Connections Transport & ICT 96250 Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Transport Projects Career Reflections of Two World Bank Specialists Ajay Kumar and Sam Zimmerman1 65 Problems or even failure in transport initiatives are more likely for projects set in the urban areas of developing countries. Connecting a rural village to an all-weather road or restoring a section of national highway is usually straightforward. The number of countries in which Costs are modest, institutional issues limited, the World Bank supports urban and the benefits obvious. In contrast, urban transport solutions transport is not a single mode governed by a single agency but a collection of modes with varied administrative boundaries and many private sector stakeholders. Successful urban transport strategies reflect an understanding of linkages among transport, land use, and environmental factors. Working out the complex local challenges requires social, political, and technical capacities often in short supply in developing countries. And even when a project manages to attain its physical objectives, the civil and governmental capacity needed for sustainability often remains underdeveloped. The institutional frictions and gaps point to the elements of the way forward on urban projects: thoroughly understand the local context, then build broad public consensus around the value of better transport and the value of institutional arrangements to sustain it. What Makes Them So Difficult? tor—the large size of its workforce and the politi- cal strength of its patrons; weak governance; and Every World Bank team helping with an urban physical and social complexity. transport project has had a meeting with the coun- try’s Secretary or Minister of Transport. The meet- High Exposure ing often begins with the client asking, “Why are The concentration of economic, political, and media urban transport projects so difficult? Why have we power in a large urban area makes it a focus of any failed in the past? And how can you help us?” political agenda. In that environment, a significant local transport issue gets widely reported and sparks The difficulties of urban transport projects can be interest. The sensitivities are heightened by the en- summarized in four categories: high political and trenched nature of interests that have obtained rights news media exposure; the influence of the sec- to the operation of the area’s transport systems. Ajay Kumar, Lead Transport Economist, is retiring this year 1 after 20 years of work on transport projects at the World Power of the Status Quo Bank. Sam Zimmerman is a consultant and was an urban In the capital city of one developing country, for transport advisor at the World Bank until his retirement in example, 100,000 minibuses and 200,000 com- 2009. These comments are adapted from their recent pa- per “Lessons in Design and Implementation of World Bank mercial motorcycles provide direct employment to Urban Transport Projects: What Makes It So Difficult?” MARCH 2015 NOTE 09 more than 500,000 people. That numerical strength mobilize public opinion in the service of reform. It confers the power to combat transportation plans can even create champions. through organized action. In addition, ownership of vehicles and licenses gives many officials a financial The Case for Creating Broad Consensus interest in the informal transport sector or a political The gestation period of transport projects often goes interest through their ability to distribute patronage. beyond a political term. The support created by en- gaging diverse stakeholders in planning and design Weak Institutional Capacity can assure that project ownership goes beyond im- Typically the governments involved have little capac- mediate political interests and terms in office. ity to effectively plan, implement, and manage urban transport. Road projects proceed at cross purposes Creating popular support will never be easy. Urban with rapid transit plans. Attempts to remedy conges- transport reform means changing an industry that tion—the most visible impact of urbanization—will fa- supports as much as 20% of a city’s population and vor new roads instead of better traffic management. affords considerable opportunities for rent seeking. Instead of creating low-cost bus capacity or improv- To generate consensus, the project must build ing sidewalks, government will propose high-cost sys- capacity at the governmental level and it must tems (rail, ring roads, fly-overs) in the mistaken belief engage citizens. Building capacity enables govern- that it is the only way to ameliorate congestion. ment staff to become a project’s champions, de- fend it in internal discussions, and actually become Physical and Social Complexity change agents. It also enables them to properly Land problems and resettlement issues in high- inform the political leadership. density urban areas are well known. Moreover, a single project will usually impinge on multiple travel The citizens’ level should be engaged in numerous modes, stakeholders, goals, and agencies. Unless ways, such as by forming a citizen board; con- the project staff successfully develops approaches ducting regular public consultations; using social to each dimension, the project is unlikely to pro- marketing; and providing interactive social media duce the desired results. Nonetheless, overburden- to gain feedback. ing a single operation with a multitude of long-term goals is often a recipe for failure. Summary: Some Key Lessons Creating Political Will • Understand local politics and local conditions. Then look for the best fit in the local context, not A political champion, or broad “political will,” is best global practice. hard to find for projects whose benefits are spread • Pursue institutional coordination across space across a wide and unorganized section of the and functions. population. In this context, what would be the best • Consult and engage with the community. That approach to develop transformational projects with helps surface and balance diverse views in a cli- a long-term impact? mate of rational discourse. • Focus on fundamental needs. Walking and taking Engaging Citizens the bus are the dominant modes of travel in most People are affected by the location and use of of the World Bank’s client cities, especially for the transport even when they themselves are not users, poor and women, and improving those modes and hence they are highly sensitive to any changes should often be the first order of business. in the system or in the policies governing it. • Do not be carried away by “flavor of the month” agendas. That sensitivity is the key to creating political will. • Help build the public sector capacity for transit Demonstrating the value of the potential benefits planning and management. and nurturing an atmosphere of common good can Connections is a weekly series of knowledge notes from the World Bank Group’s Transport & Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Global Practice. Covering projects, experiences, and front-line developments, the series is produced by Nancy Vandycke, Shokraneh Minovi, and Adam Diehl and edited by Gregg Forte. The notes are available at http://www.worldbank.org/transport/connections MARCH 2015 NOTE 09