UNU-MERIT Working Papers Series

Political determinants of sustainable transport in Latin American cities

Carlos Cadena Gaitan #2012-072

This paper examines patterns within the broad trends towards sustainability in transport systems of Latin American cities. We provide an empirical characterization of the sustainability levels for several urban transport systems in this region, and use it as the base for comparing and contrasting the levels of engagement of each city with the principles of sustainability in transport. We perform this characterization by composing a ranking that rates transport sustainability as an aggregation of its three core dimensions: social, economic, and environmental. We present this ranking as the 'Green Transport Index for Latin American Cities'.

Keywords: green transport, sustainable transport, sustainability index, transport policy, Latin America.

JEL Classification: R40, R49

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