PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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Sustainable transport, then, can be defined as an attempt to reconcile, on the one hand,
the economic imperatives of growth, competitiveness and profit seeking which are
imposed upon producers of transport means, and, on the other hand, ecological values
and norms. In other words, sustainable transport aims at tackling the environmental
crisis without touching the economic strongholds of Western Society. (italics added)
Note that Baeten’s transport-specific definition is embedded in very critical
overall assessment of the meaning of Brundtland, which he credits with presenting a
solution for the economy-ecology paradox which essentially lets “mightly economic
monoliths” off the hook. His view of sustainable development is thus that of a deeply
contested concept: “The political and economic world elite eagerly reacted to the
optimistic, reconciling and harmonizing language of sustainable development that swept
aside the underlying contradictions of the environmental policy process” (p.72).
However, as we will see in more detail in later chapters, mainstream assessments
are less pessimistic.
When referring to transport, probably the best-known
comprehensive definitions for sustainability are provided by the Vancouver Principles of
Sustainable Transport. These principles were developed at the OECD Conference
“Towards Sustainable Transportation” in Vancouver in 1996. The problem statement
presented at the OECD conference in Vancouver stands in direct contrast to the WBCSD
approach of focusing on mobility. Transport experts in Vancouver formulated the issue
as follows (OECD 1996a):
Our current transportation system is not on a sustainable path. Our admirable
achievements in terms of mobility have come at some considerable environmental as
well as social and economic cost. The challenge now is to find ways of meeting our
transportation needs that are environmentally sound, socially equitable and
economically viable. Accessibility, not mobility, is the issue.
[Emphasis in the original.]
12 The WBCSD, now a coalition of 150 international companies, spearheaded the business community’s
response to the Rio Earth Summit. Chemical, automobile and oil multinationals such as Dupont, Ford,
General Motors, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and DaimlerChrysler are major supporters of the WBCSD.