This document summarizes a workshop on public transit benefits presented by Todd Litman. The workshop discusses key concepts in transportation planning including how transportation system quality affects a city's livability and how improving public transit can provide economic, social and environmental benefits. It promotes evaluating transportation systems based on accessibility rather than just mobility. The document poses discussion questions about Istanbul's transportation goals and how public transit can help achieve them. It recommends publications on new transportation planning paradigms.

1. www.vtpi.org
Info@vtpi.org
250-360-1560
IETT Public Transit Benefits Workshop
1 Planning Principles
14
June
2015
Todd
Litman
Key Concepts
• Transportation
system
quality
significantly
affects
a
city’s
efficiency
and
quality
of
life.
• Improving
public
transit
services
can
provide
large
economic,
social
and
environmental
benefits.
• A
new
transportation
planning
paradigm
(how
transport
problems
are
defined
and
solutions
evaluated)
evaluates
transport
system
performance
based
on
accessibility
not
just
mobility,
and
so
recognizes
the
importance
of
walking
and
public
transit.
• Good
planning
should
be
comprehensive,
considering
diverse
goals
and
modes.
• Good
planning
starts
with
clear
definitions
of
problems,
goals
and
objectives.
Discussion Questions
• What
are
the
Istanbul’s
transport
problems
and
goals?
• Does
everybody
agree?
What
goals
face
debate.
• How
can
public
transit
help
achieve
the
Istanbul’s
overall
goals?
• What
other
organizations
and
professions
should
IETT
work
with
to
promote
public
transit
improvements.
• How
good
is
the
data
needed
for
planning
and
performance
evaluation?
What
more
is
needed?
Useful Publications
ADB
(2009),
Changing
Course:
A
New
Paradigm
for
Sustainable
Urban
Transport,
Asian
Development
Bank
(www.adb.org);
at
www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Paradigm-­‐Sustainable-­‐Urban-­‐
Transport/new-­‐paradigm-­‐transport.pdf.
GIZ
(2011),
Changing
Course
in
Urban
Transport-­‐
An
Illustrated
Guide,
Sustainable
Urban
Transport
Project
(www.sutp.org)
Asia
and
GIZ.
Gehl
Architects
(2010),
Our
Cities
Ourselves:
10
Principles
for
Transport
in
Urban
Life
(www.itdp.org);
at
www.itdp.org/documents/2010-­‐OurCitiesOurselves_Booklet.pdf.
JICA
(2011),
The
Research
on
Practical
Approach
for
Urban
Transport
Planning,
Japan
International
Cooperation
Agency
(www.jica.go.jp);
at
http://tinyurl.com/oy7bmhw.
Santhosh
Kodukula
(2011),
Raising
Automobile
Dependency:
How
to
Break
the
Trend?,
GIZ
Sustainable
Urban
Transport
Project
(www.sutp.org);
at
www.sutp.org/dn.php?file=TD-­‐RAD-­‐EN.pdf.
Todd
Litman
(2013),
“The
New
Transportation
Planning
Paradigm,”
ITE
Journal
(www.ite.org),
Vol.
83,
June,
pp.
20-­‐28;
at
www.vtpi.org/paradigm.pdf.
Todd
Litman
(2013),
Toward
More
Comprehensive
and
Multi-­‐modal
Transport
Evaluation,
JOURNEYS,
September
2013,
pp.
50-­‐58;
at
www.vtpi.org/comp_evaluation.pdf.