Changing mobilities in Asian cities

International audienceAsian countries have experienced tremendous changes in their mobility patterns in recent years. As economic development has allowed a rise in the standards of living of a god part of the population, the rate of motorzation has increased very quickly. At the sametime, cities populations continue to grow at a fast pace, and the spread of the urbanized area requires more and more to be able to travel on distances too long for walking or even bicycling. Given the high density of many central cities, and the concentration of economic activity, this had led to major problems of urban congestion and pollution. National and local governments have tried to solve some of the problems by investing heavily in major public transportation projects such as subways, elevated light-rail or monorail. A less costly approach has been the development of Bus Rapid Transit inspired by South American successful experiences. A the sam time, the automobile, and in some places the motorbike, have relegated the oncedominant bicycle into secondary streets, and the fabric of the city is now largely shaped bythe needs of the automobile. However, little attention has been given to the informal sector, often considered as a nuisance hindering more modern forms of transit throught he city, even if its provides many jobs for lesser-skilled workers and cheap transport for the poorer populations