RECENTLY, urban and transportation planners in the Philippines attended an online seminar by Karel Martens, author of the book 'Transportation Justice' and one of the global thought leaders in the field. The title of his talk was 'Mainstreaming Equity and Justice in Transportation Planning.' His key message was that transportation planning that prioritizes the smooth flow of motor vehicles is ultimately ineffective and fundamentally unjust.

This planning framework benefits those fortunate to own a car and disadvantages large segments of the population who have limited accessibility. To improve our mobility environment, a fundamental change is needed in the way we do urban transportation planning.