At street level, residents regularly wear masks to avoid inhaling too much of the putrid air.
Linfen has the dubious distinction of being one of the world's most polluted cities, a place where taking a simple breath can make you ill. Nearby coal mines are a major culprit, but the city is also overrun with automobiles. Cars and motorcycles are the main mode of transport there, as public transit is almost nonexistent. The city averages roughly one bus for every 2,000 people – one of the lowest rates in China.
Linfen's transit woes are typical of the developing world. Urban areas from Argentina to Angola struggle with extremely poor transit service, perpetuating poverty and pollution. Without sufficient bus/train routes, some cities barely manage to sustain themselves.
"There's no way to overestimate the value of a public transit system," says Nancy Kete, director of the World Resources Institute Centre for Sustainable Transport. "Without it, people are so disconnected that the city doesn't function as a single unit."
Many cities in Africa, Asia and South America had public transit systems in the 1950s and 1960s but couldn't afford to keep them. Buses fell into disrepair, services suffered and eventually collapsed. By the 1990s, poor funding ended government-run transit in urban areas of Peru, Venezuela, Chile, and a number of other countries.
Private operators filled the void, mostly shared taxis and minibuses, but they're often unreliable and expensive. In Nairobi, for example, shared buses only depart when full, resulting in delays. They are heavy polluters and a hub for petty crimes such as pickpocketing.
But impoverished residents have no other choice, meaning that access to education, employment, local businesses and government services is a constant struggle. Basic mobility becomes a luxury and entire cities suffer.
"If a city doesn't have a transit system, people can't get to work or school," Kete explains. "That doesn't support the economic base."
In China and India, where a new middle class is emerging, poor public transit means cars quickly became the preferred mode of transport. This doesn't bode well for air quality, when these countries have lax environmental laws.
In China alone, fossil-fuelled vehicles skyrocketed in the past decade from one million to 20 million. According to the World Bank, 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China.
Well-funded bus and train service is also one of the best ways to combat global warming, Kete says.
In 2002, her organization partnered with Mexico City to build a 20-kilometre rapid bus line. Since completion in 2005, it has reduced carbon dioxide emissions from city traffic by an impressive 47,000 tonnes a year and drastically reduced commute times.
So there is a huge opportunity for the international community, both aid groups and governments, to improve lives in the developing world by investing in public transit, something Kete calls the "backbone" of any well functioning city.
Committing time and money to transit has nearly limitless benefits for developing cities and their residents. With more than half the world's population living in urban areas, when they benefit, we all do.
Online: Children's Rights activists Craig and Marc Kielburger discuss global issues every Monday in the World & Comment section. Join the discussion online at thestar.com/globalvoices.
