Methodology to Assess Sustainable Mobility in LATAM Cities

As the first step toward implementing strategies to improve mobility in urban centers, governmental authorities must assess their present situation in order to identify the most effective actions that should be included in their short and long-term plans. However, there is not a well-established methodology to carry out such an assessment. The already existing ones are subjective, incomplete, costly, and hard to implement, especially for the case of Latin American (LATAM) countries. This paper proposes a comprehensive methodology to carry out this assessment. It uses recent advances in information technologies and includes the use of web map services, telematics data, and low-cost vehicle emission tests. As an example of application, a mobility assessment was carried out for Saltillo, a medium-sized city in northeastern Mexico, which is considered a typical city in LATAM countries. Results indicate that this methodology can be replicated at a low incremental cost and that it leads towards the identification of the most sustainable (economic, environmental, and social) actions that should be implemented in these cities considering their local circumstances.