The general mobility equation is used to demonstrate the causes, inherent in modern town-planning concepts, lying at the roots of the crisis in metropolitan area transport systems. An urban and metropolitan planning philosophy by areas of concentration, or "poles", is then proposed, the poles being of such size as to limit the traffic to pedestrians only. The system of poles, connected at their centers by a mass rapid transport system, creates the metropolitan area and gives rise to a territorial structure having equal mobility efficiencies, for analogous functions, over the whole metro area. The town-planning scheme proposed makes it possible to determine a priori, and to set as a design datum, mobility efficiencies and maximum interpole connection times. Japanese Ministry of Construction and OECD/Road Transport Research Programme held the seminar on "future road transport systems and infrastructures in urban areas" in Chiba, Japan on 4th - 6th june 1991 sponsored by the Japanese organizing committee.
Abstract