Transport & Health

Back to all program areas

Urban mobility influences public safety and public health. Cities can improve residents’ health and safety by redesigning streets and public spaces, improving public transportation and prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists.

Urban mobility influences public safety and public health. Air pollution is a major environmental health problem that affects everyone in the world and contributes to 4.2 million deaths every year (WHO, 2019). Excessive dependence on conventionally-powered motor vehicles worsens the air quality, increasing the risk of respiratory illnesses.

Cities can improve residents’ health and safety by redesigning streets and public spaces, improving public transportation and prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists. Improved urban spaces and sustainable transportation options encourage an active lifestyle and reduce exposure to air pollution, resulting in health, environmental and economic benefits.

ICLEI’s key activities include:

We advise local and regional governments on strategies to address the public health and climate impacts of air pollution from motorized transportation.

ICLEI builds capacity across local governments to implement sustainable urban freight policies through urban freight emission assessment tools and pilot demonstration projects.

ICLEI helps cities to assess their mobility systems, identify priorities for improvement, and monitor progress with our EcoMobility SHIFT+ methodology. ICLEI encourages cities to undertake monitoring and assessment of safety conditions, air quality, and greenhouse gas emissions to evaluate progress and guide actions where they are needed most.

Cities on the move