Mobility is a complex feature of African cities, with people generally having to travel long distances between home, places of work and for recreation. We need to transition to sustainable modes of transport, completely rethink how we co-locate work, living and amenities in our cities, and drive action for inclusive approaches. This is urgent, given the climate crisis, structural inequalities of access and the need to avoid lock-in to unsustainable infrastructures and ways of living. The coronavirus pandemic, requiring transformation of our daily routine, has provided the opportunity to reimagine and realise the future of our urban mobility. Cities are at the forefront of driving positive change and are the catalysts for ensuring our African roads and spaces are accessible to all, safe, inclusive and climate friendly.
ICLEI Africa teamed up with its partners for the second edition of #AfricanMobilityMonth which ran from 18 September – 18 October 2020. This annual campaign is a call to action for relevant actors across the continent to share knowledge, experiences and ideas for people-centred, carbon neutral and resilient mobility. Through social media, stakeholders and partners engaged in dialogue, hosted virtual events, launched resources and spread general positivity for sustainable movement and transport of people, goods and services in African cities. The efforts of partners, including Open Streets Cape Town, ITDP, UNEP, UNHABITAT, GIZ, TUMI, WRI, Young Urbanists, and UCT, contributed to the successful implementation of the month-long campaign.
Aiming to unpack the ideas of Inclusive Mobility, a dedicated webinar discussion explored what inclusivity should mean in the context of planning for, and implementing, sustainable mobility and transport in African cities. A key underpinning was offered by Gail Jennings, who suggested that we need to shift our focus from performance indicators, to understand what people want to do with their lives, and how we can support this with greater access. Crystal Asige from the Open Institute reflected that as a person living with a disability, there is a need for universal design of our cities to ensure accessibility, independence and equal opportunities for all people regardless of their ability. Inclusive mobility systems must also consider the safety of both passengers and transport operators and the empowerment of women, as reflected by Naomi Mwaura of Flone Initiative. Cities across Africa have already started to plan and implement the integration of inclusivity into the transport processes, with Accra Metropolitan Assembly actively gathering data to inform and improve understanding of its mobility system and the potential interventions. The City of Tshwane are being proactive in their planning by involving stakeholders through comprehensive stakeholder engagement processes in the city’s planning process.
The uptake of inclusivity concepts in mobility and transport planning processes is promising and it is wonderful to see cities being proactive in their approaches. Campaigns, such as #AfricanMobilityMonth, provide valuable opportunities for sharing these approaches and finding further inspiration. It is also important to note that contexts and realities across the continent differ; although similarities do exist, cities’ demands and challenges are far ranging. Nevertheless, a strong entry-point for reimaging urban mobility systems is to plan for people, their needs and their aspirations. Revisit the recorded discussion here.
