? 24 – 28 August 2020
Virtual meeting
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on transport and human mobility. Almost overnight, both the systems of transport and our assumptions of modern mobility – of its availability, and accessibility – vanished. Cities, states, and countries went into quarantine lockdowns to slow the transmission of the virus. Trains ceased to run, planes ceased to fly, and the streets were emptied of all users.
Months later, much of the world is exiting the most stringent lockdowns and entering into a “new normal” of face masks, social distancing, and new transport challenges. The pandemic’s effects have hammered the transport sector and the economy built around it. Public transport in many areas has been severely limited, making urban mobility all the more difficult. Commercial air travel is operating only a fraction of its routes, and in the absence of travelers, the tourism sector is facing an uncertain future. Governments worked hard to ensure that logistics and freight were protected to ensure the flow of essential goods, but even these sectors see difficult times ahead.
But conversely, the lockdowns also created new opportunities – streets were reclaimed by pedestrians and nonmotorized transport users. Urban dwellers experienced unprecedented clean air and clear skies in the absence of motor vehicle pollution. Very briefly, a new way of living in the city emerged.
Given these issues, ADB is going online to discuss the new future of the transport sector.
From 24 to 28 August 2020, ADB will be hosting a series of webinars which will bring together the expert community to discuss how they expect mobility to work in the time after the pandemic.
Objectives:
- Provide an opportunity for representatives of the Asian transport expert community to develop a greater understanding on key transport issues in the new normal, including but not limited to: changes in urban transport, the cross sectoral impact of limited transport, building resilience to future crises in transport, and environmental aspects to transport.
- Allow those working on real-world sustainable transport solutions such as policy makers, thought leaders, and practitioners working in the transport sector to discuss their experiences during the pandemic and their views on the future to come.
- Engage discussions between ADB and its developing member countries and partners on the challenges and opportunities facing the transport sector as it seeks to rebuild after a major pandemic.
Original source: ADB
Published on 21 July 2020
