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Transportation Planning and Urban Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 November 2023) | Viewed by 18968

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Interests: sustainable transportation; alternative fuel vehicles; lifecycle impacts; urban transportation; micromobility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The substantial impacts of transportation on environment, society and economy strongly urge the incorporation of sustainability into transportation planning. Two major developments that enhance transportation sustainability are innovative mobility solutions and vehicle power systems. The characteristics and differences among conventional, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles, shared mobility systems, and automated vehicles are scarcely considered in the impact assessment and evaluation of transport modes. Shared mobility and micromobility have grown significantly over the past few years in the attempt to provide more mobility options, reduce environmental impact, and increase public transport ridership. The introduction of alternative-fuel vehicles and new mobility solutions (e.g., electric scooters, ride-sharing, carpooling, electric bikes, demand-responsive transport, MaaS, carsharing, etc.) is likely to change the traditional transportation planning process because different characteristics need to be taken into account.

New mobility solutions and alternative vehicles have the potential to create more sustainable urban transport systems. However, their successful implementation in different cities and urban areas depends on the understanding of their impacts through case studies and cross-case comparisons. Hence, new impact assessment frameworks and methods will support transportation planners and decision makers in implementing the most suitable solutions and successfully transferring solutions from city to city. This Special Issue aims to bring together theoretical and empirical studies on outcomes of new mobility solutions across urban areas around the world.

We invite papers that address a range of topics related to innovative mobility solutions in urban areas. We strive to contribute to the scholarly and practical knowledge relevant to both urban planning and sustainable transportation. Possible topics may include but are not limited to:

  • Impact assessment frameworks for innovative mobility solutions;
  • New mobility solutions and redesigning of current and future urban transport infrastructures;
  • Large-scale demonstrations of new mobility solutions and measured impacts;
  • New mobility solutions and integration with public transport;
  • New mobility solutions and transport performance.

Dr. Lambros Mitropoulos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban sustainability
  • transportation planning
  • innovative mobility solutions
  • impacts

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4307 KiB  
Article
Describing Micro-Mobility First/Last-Mile Routing Behavior in Urban Road Networks through a Novel Modeling Approach
by Panagiotis G. Tzouras, Lambros Mitropoulos, Katerina Koliou, Eirini Stavropoulou, Christos Karolemeas, Eleni Antoniou, Antonis Karaloulis, Konstantinos Mitropoulos, Eleni I. Vlahogianni and Konstantinos Kepaptsoglou
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3095; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043095 - 8 Feb 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3218
Abstract
E-scooters aspire to provide flexibility to their users while covering the first/last mile of a multimodal trip. Yet, their dual travel behavior, i.e., utilizing both vehicles’ roadways and pedestrians’ sidewalks, creates new challenges to transport modelers. This study aims to model e-scooter riding [...] Read more.
E-scooters aspire to provide flexibility to their users while covering the first/last mile of a multimodal trip. Yet, their dual travel behavior, i.e., utilizing both vehicles’ roadways and pedestrians’ sidewalks, creates new challenges to transport modelers. This study aims to model e-scooter riding behavior in comparison to traditional urban transport modes, namely car and walking. The new modeling approach is based on perceived safety that is influenced by the road environment and affects routing behavior. An ordinal logistic model of perceived safety is applied to classify road links in a 7-point Likert scale. The parametric utility function combines only three basic parameters: time, cost, and perceived safety. First/last mile routing choices are modeled in a test road network developed in Athens, Greece, utilizing the shortest-path algorithm. The proposed modeling approach proved to be useful, as the road environment of an urban area is heterogenous in terms of safety perceptions. Indeed, the model outputs show that the flexibility of e-scooters is limited in practice by their low-perceived safety. To avoid unsafe road environments where motorized traffic dominates, e-scooter riders tend to detour. This decision-making process tool can identify road network discontinuities. Nevertheless, their significance regarding routing behavior should be further discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning and Urban Sustainability)
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22 pages, 2890 KiB  
Article
A Framework to Facilitate Advanced Mixed Methods Studies for Investigating Interventions in Road Space for Cycling
by Christian Werner, Elisabeth Füssl, Jannik Rieß, Bernd Resch, Florian Kratochwil and Martin Loidl
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010622 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4261
Abstract
Cycling mobility contributes to better livability in cites, helps societies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their dependency on fossil fuels, and shows positive health effects. However, unattractive conditions, primarily inadequate infrastructure, hinder the further growth of cycling mobility. As interactions of cyclists [...] Read more.
Cycling mobility contributes to better livability in cites, helps societies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their dependency on fossil fuels, and shows positive health effects. However, unattractive conditions, primarily inadequate infrastructure, hinder the further growth of cycling mobility. As interactions of cyclists with the (built) environment are complex, assessing potential impacts of an intervention aimed at improving physical conditions is not trivial. Despite a growing body of literature on various facets of cycling mobility, assessments are widely limited to a single method and thereby either focus on one detailed aspect or on one perspective. While multi-method and mixed methods studies are emerging, they are not embedded into a structured, integrated framework for assessing systemic effects of interventions yet. Therefore, we propose a conceptual integration of several relevant methods such as questionnaires, interviews, GIS analyses and human sensing. In this paper, we present a generic, extensible framework that offers guidance for developing and implementing case-specific mixed methods designs for multifaceted assessments of interventions. The framework supports domain experts and researchers across different stages of conducting a study. Results from this research further indicate the added value of mixed methods studies compared to single-method approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning and Urban Sustainability)
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32 pages, 1006 KiB  
Article
The Interrelationship between Road Pricing Acceptability and Self-Driving Vehicle Adoption: Insights from Four Countries
by Mohamad Shatanawi, Mohammed Hajouj, Belal Edries and Ferenc Mészáros
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12798; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912798 - 7 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3054
Abstract
Driverless vehicles (i.e., autonomous and shared autonomous vehicles) are associated with many advantages for the transportation market. However, they may also increase the traveled miles on roads due to improved accessibility, thus aggravating congestion. Road pricing (RP) is a possible solution for mitigating [...] Read more.
Driverless vehicles (i.e., autonomous and shared autonomous vehicles) are associated with many advantages for the transportation market. However, they may also increase the traveled miles on roads due to improved accessibility, thus aggravating congestion. Road pricing (RP) is a possible solution for mitigating traffic-related problems like congestion. Despite its benefits, RP is usually resented by the public, which may hinder its introduction. This study investigates the factors that may influence RP acceptability in the era of driverless vehicles and driverless vehicle adoption in the presence of RP. For this purpose, a survey was distributed in Hungary, Jordan, Ukraine, and Brazil. The study applied factor analysis, multiple linear regression, and multinomial logit modeling to examine RP acceptability and driverless vehicle adoption. All examined factors have a significant impact on mode choice. For instance, respondents willing to share their trips with others due to the application of RP, opted for shared autonomous vehicles, while those who enjoy driving were less likely to choose autonomous vehicles. In terms of RP acceptability, the respondents who were environmentally conscious in their trip planning showed more acceptance of RP. This study shows the significant impacts of the investigated factors on RP acceptability and driverless vehicle adoption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning and Urban Sustainability)
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19 pages, 3664 KiB  
Article
Implications of the Emergence of Autonomous Vehicles and Shared Autonomous Vehicles: A Budapest Perspective
by Mohamad Shatanawi and Ferenc Mészáros
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10952; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710952 - 2 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
The introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) is projected to enhance network performance and accessibility. The future share distribution of AV and SAV is not yet apparent, nor is which of these two future transport modes will become dominant. [...] Read more.
The introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) is projected to enhance network performance and accessibility. The future share distribution of AV and SAV is not yet apparent, nor is which of these two future transport modes will become dominant. Therefore, this research deploys a simulation-based dynamic traffic assignment using Visum software to investigate the impact of varying the share distribution of AVs and SAVs on Budapest’s network performance and consumer surplus in three projected future traffic scenarios for the years 2030 and 2050 compared to the Base scenario for 2020. The three future scenarios are presented and characterized by different penetration rates of AVs and SAVs to reflect the uncertainty in the market share of these future cars as follows: Mix-Traffic scenario for 2030, and AV-Focused and SAV-Focused scenarios for 2050. The results revealed that the emergence of AVs and SAVs would improve the overall network performance, and better performance was observed with increasing the share distribution of SAVs. Similarly, the consumer surplus increased in all future scenarios, especially with increasing the share distribution of AVs. Consequently, the advent of AVs and SAVs will improve traffic performance and increase consumer surplus, benefiting road users and authorities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning and Urban Sustainability)
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14 pages, 4071 KiB  
Article
Where Are Potential Areas for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)—Exploring the Demands for Built Environment for TOD Planning
by Jiyang Xia and Yue Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8364; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148364 - 8 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3609
Abstract
Sustainable urban growth advocates the implementation of transit-oriented development (TOD) to optimize urban spatial structure. The bilateral planning concept of TOD emphasizes the importance of discovering areas with existing TOD features but poor public transit service (potential TOD areas) and further introducing transit [...] Read more.
Sustainable urban growth advocates the implementation of transit-oriented development (TOD) to optimize urban spatial structure. The bilateral planning concept of TOD emphasizes the importance of discovering areas with existing TOD features but poor public transit service (potential TOD areas) and further introducing transit connectivity or conducting TOD policy in such areas to facilitate sustainable transportation. However, current studies that are devoted to discovering potential TOD areas remain scarce. In this study, we find that random forest (RF) is an optimal algorithm that can effectively identify potential TOD regions in Hong Kong. We propose an RF-mediated machine learning model (RF-TPI model) and reveal underlying mechanisms of specific indicators. After iteratively learning the typical features of TOD areas in Hong Kong, the developed RF-TPI model shows great capacity to identify potential TOD areas, with satisfactory model performances (accuracy score: 0.89, precision score: 0.81). Further investigation on manifestations of indicators by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpreter demonstrates the intricate, significant nonlinear and threshold effects of distinct indicators. Conclusively, we highlight that random forest would be a prospective tool for identifying potential TOD areas to aid TOD strategy in urban sustainable endeavors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning and Urban Sustainability)
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