Author:

Keywords:

Transport Geograpfy, Transport Technology, Peri-Urbanity, Urban Planning, Public Transport

Abstract:

Innovation in public transport is not always a matter of technological advancement. Exemplified by recent Metro Cable systems in Latin America, aligning technological characteristics of a system to the spatial conditions of context can lead to important innovations - in this case: a transport mode originally developed for ski resorts connects the barrios into the urban transport system. As a re-interpretation of existing technology, it shows how the technological characteristics of transport modes are in favor of, or likewise counterproductive for, the context in which they are applied. Throughout Western Europe, new public transport connections are developed to link the peri-urban landscape by public transport. Although well-connected by car, these regions are often isolated in terms of public transport. Classic transport modes from 19th and 20th century, such as tram, train and bus have become unfit to provide efficient service in the sprawled city. New public transport projects aim to overcome this mismatch by re-thinking the 'classic' modes, adapting technology to create synergies with contextual characteristics. The contribution critically analyzes, through a number of international projects, how technological characteristics of public transport systems have been chosen to complement their context, in terms of infrastructure, land occupation, development patterns, network integration, density of stops, and location of centralities. This has resulted in a strategy of customization, leading to strong hybridization in public transport concepts, thus blurring the distinction between train, bus and tram. These tailor-made systems show that innovation in public transport is not only about technological advancement, but equally about technological adaptability.