How connected is your city? Urban transport trends around the world

Cities in numbers: The densest cities can be the most efficient, lively and sustainable - but only if they boast effective management and design to minimise overcrowding and pollution

Cities exist to provide access to people, goods, services and information: the better and more efficient this access, the greater the social and economic benefits of urban living.

A defining characteristic of cities is therefore the degree to which accessibility is based on the physical proximity between origins (eg where people live) and destinations (eg where people work) or on transport solutions which can overcome spatial separation, and the degree to which these solutions involve private or public motorised transport. More compact and dense cities are typical examples of providing connections through greater proximity.