Technical Notes Transportation: Selected City-Level Indicators Adapted from “Urban Indicators Tool Kit Guide”, available on-line at http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/guo_guide.asp. Data are provided by the Global Urban Indicators database of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). UN-HABITAT is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The Global Urban Indicators database was developed to measure progress in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and on Resolutions 15/6 and 17/1 of the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements, also known as UNCHS (Habitat). VARIABLE DEFINITIONS: Urban Population is the total number of people living within city limits. For city level data, the standard area of reference is the urban agglomeration. When data for the Urban Agglomeration is not available, data for the Metropolitan Area is used. These instances should be indicated by an accompanying footnote. Urban Agglomeration is the built-up or densely populated area containing the city proper; suburbs, and continuously settled commuter areas. It may be smaller or larger than the metropolitan area. Metropolitan Area is the set of formal local government areas which are normally taken to comprise the urban area as a whole and its primary commuter areas. Annual Population Growth is the average percent growth rate each year of population in the urban agglomeration (or metropolitan area, where indicated by a footnote). Transport Modes to Work is the percentage of work trips undertaken by private car; train, tram; bus or minibus; motorcycle, bicycle, foot, or other modes. When several modes of transport are used for a given trip, the following hierarchy is employed to determine the principal mode: (1) train; (2) tram or ferry; (3) bus or minibus; (4) car; (5) taxi or motorcycle; (6) bicycle or other non-motorized modes. Effective and environmentally friendly transportation systems are revealed in part through measures of different travel modes used for work trips. Ideally, transportation systems should support an adequate and balanced mix of modes for the several uses required of it. While, at present, private motorized transport has become the major mode in cities, public transport and non-motorized modes of transport offer an affordable, efficient, and energy saving alternative. Travel Time to Work is the average time in minutes for a one-way work trip. This value represents an average over all modes of transport. Travel time is one of the key performance measures of transportation systems. Long transport times to work are associated with severe traffic congestion, uncontrolled management, accidents, and the general dissatisfaction of the commuting population. Unemployment is the average proportion of unemployed men and women during the year, as a fraction of the formal workforce. Unemployed persons are defined as those individuals without work, who are currently available for work and have sought it in a recent past period. Lack of access to transport is experienced disproportionately by people with low socio-economic status. Cities whose transport systems are designed to meet the needs of private vehicles owners tend to place the poor at a disadvantage. Those unable to afford cars often suffer from limited access to jobs, education, hospitals, and other facilities. Civil Society Involvement in Road/Highway Projects denotes whether a city involves civil society in a formal participatory process prior to the proposal of new major roads and highways. Citizen participation in government decision-making processes plays an important role in democracy and self-determination. Reliable participatory mechanisms enable governments to better monitor citizen needs, maintain a watchful eye over operations, and represent the wishes of the citizenry. METHODOLOGY: The data collection process for these indicators operated under various modes:  * Voluntary participation of Local Urban Observatories and other city-based institutions, upon invitation of UNCHS (Habitat) * Consultants hired by UNCHS (Habitat), usually recommended by the local government * Regional consulting organizations funded by UNCHS (Habitat) to locate cities, hire local consultants and assemble the data. Local consultants or focal points collect and compile the data, using published data where available. In addition to documenting results and providing supplementary reports, consultants are also responsible for making corrections to their data when necessary. In these cases, they are required to fully document their methods and explain divergences with other sources. No new surveys were initiated to collect this information; data are often obtained from existing household and transport surveys. For areas which require more detailed surveys or lack published data, an estimated or “educated guess” from a group of expert observers in the field is sought. Whether UNCHS or a consultant’s own methodology is used, both the sources and methodology used to arrive at the final estimates are fully documented. FREQUENCY OF UPDATE BY DATA PROVIDERS: UNHabitat: The Global Urban Indicators Database contains city-level data for various urban areas worldwide for the years 1993 and 1998. The United Nations Commission on Human Settlements, also known as UNCHS (Habitat), developed the database’s indicator system to measure progress in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, as well as to measure performances and trends in selected key areas such as social and economic development, governance, and environmental management. DATA RELIABILITY AND CAUTIONARY NOTES: Data compiled in the Global Urban Indicators Database are considered the best and latest available, and have been corrected when necessary. However, some results need to be taken with caution. As a general rule, approximate results are offered over no result. UNCHS (Habitat) chooses to include these estimates, because data which might be insufficiently accurate for a detailed study of a single indicator, or for examining short-term variations in a single indicator, may still be accurate enough for sector-wide evaluations. As a result, data may not represent official views of governments when collected by individual consultants. They may also conflict with other expert opinions available in the issues addressed. SOURCES: United Nations Human Settlements Program, 2001. The Global Urban Indicators Database. New York: United Nations. Available online at: http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/guo_indicators.asp.