Transportation 2021 is New Zealand's premier forum for the transportation and public space design, integrated planning, transport safety and transport engineering community. The Conference is intended to stimulate debate and provide problem-solving and thought-leadership amongst peers both within the transportation sector and related professions. The conference has been running for more than 40 years and is hosted annually throughout different regions in New Zealand. In May next year the conference returns to Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Auckland is a diverse and multicultural city with a population of over 1.6 million, is home to the second largest seaport in New Zealand and the main international gateway for visitors from abroad. The demand for transport in the city causes major congestion issues on a day to day basis. Reshaping transport is vital to elevate Auckland and other metropolitan areas in New Zealand to be more liveable and sustainable.

Scientific consensus tells us that the world is facing a significant environmental and climate challenge. In New Zealand, several local authorities declared a ‘climate emergency’ and have called for ambitious climate change mitigation measures. The transport sector is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and it will have to make changes to significantly reduce emissions to align with New Zealand’s goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050. Increasingly we recognise that we cannot achieve this working with old policies and practices that do not encourage change. To be effective, we need to act fast and adapt quickly to ensure targets are being met, have the difficult conversations, hold sectors accountable and see carbon emissions as an integrated system. One of the first steps on reducing carbon emissions in any sector is to understand how much we are emitting. Measurements and information are key to understanding any problem and assess performance. What we measure, how we measure it and who undertakes the measurement for how long, are just as important as how we reduce emissions. Information is key, not only to determine how we are tracking but can be used for public corporation of this global issue. How can we distribute this information in a constructive manner?

Abstracts have been welcomed that align with the main theme of ‘Decarbonising Transport’ and the three sub-themes:

1. Shaping choices

2. Leading change

3. Providing solutions

‘Shaping choices’ looks at what can be done to change demand, ‘Leading change’ focusses on the resources that are needed, ‘Providing solutions’ discusses how change can be catered for. The overlap between the sub-themes signifies the need for a system-wide and integrated approach.