ADB's recent research findings on the status of urban transport in the Asia region suggest: (i) too often, transportation plans were derived from transportation model black boxes and not from empirical evidence; (ii) transportation planning has been considered a task for the experts, and stakeholders exercised little influence; (iii) planners' core assumptions were unrealistic, they assumed that the future can be predicted, that funds are available, and that projects can be implemented, although the reality proved otherwise; and (iv) performance assessments are rarely conducted and outcomes of projects and policies are seldom evaluated to see if these were successful. Based on an analysis of what went wrong, ADB developed a new paradigm based on five core elements: (i) transportation policy is based on what works; (ii) land use planning is part of the solution; (iii) transportation demand is managed alongside supply, and projects are centered on traffic restraint and greater use of public transportation; and (iv) transportation plans and projects reflect a wider city vision or spatial strategy; and (v) policy effectiveness is demonstrated to a skeptical stakeholder community. Taken together, these elements comprise a fundamental change of direction for supporting and evaluating public transport projects in ADB. As a result, ADB's new paradigm for sustainable urban transportation offers the prospect of a much more effective management of the region's cities in the coming years.
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