Urban Transportation in the 21st Century

Abstract

The form of urban transportation in the 21st century is seen in the changes presently taking place in power and control technology and in the demands that suburban growth and urban renewal will place on existing and future transportation facilities. It is posited that extremely high levels of demand will require the merging of private and mass transportation modes into hybrid systems of individual‐ and system‐controlled vehicles employing both internal combustion and electric propulsion as appropriate. To retain a leadership role in the coming urban transportation revolution, the civil engineer will need a combination of technical and managerial skills not typically found in today's graduates or practitioners. Universities, public agencies, and private consultancies—in essence, the profession as a whole—must begin to address this need now.