Sustainable Transportation – Smart Transport Systems, Road Network Dynamics and Traffic Planning

Dear Colleagues,

Extreme weather events and rising populations are straining the existing (and often inadequate) transportation infrastructure in cities around the world. Many of the transport infrastructure in Europe and the U.S. are at the end of their lifespan. This impacts human safety and weakens economies. Additional problems linked to climate variability are expected to increase the threat to transport infrastructure, urban settlements, and their natural and built environments. In this regard, the need for smart and sustainable alternatives for transportation is becoming immense. Sustainable transport planning, as a way toward an integrated, technology-led, and user- and environment-friendly system, is essential for effectively and adaptively addressing societal challenges, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.

Sustainable infrastructure development promotes resilient and smart transport systems that meet the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: (i) the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and (ii) the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs. In transforming the infrastructure development and transport planning to sustainable transport planning and infrastructure development, more than USD 50 trillion will be invested globally in new urban infrastructure and transport systems by the year 2030. However, with rapid urbanization and the growing needs for infrastructure, global cities face huge challenges to provide sustainable infrastructure and smart transport systems, such as connected autonomous vehicles (AVs). Some of the key benefits of connected AVs are the new opportunities to solve mobility and environmental problems, facilitating better mobility, allowing people with restricted access to public transport, posing new challenges in restructuring the transport infrastructures, potentially reducing traffic related accidents, and increasing mobility and reducing congestion. However, there are still significant barriers to integrating AVs into sustainable transport systems due to technical conditions, moral and ethical aspects, legal barriers, and privacy and cybersecurity challenges.

The objective of this Special Issue is to document research contributions in the field of sustainable infrastructure development and smart and sustainable transport planning to significantly contribute to overcoming the deficiencies of the current transport systems. In particular, we look for interdisciplinary contributions to sustainable infrastructure development and smart transport systems (including autonomous mobility) that are relevant for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Special Issue will also explore the significant benefits of adapting and connecting AVs to reduce time and costs, and establishing the research needs associated with the processing of the massive and complex data produced by such autonomous technologies.

Dr. Yonas Zewdu Ayele
Dr. Enrique Lopez Droguett
Guest Editors

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