Public Transport for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Cities
As governments gathered at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) to review progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, UITP urged policymakers to place public transport at the heart of efforts to build more inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities.
More Public Transport, More Access
In a new joint UITP, ICLEI and UN Habitat publication released on the occasion of the HLPF, Housing, Public Transport, and Sustainable Cities: Delivering SDG 11.2, it warns that nearly 40% of the world’s urban population still lacks convenient access to public transport, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing cities with less than four years remaining to meet the 2030 Agenda.
Drawing on data from cities across 126 countries, the publication shows that access to public transport is not happening quickly enough to achieve universal access.
Beyond improving mobility, better transport networks increase access to housing, employment, healthcare and education while reducing emissions, congestion and social inequality.
“With just four years remaining until 2030, universal access remains a distant goal,” Abimbola Akinajo, CEO of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and UITP Vice President, stated at the HLPF, calling for accelerated investment in quality public transport infrastructure and services, integrated land-use planning and stronger governance.
The publication also reinforces UITP’s long-standing role in supporting implementation and monitoring of SDG 11.2, the global indicator measuring access to public transport.
Working closely with UN-Habitat, ICLEI and international partners, UITP helps cities and national governments strengthen data collection, reporting methodologies and technical capacity to better measure progress towards sustainable urban mobility.
The publication also looks beyond 2030, linking SDG 11 to the newly launched UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035). The Decade provides a unique opportunity to accelerate investment in integrated public transport systems beyond 2030 while ensuring that housing, land use and mobility policies are planned together.
Examples from UITP Members in Curitiba, Hong Kong, Casablanca and Medellín demonstrate how coordinated planning, transit-oriented development and innovative financing models can improve accessibility while creating more liveable cities.
Public Transport is Key to SDG 11
As delegates met in New York to assess global progress on sustainable urban development, public transport must be recognised not simply as a mobility service, but as an essential basic urban service for all for achieving SDG 11 and advancing the wider 2030 Agenda and the UN Decade.
In the Ministerial outcome of the HLPF, the role of public transport in SDG 11 was further confirmed, with a call for strengthening expand public transport with a special attention to those in vulnerable situations.
The outcomes give recognition that the benefits of public transport go beyond getting people from A to B, but really give better access to life’s necessities.
“The benefits of public transport extend far beyond mobility,” Abimbola Akinajo concluded at the HLPF, positioning accessible, high-quality public transport as a catalyst for social inclusion, economic opportunity and climate action for decades to come.”
