The Shift toward a Sustainable Urban Mobility through Decision Support Systems

Abstract

This chapter examines Decision support systems (DSS) are instrumental in the sustainable development of urban mobility, as they are useful to each decision maker to better predict, evaluate, and measure the impact of alternative solutions and to take informed and evidence-based decisions. It presents a number of DSSs explaining how sustainable mobility targets could be reached through these systems. The chapter highlights the transition toward a more sustainable mobility model not only comprises innovation at vehicle or infrastructure level, but also requires interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial expertise together with effective decision making support. When a DSS for sustainable urban mobility is properly integrated with different modeling and simulation techniques, it becomes an effective tool for so-called scientific urban management, which means managing urban complexity with a strong scientific approach. The DSS could also help local administrators in defining and optimizing urban mobility policies and traffic regulations based on the analysis of electric vehicle impacts on air quality and noise levels.