Sustainable mobility and (de)integration of land use and transportation development in Russian cities

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the theme of coordinating transport policies and land-use regulation as a means of achieving sustainable development in Russian cities. Particular attention is paid to the concept of sustainable mobility, which emphasizes the importance of creating compact and functionally diverse urban spaces through smart land use policies focused on increasing the accessibility of population centers. The author emphasizes the importance of ensuring integrated planning and development in the areas of land use and transport for Russian cities, the planning structures of which bear traces of the Soviet period. The article examines in detail the regulatory framework for integrating transport planning and development with land use planning in Russian cities, including the existing system of territorial and transport planning documents. The author analyzes the master plans of the largest cities in Russia, presenting an overview of the plans' content and the experience of their implementation. The analysis indicates that transport planning in Russian cities is often carried out in isolation from land use planning, which leads to negative consequences for urban mobility. The population of most cities continues to face problems associated with the inability to harmonize urban development in the areas of transport and land use, including the growing mismatch between travel demand and transport services. The author offers recommendations for overcoming the identified discrepancies in the development of these two areas, including assessing the role of master plans in increasing the integration of planning in the fields of land use and transport. The need for an integrated approach to urban development planning, combining transport planning and land use regulation, is highlighted as a key factor in ensuring sustainable mobility and environmental balance in Russian cities.