Decarbonizing urban transport in European cities: four cases show possibly high co-benefits
Open accessAbstract
Cities worldwide are increasingly becoming agents of climate change mitigation, while simultaneously aiming for other goals, such as improved accessibility and clean air.Based on stakeholder interviews and data analysis, we assess the current state of urban mobility in the four European cities of Barcelona, Malmö, Sofia and Freiburg.We then provide scenarios of increasingly ambitious policy packages, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from urban transport by up to 80% from 2010 to 2040.We find significant concurrent co-benefits in cleaner air, reduced noise ambience, fewer traffic-related injuries and deaths, more physical activity, less congestion and monetary fuel savings.Our scenarios suggest that non-motorized transport, especially bicycles, can occupy high modal shares, particularly in cities with less than 0.5 million inhabitants.We think that this kind of multi-criteria assessment of social costs and benefits is a useful complement to cost-benefit analysis of climate change mitigation measures.
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In many cases, cobenefits outweigh the mitigation benefits of specific GHG emission reduction strategies.
“In many cases, cobenefits outweigh the mitigation benefits of specific GHG emission reduction strategies.”
From Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being (2022) · cites this paper as [61]
Improved outdoor air quality in cities results from reduced private motorized mobility using combustion and diesel engines and from more active mobility, often associated with the more accessible environments of compact cities.
“it includes cobenefits from improved outdoor air quality in cities, resulting from reduced private motorized mobility using combustion and diesel engines, and from more active mobility 60,61 , often associated with the more accessible environments of compact cities 62”
From Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being (2022) · cites this paper as [61]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Creutzig, F., Mühlhoff, R., & Römer, J.
- Affiliations
- Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (DE)
- Technische Universität Berlin (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Creutzig, Felix
- Venue
- Environmental Research Letters
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Published
- 2012-12-01
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 044042
- ISSN
- 1748-9326 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2130883049
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 20.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- Environmental Research Letters (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- DepositOnce (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) (submittedVersion)
- Technische Universität Berlin – Universitätsbibliothek
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
- Social Sciences › Transportation › transportation and logistics systems
- Social Sciences › Transportation › Transportation Planning and Optimization
- Keywords
- greenhouse gas emissions reduction, co-benefits, active transport, cycling, air quality, noise pollution, road safety, physical activity, traffic congestion, fuel consumption reduction, climate change mitigation, European cities, Barcelona, Malmö, Sofia, Freiburg
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