Toolkit for Promoting Sustainability
of Rural Transport Infrastructure

The geographical and economic isolation of rural communities is often exacerbated by a lack of political commitment to local mobility issues. Rather than wait for state and regional authorities to deliver and maintain adequate transport infrastructure, many rural communities in developing countries are taking responsibility for their own mobility needs and driving forward their own solutions. In collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development Co-operation (SDC), the International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD) has developed a Toolkit isolating some of the key factors influencing the success or failure of local level transport interventions.

Presented as a user friendly tri-lingual CD-Rom (English, French and Spanish), the Toolkit for Promoting Sustainability of Rural Transport Infrastructure demands a greater understanding of the political and social relationships between stakeholders and promotes recognition of the interdependence of rehabilitation and maintenance as a condition for sustainability.

Through a series of steps, questions and useful suggestions the toolkit guides the user through an analysis of their particular situation; examining strengths and weaknesses, defining realistic objectives, and asking relevant questions to choose the best possible options. It is brought to life by case studies drawn from the IFRTD network and highlights lessons learned from each case study in relation to the issues raised.

Designed for rural development practitioners and planners involved with local level transport infrastructure interventions, the Toolkit is not a technical guide but a complement to the existing technical inputs which already inform this work.

The Toolkit CD-Rom will be used as a resource for a series of three workshops to be held across Asia, Latin America and West & Central Africa in late 2004. More details will be posted here shortly.