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Books : The Transit Metropolis: A Global Inquiry

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by: Robert Cervero

 : The Transit Metropolis: A Global Inquiry

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 388.4
EAN: 9781559635912
ISBN: 1559635916
Label: Island Press
Manufacturer: Island Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 480
Publication Date: October 01, 1998
Publisher: Island Press
Studio: Island Press
Sales Rank: 383030




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Book Description:


Around the world, mass transit is struggling to compete with the private automobile, and in many places, its market share is rapidly eroding. Yet a number of metropolitan areas have in recent decades managed to mount cost-effective and resource-conserving transit services that provide respectable alternatives to car travel. What sets these places apart.

In this book, noted transportation expert Robert Cervero provides an on-the-ground look at more than a dozen mass transit success stories, introducing the concept of the "transit metropolis" - a region where a workable fit exists between transit services and urban form. The author has spent more than three years studying cities around the world, and he makes a compelling case that metropolitan areas of any size and with any growth pattern-from highly compact to widely dispersed-can develop successful mass transit systems.

Following an introductory chapter that frames his argument and outlines the main issues, Cervero describes and examines five different types of transit metropolises, with twelve in-depth case studies of cities that represent each type. He considers the key lessons of the case studies and debunks widely-held myths about transit and the city. In addition, he reviews the efforts underway in five North American cities to mount transit programs and discusses the factors working for and against their success. Cities profiled include Stockholm; Singapore; Tokyo; Ottawa; Zurich; Melbourne; Mexico City; Curitiba, Brazil; Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, British Columbia; and others.

The Transit Metropolis provides practical lessons on how North American cities can manage sprawl and haphazard highway development by creating successful mass transit systems. While many books discuss the need for a sustainable transportation system, few are able to present examples of successful systems and provide the methods and tools needed to create such a system. This book is a unique and invaluable resource for transportation planners and professionals, urban planners and designers, policymakers and students of planning and urban design.



Customer Reviews
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Land Use and Transit Dependency
This book is insightful in detailing the relationship between land use and transit services -- and views the relationship from several perpectives. Case study examples clarify the "transit first" and the "land use first" approaches to urban growth. The writing style is engaging and clear, accurate and helpful to understanding of the many factors involved in the transit/land use dichotomy.



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - inspiring and diverse
I've been very pleased with this book for its analysis of a variety of different city types and its recognition that different cities require different types of transit to really make public transit viable there. From Copenhagen's trains connecting downtown to densely populated "fingers" of growth to Ottawa's busways and Curitaba's extremely innovative and economic system, this book provides enough real life examples to see how transit can be tailored to fit any city, and vice versa.



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Exceptional
You can't say enough about this excellent survey of modern transit. Expect this book to inspire you!



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - paradigm shifter
I read this book a few years ago and it opened my eyes forever. Instead of moaning, "What will we do about all of these cars?" I have framed the question, "What the h. is wrong with the United States?" Prior to reading this book, I had only the faintest ideas about what democratic transit planning would look like on a large scale. The answer, Switzerland!

I was fascinated by the descriptions of actual, real life functioning public transportation in Singapore and Scandinavia. This ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Excellent book with broad scope.
Cervero does an excellent job presenting each case study and its lessons with regard to urban transportation. He studies cities from the United State, Europe, Asia, and Latin America which makes the book especially valuable. He introduces and explains different types and categories of urban transportation alternatives and their respective benefits and drawbacks. Excellent book, worth reading.



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