Some small- and medium-sized Global South cities have unsustainable transport systems and no information to plan interventions in addition to having limited resources for data collection. This study proposes a method to understand Public Transport (PT) ridership in cities of these characteristics, based on previous studies and by analysing available indicators related to Manheim’s macro-variables, to identify their influence on the PT ridership. The method was applied in the city of Mexicali, Mexico. The results help to understand the causes of the low PT ridership and have implications for achieving sustainable urban mobility in the city. Findings reveal that mobility planning in Mexicali has been occurring without properly considering activity system related variables, so it is necessary to integrate urban and transport administration. Moreover, to increase PT demand in Mexicali, mobility strategies to discourage the use of private cars are necessary. The proposed method can be applied in other cities of the Global South with characteristics similar to the case study to understand the causes of PT ridership, so these can be considered by the agencies responsible for the planning of the city’s transportation system to promote a sustainable urban mobility.

Expanding the road network is inevitable due to the accelerated economic growth of countries. However, the development of road infrastructure has generated considerable concern among society, governments, and environmental organizations. This concern mainly stems from the significant environmental effects and the omission of the sustainability of materials associated with road construction. Current literature suggests Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a solution to address greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of road infrastructure. This research uses the PRISMA-SCR methodology to identify strategies to mitigate environmental impact during the life cycle stages of asphalt pavements and emission-generating activities. This study identifies the critical life cycle stages responsible for the largest amount of emissions, highlighting “material extraction and production” and “transportation” as key areas of intervention. The results demonstrate how the incorporation of recycled materials (RAPs) and warm mix asphalts (WMAs) can reduce between 15% and 45% of total emissions. It is concluded that it is possible to develop asphalt pavement construction projects with a sustainability perspective, allowing not only to identify opportunities to optimize construction processes but also to establish a reference framework for transportation agencies to integrate more sustainable practices, including the reduction of emissions, the responsible use of non-renewable resources and proper waste management.

El impacto de la red carretera federal en la calidad de vida de la población urbana y suburbana en las localidades de Baja California, México, se evalúa mediante un análisis de las condiciones de accesibilidad relativa y absoluta que presenta la red, así como de las intervenciones en materia de conservación carretera en una década. Asimismo, se miden los Índices de Marginación Urbana (imu) a una escala territorial denominada Área Geoestadística Básica (ageb), en una situación ex ante y ex post. Se observa que la prioridad ha sido intervenir sobre la red carretera primaria, y que en ciertas localidades de los cinco municipios de la entidad se requiere intervenir en la red alimentadora y secundaria. Se concluye que aquellas localidades con mayor accesibilidad a la red carretera son las que presentan los menores niveles de imu, principalmente aquellas que hacen intersección con una carretera con anchos de sección transversal más amplios.

In this research, an analysis of the socio-environmental vulnerability in the urban area of the border municipality of Tijuana, Baja California (BC), in Mexico is carried out with data from the year 2020. Currently, this municipality is the most populated in the country, housing a population of just over 1.9 million inhabitants, characterized by being a city in constant urban growth due to its geographical location and various social, cross-border and productive dynamics directed by industrial development. However, Tijuana presents territorial problems related to lack of urban planning, overpopulation, urban marginalization, topographic conditions, urban waste management, air quality and lack of infrastructure and basic services. The proposed methodology develops a socio-environmental vulnerability index (SEVI), based on the evaluation of critical or extreme demographic and urban aspects, including social, economic, environmental and physical variables of the territory with the support of the Geographic Information System (GIS). This index is composed of a total of 19 indicators related to education, health, employment, housing conditions, infrastructure, population settlement, industrial concentration and some factors regarding environmental quality, especially focused on the disposal of urban solid waste (USW) in clandestine sites, garbage collection service coverage and flood risk. This analysis allowed us to determine the groups most vulnerable to socio-environmental risks in 692 Basic Geostatistical Areas (AGEB, the acronym in Spanish) of nine city delegations. The results of the research highlight that 14.78% of the population is between a situation of high and very high socio-environmental vulnerability, representing just over 284,000 inhabitants. It is concluded that the use of GIS in spatial planning allows us to identify risk areas and thereby promote more sustainable measures to ensure the well-being of the population.

Historically, traditional transportation planning has promoted public policies focused on building and maintaining infrastructure for private cars to improve travel efficiency. This approach presents a significant challenge for cities in the Global South due to their unique socioeconomic conditions and urban development patterns. Dedicated public transport infrastructure can make better use of the road network by moving more people and reducing congestion. Beyond its environmental benefits, it also provides the population with greater accessibility, creating new development opportunities. This study uses Mexicali, Mexico, a medium-sized city with dispersed urban growth and a high dependence on cars, as a case study. The goal is to identify the relationship between the supply of public bus routes and actual work-related commuting patterns. The methodology considers that, given the scarcity of economic resources and prior studies in the Global South, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the spatial analysis of travel is a key tool for redesigning more inclusive and sustainable public transport systems. Specifically, this study utilized origin–destination survey data from 14 urban areas to assess modal coverage, work-related commuting patterns, and the spatial distribution of employment centres. The findings reveal a marked misalignment between the existing public transport network and the population’s travel needs, particularly in marginalized areas. Users face long travel times, multiple transfers, low service frequency, and limited connectivity to key employment areas. This configuration reinforces an exclusionary urban structure, with negative impacts on equity, modal efficiency, and sustainability. The study concludes that GIS-based spatial analysis generates sufficient evidence to redesign the public transport system and reorient urban mobility policy toward sustainability and social inclusion.