This guidance note considers opportunities to maximise the contribution of roads and transportation projects to social development and poverty reduction. The main focus is on developing countries; however, many of the issues and recommendations are also applicable in a developed country context.
The guidance note is structured in three parts:
- PART 1 – An introduction to the importance of transportation services to development, highlighting the ‘business case’ for transport industry professionals to consider social issues in detail in project design and implementation.
- PART 2 – An overview of ten key social and developmental dimensions of transportation projects. These are: national economic development; rural transport; urban transport; road safety; health; mobility for disadvantaged groups; employment and livelihood opportunities; operation and maintenance; corruption and accountability; climate change and environment.
- PART 3 – Three key strategies to ensure social issues are appropriately addressed in project design and implementation, plus a list of further useful resources. The key strategies are: effective stakeholder identification, engagement and participation; comprehensive social impact assessment; monitoring and evaluation through the entire project lifecycle.