Transportation Systems and the Environment

Some aspects of the linkages between transportation systems and the environment, notably the emission of pollutants and energy consumption, may be summarized as follows:

• The structure of the network influences the spatial distribution of emissions. Centralized networks concentrate the traffic and emissions, but are using less energy. Dispersed networks may be perceived at the local scale as more environmental friendly, but are consuming much more energy.
• The traffic induces the level of emissions since it is related to the utilization level of a transport system.
• The mode impels the nature of emissions. For instance, different transport modes have different energy requirements and levels of efficiency. A transport system related to the usage of cars has different environmental problems than one related to public transit.