Towards Sustainable Transportation in Urban Areas: A Case Study Amin Pujiati * , Dyah Maya Nihayah, Prasetyo Ari Bowo, Fauzul Adzim Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang 50229, Indonesia Corresponding Author Email: amin.pujiati@mail.unnes.ac.id https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.170426 ABSTRACT Received: 11 March 2022 Accepted: 8 June 2022 This study aims to develop a sustainable transportation development strategy in Semarang City. Collecting data using interviews, and questionnaires. Source of data from keyperson with purposive sampling technique. Keypersons consist of the Head of Sub-Division of Transportation and Water Resources Planning, Expert Staff of Transportation and Water Resources Planning, Head of Pollution Control and Environmental Conservation Division of the Environment Service, Operational Manager of Trans Semarang BRT, Expert Staff of the Public Service Agency of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD). BRT Trans Semarang, Civil Engineering Lecturer in the Transportation Sector. Data were then analyzed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The findings revealed that the development of transportation system facilities and infrastructure is the top priority for policy. The second priority is improving environmental quality and Government policy turns out to be the next strategic priority. The practical significance of this research is that the determination of strategic priorities can be applied to other cities that have characteristics as metropolitan cities and have a commitment to carry out sustainable transportation in order to achieve effective and optimal results. Keywords: transportation, sustainable development strategy, urban area 1. INTRODUCTION The issue of reducing carbon emissions has started since the Kyoto protocol agreement was signed on December 11, 1997. This commitment requires every country and region to review policies that can cause environmental pollution. In 2019, the transportation sector accounted for a third of Indonesia's total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the importance of the concept of sustainable transportation is considered by looking at the value of positive and negative externalities of transportation and traffic in the short and long term [1]. Sustainable transportation has several indicators that emphasize economic, environmental and social balance [2] towards a healthy city. Semarang City is the capital city of Central Java in Indonesia and an industrial city, which is attractive for immigrants to work, study, or live in. Many immigrants who later settled in Semarang City made this city even more densely populated [3, 4]. The population in the Semarang continues to increase every year. In a couple of years (2013- 2019), the population in Semarang has continued to grow. The high population growth in Semarang is caused by several factors, including birth, death, arrival, and immigration. The increase in population has an impact on population density with an increasing trend. The following is a Figure 1 of the increase in population density in Semarang City in 2013-2019. The population density in Semarang City from 2013 to 2019 continues to increase. In 2013, the population density was 4,206 people/km 2 . Although, in 2014, it decreased to 4,172 people/km2 but in 2015, it increased again until 2019, which reached 4,855 people/km2. The density of the population in Semarang has made the traffic of community activities even denser. The increasingly dense traffic and people's movement are in line with the increasingly dense demand for transportation, which has consequences for the energy and the environment. The higher the activities carried out by urban communities, the higher the environmental impact [5-9]. Source: Central Bureau of Statistics Semarang, 2020 Figure 1. Population density in Semarang City 2013-2019 Semarang City transportation development has been continuously pursued through spatial and territorial planning in the 2016-2021 Semarang’s RPJMD (Regional Long-Term Development Plan). The RPJMD contains Semarang City’s vision and mission. Semarang City’s vision is “Semarang Kota Perdagangan dan Jasa yang Hebat Menuju Masyarakat Semakin Sejahtera” (Semarang, a City of Great Trade and Services Towards an Increasingly Prosperous Society). There is also a mission in that vision, one of which is “Mewujudkan International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning Vol. 17, No. 4, July, 2022, pp. 1285-1296 Journal homepage: http://iieta.org/journals/ijsdp 1285