Friedrich List Faculty of Transport and Traffic Science, Chair of Transport Ecology CAN THE CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN TRANSPORT BE TRANSFERRED TO CITIES OF THE SOUTH? A CASE STUDY OF NAIROBI Thilo Becker 25.10.2012
Agenda Basic information about Nairobi Research question and methodology Results Excursus: Berlin Summary and recommendations
Nairobi the capital of Kenya Located at 1,600 m altitude Climate: cool summer weather and 900 mm of rain Domicile of international organizations 3.2 m inhabitants Settlement area: 25 X 25 km Typical population structure for developing countries Picture source: T. Becker; CIA Factbook
Transport system How people get from A to B? Modal share (2004) of inhabitants Others 0,2% Railway 0,4% Standard Buses 6,8% Walking 47,1% Matatu (Mini Buses) 29,0% Two-wheel Mode 1,2% Private Car/Taxi/Truck 15,3% Data source: JICA: The Study on Master Plan for Urban Transport in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (2006)
Research questions Do socially disadvantaged groups have difficulties to access needs? Can socially disadvantaged groups participate in planning process? Can disadvantaged groups live in a safe, healthy and sustainable environment?
Environmental Justice US-Environmental Protection Agency (2012): Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. [...] Fair treatment means that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies. [...]
Methodology In-depth interviews with professionals working in transport planning Topics covered: current transport development, role of stakeholders, obstacles and opportunities of NMT, social aspects, education and environmental justice 16 interviews at different hierarchy levels and institutions large variety of perspectives Literature analysis: academic + strategic plans, public relation documents and design plans Very little data available Results are combination of interviews and literature
Mode choice and social justice Lower social classes are recognized as nonmotorized transport users Modal split car use is 50 % in rich neighborhoods Modal split walking is 75 % in poor neighborhoods Poor people have limited travel choices Highest exposure to negative externalities of motorized transport Political message: road infrastructure improvements benefit everybody
Road safety No separate accident statistic for Nairobi available 3,000 fatalities in 2007 (1 m registered vehicles) 56 % of casualties are non-motorized users (Nairobi: 70 %?) Car/casualty-ratio 32 times higher than in Germany Subsistence of the families is endangered if members become accident victims Road safety itself is a topic, but action is still needed
Environmental pollution Poor data availability Fuel with sulfur content destroys catalytic converters High emissions of SO X, CO, HC and NO X Particulate matter measurements [Kinney 2011]: 50 129 µg/m³ (WHO guidelines: 25 µg/m³) Respiratory diseases for all who walk, work or trade along roads Role of noise? Environmental pollution plays very small role in perception of interviewees
Excursus: Berlin, Germany Picture source: Wikipedia
Source: T. Becker NMT in Nairobi / 12
Berlin, Germany: Environmental justice - Noise Source: T. Becker
Summary Environmental injustice exists! Even more than in Europe, USA,... The poor hardly have a travel choice The poor have to bare most of the negative transport effects Little data available, but strong indications for injustice Current road investments have little benefit to urban poor Road investments likely to worsen environmental situation
Recommendations Solutions are interior affairs Experience / knowledge sharing on best and worse practice examples Cycling and walking have great potentials low user costs and environmentally friendly Current development mostly favors cars Global assessment question: What is the benefit of the project with a fuel price of 10 $/liter? Picture source: Christian Schlosser, UN-Habitat Will Nairobi repeat the unsustainable development of industrial countries?
Thanks for the support In regards to content: Many helpful interviewees Financially: PROMOS-Program
Drivers education and behavior Driving behavior: offensive, dangerous and selfcentered Kenyan interviewee: 80 % of the Kenyans should not be on the road Driving schools exist, but have poor standard Rule enforcement is lacking Schools communicate car mobility as the goal of life NMT in Nairobi / 17
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