APEC Transportation Youth Forum
June 20-24, 1997, Victoria, British Columbia (Canada)

Balancing economic, social and environmental issues in transportation planning

Youth at the APEC Transportation Youth Forum were given two main themes to discuss: "transportation planning" and "environmental issues related to transportation". However, the youth quickly decided that environmental (and social) issues should not be separated from transportation planning. They strongly emphasized a need to consider social, environmental and economic issues in transportation projects. The youth criticized current transportation planning as too often considering only economic costs. They recommended that transportation planners should incorporate how much a transportation project would "cost", environmentally and socially, into their planning. Environmental costs would include issues such as increases in pollution levels and the effects of constructing new transportation infrastructure on wildlife habitats and the ozone. Noise pollution, increased safety hazards, and health concerns would be examples of social costs.

The youth acknowledged that finding a balance between economic, social, and environmental issues is difficult. However, they argued that APEC economies can do a better job of working towards this balance. They recommended that APEC develop ways to evaluate social and environmental costs, and that member economies gradually begin to apply a system of "rewards" and "punishments" so that transportation planners will incorporate these costs into planning.

The youth also recognized that differences in values and interests between APEC member economies can make a balance between economic, social and environmental issues even harder to achieve. To address this problem, the youth recommended building stronger relationships, greater trust, and a common understanding between APEC economies . They identified the APEC process - and the APEC Youth Forum - as concrete opportunities in which these stronger relationships, trust and understanding can be developed.