21/07/2026
Reducing emissions from mobility isn't just about cleaner vehicles – it's also about how we plan and build the infrastructure that connects us.
A new study by researchers from BOKU University and IIASA shows that the world's mobility infrastructure could double – or even triple – by 2060. The good news? Smarter urban planning, investment in public and active transport, cleaner material production, and greater circularity could reduce the infrastructure's embodied carbon emissions by up to 63% while still meeting growing mobility needs.
"Compact, transit-oriented, and walking- and cycling-friendly cities can deliver access to mobility with far less material and carbon than car-centric sprawl. Choices made now in rapidly urbanizing regions will lock in mobility patterns for decades due to the long service lives of infrastructure," says André Baumgart, lead author and PhD student at the Institute of Social Ecology Vienna, BOKU University.
The study builds on research initiated during IIASA's Young Scientists Summer Program ( ), highlighting how international collaboration can help tackle some of the world's most pressing sustainability challenges.
Read more 👉 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/jul-2026/smarter-mobility-infrastructure-for-lower-carbon-future
🌍 Learn more about the IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP): https://iiasa.ac.at/early-career/yssp
📷 Dmitriy Simakov | Dreamstime
