Moving People, Moving Cities

This article examines the dependent relationship between cities and regions and public transit. Cities require public transit, and transit can only be successful when it is well-integrated into the urban fabric. The author suggests that the best solutions require strong political will and commitment, and that cities with good public transport systems can usually point to strong political leadership. The author also describes the importance of urban rail systems and the need for orbital suburb-to-suburb networks. Finally, the author describes how the most successful cities have found new sources of finance to support the investment in and operation of public transport. Two approaches are described: congestion pricing and levying revenues based on land values.