Train-feeder modes in Italy. Is there a role for active mobility?

The transport mode used to reach a train station is an important determinant of the urban traf\ufb01c and rail transport attractiveness. In this paper, we have investigated train-feeder mode choice on the basis of 185 in-terviews with Italian train users living in cities of different size. We analyzed their current choice and their stated choices under hypothetical scenarios using various discrete choice model speci\ufb01cations. Their current train- feeder mode choice is mainly car-based: 63.2% of the respondents use the car, as either drivers or passengers. The active modes cycling and walking are chosen by 18.4% and 9.7% of the respondents, respectively; the remaining using either the bus or the scooter. Our estimates con\ufb01rm that travel time and travel cost play a relevant role with two covariates, commuter and gender, explaining the large heterogeneity of the active mobility travel time variable. However, the performed scenario analysis suggests that, in many instances, it is extremely dif\ufb01cult to alter the existing train-feeder mode choice in favor of the active modes and that promoting active mobility in Italy requires a coordinated effort at many levels, including territorial planning, infrastructural investment and traf\ufb01c regulations

Key challenges in agent-based modelling for geo-spatial simulation

Agent-based modelling (ABM) is fast becoming the dominant paradigm in social simulation due primarily to a worldview that suggests that complex systems emerge from the bottom-up, are highly decentralised, and are composed of a multitude of heterogeneous objects called agents. These agents act with some purpose and their interaction, usually through time and space, generates emergent order, often at higher levels than those at which such agents operate. ABM however raises as many challenges as it seeks to resolve. It is the purpose of this paper to catalogue these challenges and to illustrate them using three somewhat different agent-based models applied to city systems. The seven challenges we pose involve: the purpose for which the model is built, the extent to which the model is rooted in independent theory, the extent to which the model can be replicated, the ways the model might be verified, calibrated and validated, the way model dynamics are represented in terms of agent interactions, the extent to which the model is operational, and the way the model can be communicated and shared with others. Once catalogued, we then illustrate these challenges with a pedestrian model for emergency evacuation in central London, a hypothetical model of residential segregation tuned to London data which elaborates the standard Schelling (1971) model, and an agent-based residential location built according to spatial interactions principles, calibrated to trip data for Greater London. The ambiguities posed by this new style of modelling are drawn out as conclusions

How Human Mobility Models Can Help to Deal with COVID-19

[EN] One of the key factors for the spreading of human infections, such as the COVID-19, is human mobility. There is a huge background of human mobility models developed with the aim of evaluating the performance of mobile computer networks, such as cellular networks, opportunistic networks, etc. In this paper, we propose the use of these models for evaluating the temporal and spatial risk of transmission of the COVID-19 disease. First, we study both pure synthetic model and simulated models based on pedestrian simulators, generated for real urban scenarios such as a square and a subway station. In order to evaluate the risk, two different risks of exposure are defined. The results show that we can obtain not only the temporal risk but also a heat map with the exposure risk in the evaluated scenario. This is particularly interesting for public spaces, where health authorities could make effective risk management plans to reduce the risk of transmission.Hernández-Orallo, E.; Armero-Martínez, A. (2021). How Human Mobility Models Can Help to Deal with COVID-19. Electronics. 10(1):1-24. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics1001003312410

Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary; Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical ReportOVERVIEW: Transportation connects Boston’s workers, residents and tourists to their livelihoods, health care, education, recreation, culture, and other aspects of life quality. In cities, transit access is a critical factor determining upward mobility. Yet many urban transportation systems, including Boston’s, underserve some populations along one or more of those dimensions. Boston has the opportunity and means to expand mobility access to all residents, and at the same time reduce GHG emissions from transportation. This requires the transformation of the automobile-centric system that is fueled predominantly by gasoline and diesel fuel. The near elimination of fossil fuels—combined with more transit, walking, and biking—will curtail air pollution and crashes, and dramatically reduce the public health impact of transportation. The City embarks on this transition from a position of strength. Boston is consistently ranked as one of the most walkable and bikeable cities in the nation, and one in three commuters already take public transportation. There are three general strategies to reaching a carbon-neutral transportation system: • Shift trips out of automobiles to transit, biking, and walking;1 • Reduce automobile trips via land use planning that encourages denser development and affordable housing in transit-rich neighborhoods; • Shift most automobiles, trucks, buses, and trains to zero-GHG electricity. Even with Boston’s strong transit foundation, a carbon-neutral transportation system requires a wholesale change in Boston’s transportation culture. Success depends on the intelligent adoption of new technologies, influencing behavior with strong, equitable, and clearly articulated planning and investment, and effective collaboration with state and regional partners.Published versio

Passenger Flows in Underground Railway Stations and Platforms, MTI Report 12-43

Urban rail systems are designed to carry large volumes of people into and out of major activity centers. As a result, the stations at these major activity centers are often crowded with boarding and alighting passengers, resulting in passenger inconvenience, delays, and at times danger. This study examines the planning and analysis of station passenger queuing and flows to offer rail transit station designers and transit system operators guidance on how to best accommodate and manage their rail passengers. The objectives of the study are to: 1) Understand the particular infrastructural, operational, behavioral, and spatial factors that affect and may constrain passenger queuing and flows in different types of rail transit stations; 2) Identify, compare, and evaluate practices for efficient, expedient, and safe passenger flows in different types of station environments and during typical (rush hour) and atypical (evacuations, station maintenance/ refurbishment) situations; and 3) Compile short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations for optimizing passenger flows in different station environments

Planning for Complementarity: An Examination of the Roll and Opportunities of First-Tier and Second-Tier Cities Along the High-Speed Rail Network in California, Research Report 11-17

The coming of California High-Speed Rail (HSR) offers opportunities for positive urban transformations in both first-tier and second-tier cities. The research in this report explores the different but complementary roles that first-tier and second-tier cities along the HSR network can play in making California more sustainable and less dependent on fossil fuels while reducing mobile sources of greenhouse gas emissions and congestion at airports and on the state’s roadways. Drawing from case studies of cities in Northern and Southern California, the study develops recommendations for the planning, design, and programming of areas around California stations for the formation of transit-supportive density nodes

Wayfinding streetscapes : how to integrate a wayfinding system into the streetscape, improving public transit and pedestrian mobility

This is a thesis investigation in 3 phases, integrateing wayfinding system into streetscapes by effective spatial planning and environmental communication, aiming to improve public transit and pedestrian mobility. Considering streets as one of the major sites of city life, they play a critical role in the process of daily information flow and communication. This entire thesis tests the possibility of adding a new layer into streetscapes as both a city infrastructure and a method to raise people’s awareness towards a certain site