Global paradigms of sustainable urban mobility: Towards just transportation transitions

Source abstract

: The transition towards low-carbon and inclusive urban mobility has become increasingly important as cities seek to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions while addressing congestion, road safety, pollution and unequal access to mobility. This study systematically reviews sustainable urban mobility (SUM) research to examine the implementation of electrification, active mobility and mass transit, the barriers affecting their implementation, and their implications for just transportation transitions. The review synthesizes evidence from 75 peer-reviewed articles published between 2009 and 2024, complemented by relevant grey literature. Three dominant paradigms emerged: electrification of mobility, active mobility, and mass transit, particularly Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The findings indicate that the implementation of these pathways varies substantially across urban contexts, reflecting differences in infrastructure, financial capacity, institutional arrangements, governance, technological readiness and socioeconomic conditions. While electrification and active mobility are increasingly prominent in many higher-income contexts, mass transit remains an important transition pathway in many cities of the Global South, including African cities. Across contexts, however, implementation is constrained by recurring challenges, including financing limitations, infrastructure gaps, fragmented governance, policy inconsistency, technological constraints and behavioural barriers. The review demonstrates that sustainable mobility transitions cannot rely on the direct transfer of policy models but require adaptation to local institutional, spatial and socioeconomic conditions. It further highlights the importance of equity, accessibility, participatory governance and integration with broader urban and energy systems in achieving just transportation transitions. The study contributes a comparative synthesis of global mobility pathways, implementation barriers and justice considerations, providing policy-relevant insights for context-sensitive sustainable mobility transitions in rapidly urbanizing cities of the Global South.