URBAN TRANSPORT PLANNING AS A GLOBAL ISSUE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Urban transport sustainable planning is considered to be a key issue in balancing the development of city infrastructure, local budgets and the interests of the society and business. The sustainability challenges make urban planning not only a regional but a global issue that must be considered on the nation-wide and international scale. The metropolitan areas around the world are seeking for the universal solutions when facing a similar set of problems: overstrained infrastructure, traffic control, congestion, ecology, demand for increased personal mobility, together with tight budgets and various social issues. In this situation, the international exchange of ideas and the development of integrated solutions can provide an essential basis for the development of innovative solutions. The transport planning executed by the transportation companies is known to be one-sided. Transportation system cannot be separated from the social, economic and political environment but very often the urban transport operators act from the point of view of pure economic efficiency and may overlook the interests of the society, such as providing equal mobility for all the passenger segments, compensating for the impacts on air, water resources, land, and biosystems. The article discusses the international practice in the field of sustainable urban planning and provides a set of solutions for public transport systems.