Urban transportation and traffic policies : the challenge of coexistence in developing countries.

When dealing with broad urban transportation issues, planners are faced with a multitude of aspects concerning land use, street capacity and function, transportation modes and regulations, and driver and pedestrian behaviour. In developing countries with a lack of proper agencies and trained personnel, along with conflicting institutional duties, these problems lead to a mix of policy decisions that are often unsatisfactory. This article explores how urban transportation problems can be dealt with by combining 3 forms of intervention: urban planning, transportation planning, and traffic management. Specific conditions of developing countries are stressed (fragile institutional arrangement, deep social differences) and both the strengths and limits of each sort of intervention are explored. Suggestions for beneficial coexistence are given. (A)