Walkability and the Right to the city: A snapshot critique of pedestrian space in Maputo, Mozambique

On the premise of transport inequality, urban mobility and the production of pedestrian space, this research explores pedestrians (im)mobility in Maputo, Mozambique's capital city, as a means of unravelling deeper-rooted issues of societal inequality. Borrowing from the Right to the City (RTTC), walking is repositioned as a potential ‘equalising mode’, reflecting on the social, physical and individual drivers of inequalities for walking in the city. Such analysis responds to existing gaps in a literature about walking that has little to offer about its links with social and economic inequalities in the global South. The paper builds on 22 semi-structured interviews and a journey audit exercise to discover that whilst the unfavourable pedestrian infrastructure makes walking difficult, the social stigmas of this space have a greater impact on people's perceptions of walkability. As such, low-income identities are more likely to walk, frequently in parts of the city where walking infrastructure is minimal (if at all), and may therefore find it more difficult to exercise their RTTC than their high-income counterparts. To challenge the status quo, this study concludes that more ‘hubs’ of opportunity must be created to make walking more equitable in addition to improving the most urgent infrastructural shortages

Transportation planning and development in Bogota: Balancing the urgent and the strategic

Planning priorities in Bogota have historically focused on demographic, economic, and urban development needs with partial consideration of municipalities in its vicinity. Bogota is a frequent reference in local and international urban research from the optics of transport, urban planning, and urban development. Bogota shows important inequalities in access to housing throughout the territory. Bogota’s concentration of economic activities in the expanded center of the city is well-documented in the literature and has both positive and negative consequences. The functional configuration of Bogota has determined the main infrastructure developments for urban mobility in the city. Vision Zero in Bogota has been adopted as a cross-cutting issue with a shared responsibility of citizens and the state. Bogota’s history of urban development and transport policy continues to be an interesting case for analysis and reference in the planning of large-scale urban settings

Variation of input-output properties along the somatodendritic axis of pyramidal neurons

The firing evoked by injection of simulated barrages of EPSCs into the proximal dendrite of layer 5 pyramidal neurons is greater than when comparable inputs are injected into the soma. This boosting is mediated by dendritic Na+ conductances. However, the presence of other active conductances in the dendrites, some of which are nonuniformly distributed, suggests that the degree of boosting may differ along the somatodendritic axis. Here, we injected EPSC barrages at the soma and at the proximal, middle, and distal segments of the apical dendrite and measured boosting of subthreshold and suprathreshold responses. We found that although boosting was maintained throughout the apical dendrite, the degree of boosting changed nonmonotonically with distance from the soma. Boosting dipped in the middle dendritic segments as a result of the deactivation of the hyperpolarization-activated cation current, I-h, but increased in the distal dendrites as a result of the activation of Ca2+ conductances. In the distal dendrites, EPSC barrages evoked repetitive bursts of action potentials, and the bursting pattern changed systematically with the magnitude of the input barrages. The quantitative changes in boosting along the somatodendritic axis suggest that inputs from different classes of presynaptic cells are weighted differently, depending on the location of the synaptic contacts. Moreover, the tight coupling between burst characteristics and stimulus parameters indicate that the distal dendrites can support a coding scheme that is different from that at sites closer to the soma, consistent with the notion of a separate dendritic integration site

Transport, Urban Development and the Peripheral Poor in Colombia: Placing Splintering Urbanism in the Context of Transport Networks

In rapidly growing cities the evolution of utility and communication infrastructures has enabled the creation of ‘premium networked spaces’ exclusively for wealthier groups thus deepening already large social inequalities. By the same token, in a context of spatially concentrated income-earning opportunities and other urban functions, as well as limited purchasing power, accessibility to adequate means of connectivity with the rest of the urban fabric can be a determining factor in overcoming conditions of poverty for residents in physically marginal areas. Using the case study of Soacha, a municipality adjacent to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital city, we explore the evolution of vulnerable populations in peripheral informal settlements in parallel with the development of transport networks in the decade 2000-2010. Drawing on the splintering urbanism thesis we examine the apparent mismatch between the evolution of informal settlements and transport networks with the aim of identifying the effects of an uneven provision of material infrastructures and services for mobility on marginalization. We observe central elements in the structure of the networks of connectivity between Bogotá and Soacha, identifying the main gaps that lead to a fragmented set of connections. We develop a set of criteria for planners and policy makers in search of a better informed analysis of transport supply and policy development praxis for poor peripheral populations in similar regions and contexts

Cycling diversity, accessibility, and equality: An analysis of cycling commuting in Bogotá

In a context of rising awareness for environmental concerns and promotion policies targeting non-motorized travel as a sustainable mobility solution, the bicycle has increasingly become an attractive transport mode in cities. However, accessibility to opportunities for people who cycle is not necessarily the same across socioeconomically different population segments, and it tends to be further constrained by high costs associated with the travel distance through the road network. This research examines equality in the accessibility to employment and education among cycle-user adults in Bogotá. Using 968 reported bicycle trips with these travel purposes in the 2015 Bogotá Household Travel Survey, we estimate a potential accessibility indicator and horizontal and vertical equality indicators. First, we identify three clusters through the K-prototypes method to classify bicycle commuters based on trip and socioeconomic characteristics, and second, we calculate potential accessibility using GIS-based trip distance decay functions, which is later assessed through equality indices such as Lorenz Curves, Gini index and Palma Ratio. Results show marked differences in potential accessibility to work and study opportunities between and within clusters, where up to 90% of the analyzed population of a cyclists' cluster has access to 30% of the job and study opportunities, indicating social and spatial inequalities produced by the urban structure and individual and household characteristics of regular cyclists. Results can guide in the implementation of accurate transport policies towards more equitable and sustainable transport in cities that are experiencing increases in bicycle ridership

Ridesourcing and Travel Demand: Potential Effects of Transportation Network Companies in Bogotá

This paper proposes a modal-shift analysis methodology based on a mix of small-scale primary data and big data sources to estimate the total amount of trips that are reallocated to transportation network companies (TNCs) services in Bogotá, Colombia. The analysis is focused on the following four modes: public transportation, private vehicles, conventional taxis, and TNC services. Based on a stated preferences survey and secondary databases of travel times and costs, the paper proposes a methodology to estimate the reallocation of travel demand once TNCs start operating. Results suggests that approximately one third of public transportation trips are potentially transferred to TNCs. Moreover, potential taxi and private vehicle–transferred trips account for almost 30% of the new TNC demand. Additionally, approximately half of the trips that are reallocated from public transport demand can be considered as complementary, while the remaining share can be considered as potential replacing trips of public transportation. The paper also estimates the potential increase in Vehicle-km travelled in each of the modes before and after substitution as a proxy to the effects of demand reallocation on sustainability, finding increases between 1.3 and 14.5 times the number of Vehicle-km depending on the mode. The paper highlights the role of open data and critical perspectives on available information to analyze potential scenarios of the introduction of disruptive technologies and their spatial, social, and economic implications

Governance and Regulation of Ride-hailing Services in Emerging Markets: Challenges, Experiences and Implications

This paper seeks to shed some light on the different considerations for regulation and governance of ride-hailing platforms in emerging markets, highlighting their positive and negative externalities. Building on an extensive review of the literature and secondary sources, we outline Ride-hailing's identified and potential effects on users (providers and consumers), incumbents, and society. Based on the welfare impacts structure, we identify the significant challenges that regulators face in understanding, monitoring, evaluating, and regulating this type of transportation innovation. Finally, the paper proposes a framework for approaching such mobility innovations from governance and regulation perspectives. In a context of exponential growth in research and innovation in urban mobility in general and Ride-hailing, a rigorous review of the literature and a critical framework for understanding governance and regulation in such services in rapidly changing contexts is a timely contribution

Assessment of the potential for modal shift to non-motorised transport in a developing context: case of Lima, Peru

Under the logic of Avoid, Shift, Improve, fostered by donors and NGOs worldwide, cities in the global south are investing emphatically in non-motorised facilities and policies for low-carbon mobility aiming to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of urban mobility. Such is the case of Lima, Peru, our case study. Through the analysis of the potential for integration of non-motorised facilities with current and planned public transport networks, we seek to provide evidence on the planning considerations of non-motorised facilities in Lima with an emphasis on multi-modal travel and integration of non-motorised infrastructure. We develop spatial coverage, capacity and accessibility assessment of the ‘supply side’ of the transport network. In addition, the research studies the local transport system and travel patterns to identify trips with the potential to shift to non-motorised alternatives. Based on these analyses we estimate indicators of potential coverage, changes in mobility patterns and distributional effects of current investments. Our analysis suggests that coverage of high-capacity public transport can potentially increase by up to six times if integrated adequately with cycling facilities. The research provides methodological and empirical contributions to debates related to the capacity of cities in the global south to adopt low-carbon mobility in the foreseeable future

City profile: The Bogotá Metropolitan Area that never was

Bogotá's urban and regional planning has focused on pressing demographic, economic, and urban development needs that can no longer be administered without a comprehensive understanding of its surrounding region. Population growth in municipalities in the vicinity of Bogotá is twice that of the city, which in some cases has led to a functional integration and conurbation as part of the same territory, despite having different governments and uncoordinated urban development plans. This paper revisits the evolution of the governance and regulatory framework of Bogotá and its surrounding region, as contrasted with the spatial and socioeconomic aspects at the larger metropolitan scale, and analyses its effects on the current configuration of the city-region that we identify as the Bogotá Metropolitan Area. The paper draws conclusions from primary and secondary information, providing insights into the recent and future development of the city and its metropolitan area that is yet to be officially constituted