Exploring Space Syntax Integration at Public Transport Hubs and Public Squares Using Drone Footage

Space Syntax theory is a methodological framework for describing and analysing the relationships between spaces and buildings. The fundamental building blocks of Space Syntax are called axial lines, which represent lines of sight from a specific point in space. These lines can then be used to quantitatively analyse the integration (or attractiveness) of an area. However, many public squares and transport hubs are crossed by roads which prove a hinderance when walking although not impairing the sightlines of pedestrians. The aim of this paper is to test how this limitation affects the concept and whether Space Syntax is still useful to understand how people move in such areas. Seven public squares and transport hubs in Malmö (Sweden) were selected and their Space Syntax integration was calculated. These values were compared with pedestrian detections from the same areas based on video recordings from a drone. When aggregating the areas into several levels based on their integration value, the result shows a clear link between Space Syntax integration and the number of pedestrian detections made at each location, demonstrating how this measure could be useful for understanding micromobility usage on a small scale

An approach to modeling bike-sharing systems based on spatial equity concept

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An urban bikeway network design model for inclusive and equitable transport policies

Abstract This study suggests an optimization framework to plan and design a network of bike lanes in an urban context, based on equity principles and subject to a given available budget. The novelty of the proposal consists in an objective function that aims at minimizing the existing inequities among different population groups in terms of accessibility/opportunity to the bikeways. The proposed methodology represents a reliable decision support system tool that could help transport authorities/managers to select the priority areas of their future investments related to the cycling infrastructures. To prove the effectiveness and value of the methodology, an application with relevant analysis to a test case study is presented

Better for everyone: an approach to multimodal network design considering equity.

We propose a formulation of the Network Design Problem (NDP) to support transport planners in dealing with multimodal networks in contexts characterised by different (and sometimes conflicting) interests and limited resources in a transparent way. We expect that the implementation of the method can increase the acceptability of transport schemes.The proposed formulation expands the scope of traditional NDP approaches: firstly, it takes public transit into account alongside private transport. Then, it considers the relevance of equity among other planning goals, enabling the achievement of solutions with a fair distribution of transport impacts (benefits and costs) among the users. Finally, it proposes the conjoint use of fuzzy and rigid goals and constraints to improve the quality of the solutions.Equityis defined as the mode-specific relative variation of the overall mobility between Origin-Destination (OD) pairs. We propose two specifications ofthe equitable NDP: one uses a crisp approach, with objective function equal to the overall network cost. The other is a fuzzy maximisation of the level of satisfaction generated by a certain network configuration. The level of satisfaction depends on the extent at which a given solution achieves private and public transport equity and overall network cost targets.We illustrate the approach in the case of a signal time planning problem in a small network. The evaluation of the performance of crisp and fuzzy optimisation shows that the former approach providesbetter solutions to private transport and vice versa. We propose that, when using fuzzy optimisation, the decision maker should evaluate a set of nearly-optimal solutions selected on the basis of Pareto optimality

Toward Sustainability: Bike-Sharing Systems Design, Simulation and Management

The goal of this Special Issue is to discuss new challenges in the simulation and management problems of both traditional and innovative BSSs, to ultimately encourage the competitiveness and attractiveness of BSSs and contribute to the further promotion of sustainable mobility. We have selected thirteen papers for publication in this Special Issue. Their contributions are summarized and discussed in the following section

Inequalities in access to bike-and-ride opportunities: Findings for the city of Malmö

Intermodality or combining more than one transport mode during a single trip has been put forward to facilitate a modal shift from private car to more environmentally friendly modes such as public transport, cycling or walking. Bike-and-ride – that is, integrating cycling and public transport in one trip – is an attractive combination, as cycling as an active and clean mode is faster than walking and more affordable and flexible than other alternative modes of transport. Using cycling as a feeder mode to public transport could potentially allow people to reach more opportunities and improve their mobility, and ultimately, their well-being. Therefore, it is relevant to investigate the inequalities in access to bike-and-ride options across population groups.In this context, we suggest assessing the inequalities in bicycle access to the main transport hubs of a city by developing a composite indicator based on accessibility measures and the Theil index of inequality. This indicator captures the role of both private and public bikes – part of a Bike Sharing System (BSS) – in accessing the existing public transport system. The novelty of our approach lies in bringing the distributional justice perspective in the accessibility evaluation of transport and analysing the inequalities within and between any arbitrarily defined population groups. Moreover, in addition to travel time by bike, this accessibility measure incorporates a series of bike-related features, such as the typology of bike lanes (separated from or shared with roads), the presence of a BSS in the network, and bike facilities (e.g., parking racks) in transport hubs.The proposed methodology is applied to a real case study of the city of Malmö, Sweden, to prove its efficacy and usefulness. In particular, we examine how the level of bicycle access to the major public transport destination (including train stations and regional bus hubs) varies across the population. While considering the contextual properties of the city of Malmö, the inequalities are analysed in relation to spatial dimension and social background of the population, it is possible to extend the proposed analysis by including further features of the population, such as income or gender, and apply the same approach to different contexts

Kollektivtrafikens sårbarhet i Covid-19-eran : En holistisk strategi framåt

The role of public transport in society is crucial, particularly for those who do not have access to alternative transport modes. For public transport to be able to fulfil its societal role, it should not be perceived as unsafe or unhealthy by its (potential) users. Several studies from all over the world have shown that anxiety has increased remarkably during the pandemic, and it is likely to last much longer. Furthermore, the pandemic is expected to affect travel behaviour even when it will be over and all the restrictions will be lifted due to, among other things, increased teleworking, increased unemployment and the remaining effect of concerns about congestion and infection. This study aims to investigate how the public transport supply has adjusted during the different stages of the pandemic and what the result of these changes on the costs of public transport has been. The study also aims to identify today's challenges, the measures that have already been implemented and what needs to be done in the future to keep public transport functioning in similar circumstances and to help it recover quickly and fully after the pandemic. The method used to understand the pandemic's impact on public transport and thus be able to answer the study's first two questions, is a literature study. Thereafter, quantitative data on ridership, public transport supply and costs have been collected. The data has been analyzed and visualized to present it in an easy-to-understand way. To answer the final question about how to better adapt public transport to the covid-19 pandemic in the medium and long term, qualitative interviews have been conducted. Finally, the proposed strategies presented in this paper have been assessed using the multi-Criteria Analysis

Planning and Design of Equitable Free-Floating Bike-Sharing Systems Implementing a Road Pricing Strategy

Promoting a more sustainable development of urban realities is one of the most important goals of the recent decades. One possible strategy to undertake in order to achieve this objective is the implementation of a road pricing: tolling private cars when passing by certain roads of the network could be a way to tone down the traffic congestion and, at the same time, encourage the shifting towards more sustainable means of transport. In this context, we suggest a method to distribute in a fair way the outcomes/revenues of this pricing strategy. In particular, we propose to design a free-floating bike-sharing system whose resources could be allocated in the territory according to spatial and social equity principles. The relation between the amount of the tolls, the number of days of application of the policy, and the pursued equity is investigated, and both a numerical application (to a test network and to a real case study) and a sensitivity analysis in support of the method are enclosed

How the built environment and the railway network can affect the mobility of older people : Analyses of the southern Swedish region of Scania

Global society is rapidly ageing. Research on ageing and mobility suggests that better synergies could exist between older people and the built environment. The age-in-place policy will put increased demands on the transport system as a key facilitator for access. The main goal of this study is to examine the spatial distribution of older adults, assessing if it could be affected by selective characteristics of the surrounding built environment and, if so, to what extent. The study district is the region of Scania in the southern part of Sweden. Register-based longitudinal socio-demographic data such as income, employment and education associated with the outcomes of previous travel surveys conducted in the region are the main data sources to be considered. Correlated with population density patterns and expansion of the railway network, this longitudinal approach is expected to reveal causal inferences. Better knowledge may be gained about the environmental and demographic factors that may potentially lead older people to adapt their mobility choices according to the area in which they reside. Research findings could provide useful policy recommendations both to land use and transport planners, contributing to the development of age-friendly neighborhoods, cities and regions

Equità e accessibilità nella pianificazione della mobilità sostenibile

One relevant challenge in the field of sustainable mobility is to plan and operate transport services equitable from a geographical and a social point of view. New forms of mobility can exacerbate pre-existing inequalities in the access to public transport systems by excluding some urban areas such as low-income neighborhoods or outskirts, where residents could benefit most from more supply. The goal of this work is to frame these aspects and discuss them taking into account the most recent studies, highlighting the key aspects worth to being explored by researchers and transport planning professionals