Smart mobility traffic solutions

A generational shift in urban mobility

by

Mahesh Kelkar
Ricardo Martins
Glynis Rodrigues

Deloitte-ThoughtLab Global City Survey

Visit the collection page to read more insights from the December 2022 Deloitte-ThoughtLab Global City Survey

The pandemic transformed mobility and transportation in cities globally. It highlighted challenges in the system, changed citizens’ expectations, travel preferences, and more. These new patterns provide an opportunity for cities to rethink their future transportation and mobility networks.

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Deloitte collaborated with ThoughtLab to survey 200 city leaders and 2,000 citizens globally to better understand how cities are becoming future-ready. The survey suggests that city leaders and citizens foresee considerable shifts in urban mobility and transportation. The survey shows that traffic congestion, inadequate infrastructure, and public transportation continue to stifle transportation in cities (figure 1).

The study dives deeper into the ways city leaders can rethink transportation and mobility by aligning their efforts with citizen expectations. To address the top challenge of traffic congestion, implementing strategies to manage traffic and enhancing the transportation experience for individuals will be critical. City leaders and citizens surveyed also suggest adopting more sustainable modes of transport as a top priority to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. City leaders are also working on expanding open spaces and infrastructure for walking and biking. These measures help move citizens from cars to other sustainable modes of transport and promote a healthier community overall. Finally, citizens also want local governments to do more to help them shift to electric modes of transportation by developing supporting electric vehicle infrastructure.

City leaders understand citizen expectations on mobility and transportation in urban areas. This shared understanding will be vital in the effort to reshape urban mobility for the future (figure 2).

The authors would like to thank Miguel Eiras Antunes for his thoughtful feedback on the draft.

Cover image by: Sonya Vasilieff

Deloitte’s Smart Cities and Urban Transformation

Through the Smart Cities & Urban Transformation practice, Deloitte has an ambition to improve citizens’ quality of life, solve key urban challenges, and positively contribute toward the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The initiative offers up-to-the-minute thinking on how cities can use advanced digital technologies to address such key issues as mobility, data, and sustainability. Drawing on our global reach and cross-sector experience, Deloitte translates a holistic vision of smart cities into actionable, concrete solutions that can enable a brighter urban future.