- BCG Report Assesses 150 Cities Across 20+ Performance Indicators
- Cities Such as Singapore, Utrecht, and Berlin Stand Out Within Their Respective Peer Groups
- Most Cities Trail 2035 Sustainable Mobility Targets by an Average of 10 to 15 Points
BOSTON—Over 90% of cities have set 2035 goals for improved urban mobility—shifting people away from private cars and toward more sustainable transport, such as public transit, cycling, and walking. Yet new research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) finds that cities are, on average, 10 to 15 percentage points behind those targets—and given that most have historically shifted only 3 to 5 points per decade, many are unlikely to close the gap in time.
Despite their strong commitment to change, city leaders say that mobility transformation is difficult to deliver. In BCG’s survey, more than 90% of respondents acknowledged how difficult it is to know which actions will have the biggest impact. More than half cited public resistance as a top barrier, yet fewer than 50% of cities involve residents beyond basic online surveys.
These findings come from BCG City Mobility Compass: The Global Champions of Urban Mobility , which evaluates data from 150 cities across more than 20 performance indicators, from congestion and emissions to transit access. The study also draws on survey responses from over 50 city leaders.
“Cities are running out of time. At the current pace of change, most will miss their 2035 mobility targets—today, cities globally face a significant gap of 10 to 15 percentage points to their 2035 mobility goals,” said Markus Hagenmaier , BCG’s global co-lead for the Center for Mobility Innovation and a co-author of the report. “Ambition alone won’t shift mobility patterns. The first step toward accelerated transformation for a city is a precise understanding of where it lags and which interventions will move the needle fastest.”
The Cities Getting It Right
The report spotlights top-performing cities across each of the six categories:1
- Mass-Transit Megacities. Singapore leads, with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London close behind.
- Prosperous Innovation Centers. Utrecht ranks first, followed closely by Helsinki, Vienna, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen.
- Traditional Middleweights. Stockholm takes the top spot, followed by Mannheim, Wellington, Tallinn, and Rotterdam.
- Multimodal Metropolises. Berlin leads, with Barcelona, Madrid, Nanjing, and Beijing also ranking high.
- Private Transport Powerhouses. San Francisco earns the highest marks among car-dependent metros, ahead of New York, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sydney.
- Developing Urban Giants. Kuala Lumpur leads, with Bangalore, Manila, Delhi, and Dhaka rounding out the top five.
Performance Gaps Across Cities
BCG’s analysis reveals sharp disparities in urban mobility performance—even among similar-size cities. Among the findings:
- Car-heavy cities are falling behind. Among cities with over 3 million residents, those most dependent on private vehicles register CO₂ emissions that are more than twice as high per 10-minute commute as those in Mass-Transit Megacities, and their commuters, on average, spend up to 40 more hours in traffic each year. BCG’s analysis shows a strong correlation between lower car dependence and stronger performance on mobility-related measures.
- Developing Urban Giants face declining access and a looming capacity crunch. Without added investment, public transport access could decline by 15 percentage points by 2040. At the same time, amid population growth, per capita track-based transport capacity could shrink by 25% to 30%.
- Traditional Middleweights underperform on active mobility. These cities have 43% lower bike ownership, 36% less bike-lane coverage, and 55% fewer shared mobility vehicles per 1,000 residents than Prosperous Innovation Centers.
Improving Urban Mobility
Cities can make strides by identifying their most urgent challenges and untapped opportunities, moving beyond isolated measures, and using real-time data to model outcomes and guide investment decisions. To support this, BCG has developed the City Mobility Health Check Tool—a digital resource designed to help cities understand their current performance and see how it compares with that of category peers. The tool will ultimately cover all 150 cities included in the report.
“With 2.5 billion new urban residents by 2050, mobility will become one of the defining competitive advantages for cities seeking to attract talent and investment,” said Arturs Smilkstins , BCG’s global topic leader for urban planning and mobility and a co-author of the report. “Our findings reveal that the strongest performers—regardless of size, geography, or wealth—share a common thread: they make deliberate, data-driven choices that shift people away from private cars and toward more efficient modes of transport.”
Download the publication here.
Media Contact:
Eric Gregoire
+1 617 850 3783
gregoire.eric@bcg.com
- Editor’s Note: City Archetype Definitions
- Mass-Transit Megacities: Dense cities with populations exceeding 3 million, where public transport dominates
- Prosperous Innovation Centers: Metropolitan areas of fewer than 3 million people, with above-average density and high reliance on active mobility (such as walking or cycling)
- Traditional Middleweights: Cities with less than 3 million residents, where private cars remain the predominant mode of transport
- Multimodal Metropolises: Cities (typically numbering over 3 million people) that blend public and active mobility, with less concentrated downtown areas
- Private Transport Powerhouses: Highly car-dependent cities in which, on average, approximately 80% to 90% of trips involve private vehicles and the population exceeds 3 million
- Developing Urban Giants: Massive urban areas in developing economies, usually with populations over 10 million