Urban Modality

This thesis proposes a framework for evaluating the mobility potential and performance of urban areas in the city region, as an instrument to support urban development that contributes positively to regional sustainable mobility objectives. The research takes a quantitative approach, modelling and measuring the characteristics of a city-region and of its individual urban areas, in terms of travel patterns and socioeconomic characteristics of the resident population, and in terms of built environment characteristics. It then explores how the built environment defines the affordances of urban areas for travelling by particular modes of transport, i.e. its walk-ability, cycleability, drive-ability and transit-ability, by developing a typology of what I call their ‘urban modality’. And finally the work combines this typology with the socio-economic characteristics of urban areas to determine their sustainable mobility potential and performance. It focuses on the case of the Randstad region of the Netherlands and its VINEX neighbourhoods, which are an emblematic example of new urban areas created under a policy programme with sustainable mobility objectives. A key stance in this work is the understanding that the location of an urban area in the region can be indicative of its population’s travel patterns, because the built environment (infrastructural) and socio-economic characteristics are interrelated and present strong regional spatial patterns. What types of urban areas support sustainable travel patterns, and what are their spatial characteristics? How do new neighbourhoods compare to the best performing urban areas, and to other areas of the same ‘modality’ type? These are some of the questions addressed in this study. There are two main contributions of this research: the methods for building and analysing integrated multimodal network models, and the framework for contextual performance evaluation using urban area typologies. The integrated multimodal network model combines the various mobility infrastructure networks and the buildings’ land use to create a detailed description of the region, using open spatial data and open source Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies. The network model’s spatial analysis covers local urban form indicators, such as street layout, network density and land use mix, as well as regional indicators of multimodal accessibility and network configuration (its structure), to give a holistic profile of urban areas across modes and scales of travel. The analysis results go through exploratory data mining and classification procedures to identify urban form typologies of urban areas. It is shown that there is a relation between this ‘urban modality’ of urban areas and the travel patterns of their residents, measured as a set of sustainable mobility indicators related to mode share and distance travelled. For this reason, ‘urban modality’ offers the possibility for ex-ante evaluation of sustainable mobility potential of planned urban areas. Furthermore, when combined with the socio-economic profile of the resident population, ‘urban modality’ defines a context for the ex-post evaluation of sustainable mobility performance of existing urban areas. The evaluation of suburban areas together with the more central historical urban areas gives invariably a high score in sustainable travel to the central areas, and rates the suburban areas negatively. On the other hand, the evaluation of sustainable mobility performance in the context of suburban areas of the same type allows the finer distinction of underperformers that have scope for improvement, and overachievers that provide examples of (relative) success. This contextual evaluation can become a decision support instrument for “hard” and “soft” planning measures involving sustainable mobility targets. Applying this method to the set of VINEX neighbourhoods of the Randstad leads to the conclusion that despite being planned following the same policy objectives, the neighbourhoods have different types of ‘urban modality’, thus present different levels of sustainable mobility potential. Neighbourhoods identified as underperformers within their context can be targeted for soft measures related to transport services, technology and individual attitudes to travel, to fulfil the potential of their ‘urban modality’ type. However, if this potential is not deemed satisfactory or if they already overachieve, only by retrofitting a set of infrastructure and land use characteristics will lead to a different ‘urban modality’ type, and a change in potential. Such a change can be lengthy, costly and sometimes impossible to implement ex-post. The thesis is based on a collection of published articles in peer-reviewed academic publications, with the first and last chapters providing an overview of the research and of its findings, and defining the main narrative thread

Urban Modality:

This thesis proposes a framework for evaluating the mobility potential and performance of urban areas in the city region, as an instrument to support urban development that contributes positively to regional sustainable mobility objectives. The research takes a quantitative approach, modelling and measuring the characteristics of a city-region and of its individual urban areas, in terms of travel patterns and socioeconomic characteristics of the resident population, and in terms of built environment characteristics. It then explores how the built environment defines the affordances of urban areas for travelling by particular modes of transport, i.e. its walk-ability, cycleability, drive-ability and transit-ability, by developing a typology of what I call their ‘urban modality’. And finally the work combines this typology with the socio-economic characteristics of urban areas to determine their sustainable mobility potential and performance. It focuses on the case of the Randstad region of the Netherlands and its VINEX neighbourhoods, which are an emblematic example of new urban areas created under a policy programme with sustainable mobility objectives. A key stance in this work is the understanding that the location of an urban area in the region can be indicative of its population’s travel patterns, because the built environment (infrastructural) and socio-economic characteristics are interrelated and present strong regional spatial patterns. What types of urban areas support sustainable travel patterns, and what are their spatial characteristics? How do new neighbourhoods compare to the best performing urban areas, and to other areas of the same ‘modality’ type? These are some of the questions addressed in this study. There are two main contributions of this research: the methods for building and analysing integrated multimodal network models, and the framework for contextual performance evaluation using urban area typologies. The integrated multimodal network model combines the various mobility infrastructure networks and the buildings’ land use to create a detailed description of the region, using open spatial data and open source Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies. The network model’s spatial analysis covers local urban form indicators, such as street layout, network density and land use mix, as well as regional indicators of multimodal accessibility and network configuration (its structure), to give a holistic profile of urban areas across modes and scales of travel. The analysis results go through exploratory data mining and classification procedures to identify urban form typologies of urban areas. It is shown that there is a relation between this ‘urban modality’ of urban areas and the travel patterns of their residents, measured as a set of sustainable mobility indicators related to mode share and distance travelled. For this reason, ‘urban modality’ offers the possibility for ex-ante evaluation of sustainable mobility potential of planned urban areas. Furthermore, when combined with the socio-economic profile of the resident population, ‘urban modality’ defines a context for the ex-post evaluation of sustainable mobility performance of existing urban areas. The evaluation of suburban areas together with the more central historical urban areas gives invariably a high score in sustainable travel to the central areas, and rates the suburban areas negatively. On the other hand, the evaluation of sustainable mobility performance in the context of suburban areas of the same type allows the finer distinction of underperformers that have scope for improvement, and overachievers that provide examples of (relative) success. This contextual evaluation can become a decision support instrument for “hard” and “soft” planning measures involving sustainable mobility targets. Applying this method to the set of VINEX neighbourhoods of the Randstad leads to the conclusion that despite being planned following the same policy objectives, the neighbourhoods have different types of ‘urban modality’, thus present different levels of sustainable mobility potential. Neighbourhoods identified as underperformers within their context can be targeted for soft measures related to transport services, technology and individual attitudes to travel, to fulfil the potential of their ‘urban modality’ type. However, if this potential is not deemed satisfactory or if they already overachieve, only by retrofitting a set of infrastructure and land use characteristics will lead to a different ‘urban modality’ type, and a change in potential. Such a change can be lengthy, costly and sometimes impossible to implement ex-post. The thesis is based on a collection of published articles in peer-reviewed academic publications, with the first and last chapters providing an overview of the research and of its findings, and defining the main narrative thread

Transit System Evaluation Process: From Planning to Realization

Many frameworks exist to help transit agencies plan, operate, and monitor the performance of transit in rural and urban communities. No framework integrates these three critical business practices into one coherent and flexible framework useful to rural and small-sized cities. The primary objective of this research was to integrate planning, operations, and performance measurement activities into a framework designed to evaluate transit in the context of overall mobility. By combining planning, evaluation, and performance monitoring processes, a succinct framework useful to transit agencies and planners was created. In addition to city entities, colleges and universities operating or contracting transit systems also benefit from such a framework by creating a process that can be tailored to their needs as well. The framework outlines the activities necessary to complete a fixed route transit evaluation through an examination of the entire transportation system. Specific methodologies for each activity were not included in the framework because they must be customized to fit the needs and resources available to the evaluating entity but several example methods are presented in a case-study application of the proposed framework itself. The framework was tailored for use by rural and small cities and small- and medium-sized universities; however, it can be customized to meet the needs of any agencies or department regardless of the location. A case study of Clemson University’s on-campus transit route, operated by Clemson Area Transit, in Clemson, South Carolina revealed that the proposed framework worked well in bringing stakeholders together and achieving the intended objectives

EVALUATING TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN A UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT THE CLEMSON UNIVERSITY CASE STUDY

With the economy in a slow recovery, enrollment in higher education is increasing. This means that universities across the country must accommodate these new students, their vehicles, and local transportation needs. Campus setting and ambiance is a treasured quality on a university campus resulting in the approval of additional surface lots and parking garages being difficult or restricted. To combat the increased number of single occupancy vehicles, universities are developing and encouraging the use of multimodal transportation by providing pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation facilities along with providing users with the information necessary to make the optimal modal choice (Boyles, 2006). This research developed a framework to evaluate transit in the context of mobility currently on a university campus. The framework includes a process that any university can utilize to evaluate its current and future transit efficiency levels and identify solutions through an integrated process of planning, operations, and performance monitoring. Clemson University\u27s campus in Clemson, South Carolina serves as a case study for the test application of this process. This study evaluates Clemson University\u27s performance in providing adequate transportation options to the university community in comparison with similar universities. Customer satisfaction surveys are used to determine deficiencies from the user\u27s perspective. Traffic simulations and a matrix alternative analysis have evaluated several alternatives developed through integrating the results of transit capacity surveys, user surveys, and considerations for pedestrian and bicycle traffic to create seamless operations and optimal function of all transportation modes available. The case study presented in this thesis can serve as a guide to university campuses beginning to have significant mobility problems. It also provides an insight into the institutional or organizational structures that facilitate efficient, high-quality transportation services, which can guide universities to pursue structural or policy changes to improve mobility. Although the process is tailored for small &ndash or medium &ndash sized universities outside of urban areas, the evaluation framework can be customized for use at any university regardless of its size or location

Integrating environmental issues into the design of mobility plans: Insights from French practices

Local authorities have a strategic role in mitigating the environmental impacts of the transport sector. However, they struggle to integrate environmental issues into their decision-making processes, especially planning. In the European context of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan approach and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), this paper scrutinises three French localities to determine the current best practices and limitations for designing mobility plans and integrating environmental issues. Several limitations are identified: (1) limited expertise in defining and characterising actions and objectives, which complexifies plans' design, understanding, and monitoring; (2) a lack of a framework to conduct long-term quantitative environmental assessments and to use the results to influence decision effectively; and (3) monitoring processes are barely described in the documents, and the planning horizon where objectives are defined is not in sync with the indicators’ mandatory evaluation period. This French case study thus reveals that European planning practices must be further analysed and improved to deal with the rising environmental concerns, e.g. through an operational framework to design mobility plans with effective integration of environmental issues

Resilience Assignment Framework using System Dynamics and Fuzzy Logic.

This paper is concerned with the development of a conceptual framework that measures the resilience of the transport network under climate change related events. However, the conceptual framework could be adapted and quantified to suit each disruption’s unique impacts. The proposed resilience framework evaluates the changes in transport network performance in multi-stage processes; pre, during and after the disruption. The framework will be of use to decision makers in understanding the dynamic nature of resilience under various events. Furthermore, it could be used as an evaluation tool to gauge transport network performance and highlight weaknesses in the network. In this paper, the system dynamics approach and fuzzy logic theory are integrated and employed to study three characteristics of network resilience. The proposed methodology has been selected to overcome two dominant problems in transport modelling, namely complexity and uncertainty. The system dynamics approach is intended to overcome the double counting effect of extreme events on various resilience characteristics because of its ability to model the feedback process and time delay. On the other hand, fuzzy logic is used to model the relationships among different variables that are difficult to express in numerical form such as redundancy and mobility