Our world is changing fast. Countries’ transport systems, which have long been shaped by project-by-project considerations, must help achieve higher-level goals for the well-being of mankind, as embodied by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. New forces impose greater effectiveness in the way public choices are made, such as making better use of data and technologies, adopting a more inclusive and participatory approach to decision making, and addressing social concerns about equity.

Transport practitioners and country decision-makers have...