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Issue: Liveability of human settlements - Transport and accessibility

This is an issue under the Human settlements theme of the Data Reporting System.

Why we need to know about this issue

Liveability can be defined as the degree to which a human settlement provides a safe, inclusive and environmentally benign basis for the social and economic life of all its citizens. As the places where the majority of humans live, the liveability of human settlements is important in determining both the quality of life of the residents and the economic competitiveness of the settlement. Accessibility of transport within the settlement and between the settlements and other locations and the resultant time involved in travelling is an important aspect of quality of life for residents but is also a principal cause of pressure on both the settlement environment and the broader environment because of the use of fossil fuels in most forms of transportation.

Indicators

• HS-20 Journey to work modal split 
  Data on the modal split of journey to work assists in understanding the pattern of private and public transport use. This pattern depicts how accessible public transport is and how well public transport meets the need of commuters. This pattern is also related to the traffic congestion in inner city areas and to localised air pollution.
• HS-76 Vehicle kilometers travelled 
  Kilometres travelled is an indicator of the accessibility of work and services required by settlement residents.
• A-35 Projections of motor vehicle travel and pollutant emissions 
  Motor vehicle projections are an indicator of trends in the reliance of the community on motor vehicle transport.

Related issues

• Atmosphere - Climate variability and change- Greenhouse 
• Atmosphere - Air quality- Urban air quality 
• Human Settlements - External pressures on human settlements- Population growth and distribution 
• Human Settlements - Pressures created by human settlements on the environment- Urban form 
• Human Settlements - Pressures created by human settlements on the environment- Patterns of settlement