Muhammad Irfan. Institutional Barriers to Sustainable Urban Transport in Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University Press. 2010. xxi+298 pages. Pak Rs 795. Hardbound.

The mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, recently hit the headlines with his incisive comment, “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” This quip defines how policymakers around the world should look at the issue of urban transport, or rather sustainable urban transport. Rapid economic growth in the postwar period and high urbanisation combined with a greater need for mobility have escalated problems of congestion, noise and air pollution, and road accidents, necessitating a focus on the sustainability of urban transport. Pakistan finds itself at the crossroads where it has to balance the increasing demand for mobility with environmental concerns. This book by Muhammad Irfan is an opportune contribution.