounted for at critical points in the decision-making process. For example, improved health benefits from reduced air pollution, or the economic benefits from time saved must be factored into cost-benefit analyses to demonstrate the real value of sustainable transport.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) works with the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, which is rooted in systems thinking and uses tools like spatial, Excel-based, and system dynamic models to provide a more holistic understanding of the value of sustainable transport infrastructure, by weighing the environmental, economic, and social co-benefits of a project. These can be key instruments for helping investors, planners, and policy-makers make informed decisions for people and planet. This new webinar series aims to equip decision-makers working in transport with the knowledge and tools to better value the holistic benefits of sustainable transport options. Join us on Zoom this November for three-sessions on valuing sustainable transport.
1. Sustainable Transport Investment: a case study in Coimbatore, India
Thursday, November 16, 10:00–11:30 CET
In the first session, IISD will introduce the role that sustainable transport infrastructure can play in producing economic, social, and environmental benefits. IISD will take you, step-by-step, through SAVi methodology, which uses a combination of system dynamics, spatial modelling, climate data, and financial analysis to assess the environmental, social, and economic performance of infrastructure assets. IISD then look at this in focus through the lens of a case study of a non-motorized transport network in the city of Coimbatore, India.
2. Systems Thinking for Sustainable Transport Projects: a case study in Bandung, Indonesia
Tuesday, November 21, 10:00–11:30 CET
In the second session, IISD will delve deeper into systems thinking and systems dynamics. IISD will introduce causal loop diagrams and examine how the simulation and interpretation of a variety of scenarios can help assess sustainable transport infrastructure investment options. During this session, IISD will present a case study of a bus rapid transit system in Bandung, Indonesia.
3. Integrated Cost-Benefit Analysis for Transport Projects: a case study in Bogotá, Colombia
Thursday, November 23, 16:00–17:30 CET
In the final session, IISD will explore the added value of integrated valuations and cost-benefit analyses versus more traditional project costing approaches. IISD will also demonstrate how to identify key added benefits and avoided costs for sustainable transport projects and how this enables decision-makers to delve beneath the surface of a transport project, looking at the longer-term benefits throughout its life cycle. This will be illustrated by the case study of a mass-rapid transit system in Bogotá, Colombia.
| We hope to see you there! In the meantime, go to IISD website for more information on our work. |
