Private motorised urban mobility in China’s large cities: the social causes of change and an agenda for future research

The growth of private motorised urban mobility has become a key issue in relation to environmental quality in China’s cities. This paper reports on a nationwide study of the changes in car use in the 2000s, conducted in eleven large cities. This may assist us in filling the gaps in our existing knowledge, which is based on individual city cases. It is apparent that China’s large cities are embracing a new era of the automobile at an unexpected speed and scale. However, at the same time, it seems that a ‘peak’ in car use has occurred in Shanghai and Beijing, as either the absolute number of VKT per capita has dropped or its growth has slowed in these cities. The changes in urban mobility are deeply affected by social and economic transition factors. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of the effects of increasing incomes and the growing middle class, changing lifestyles and the emerging consumer society, the appearance of the e-Society and an increasingly ageing society. In particular, the growing demand for car use by the younger generation (G2), women and elderly people for the purpose of social activity has become an important force behind the increase in overall VKT. The paper concludes with a discussion of current theoretical perspectives and the issues which should be addressed in future research on the social aspects of private motorised urban mobility in China.