We've never had a better understanding of how cities move, but turning that knowledge into smoother, cleaner and more equitable trips remains a challenge. The main obstacle to sustainable mobility may not be technological, but rather political and organizational.
Apps track buses in real time, sensors count cars and pedestrians and algorithms predict traffic jams. Advances in data-driven analytics even promise to let bus networks adjust service frequency to demand or to co-ordinate deliveries with fewer vehicles. And yet, getting across a city is often still a struggle: breakdowns, congestion, double-parked delivery vehicles blocking buses and cyclists, night shifts that end after the subway has stopped running.
Improving urban mobility without increasing emissions or deepening inequalities in access means making better use of existing data rather than building more infrastructure. One thing is becoming clear: mobility data is still underutilized. It can only transform how we get around if it's shareable, representative and actionable.
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