Ethnic neighborhoods,social networks,and inter-household carpooling: A comparison across ethnic minority groups

The implications of racial residential segregation on travel behavior have remained understudied, despite the persistent existence of segregation. Using the 2009 National Household Travel Survey, I investigate whether residence in a co-ethnic neighborhood affects the likelihood that ethnic minorities will form inter-household carpools, and if so, how such effects differ across race or ethnic groups. Inter-household carpooling requires arrangements and interactions between people living in geographical proximity, so it will likely reflect the social networks of a neighborhood. The results show that Hispanics and Asians who reside in their co-ethnic neighborhoods, regardless of immigrant status, are more likely to use inter-household carpools for non-work purposes than their counterparts living outside co-ethnic neighborhoods. In contrast, black neighborhood residency is not associated with the likelihood that African Americans will do inter-household carpooling, regardless of trip purpose. These differences across racial/ethnic groups suggest that the role of neighborhoods in promoting social ties as reflected by activities such as external carpooling is complex. Residence in a black neighborhood may be less of a choice than residence in a Hispanic or Asian neighborhood due to the long history of black segregation in the US. With less residential choice, the propensity to develop local social ties may be weaker.     

Built environment and potential job accessibility effects of road pricing: A spatial econometric perspective

This paper analyzes the impacts of the built environment (BE) as it relates to the potential job accessibility (PJA) effects of road pricing. The relationships between the BE elements and PJA under a road charging policy are established using a spatial econometric approach, which uses an integrated land use and transportation model (TRANUS model) and a spatial lag model (SLM). With the intent of further analyzing the differences in the PJA effects of road pricing on traffic analysis zones (TAZs) that contain different combinations of BE elements, a quantitative classification method combining factor and cluster analysis is applied. This will quantitatively categorize TAZs inside and outside the tolled areas. In exploring the relationship between changes in PJA and the road pricing policy, we found the spatial autocorrelation coefficient to be negative. This result suggests that we are unable to increase the PJA of all the regions through road pricing, but rather affect a redistribution of PJA between different regions. Results also indicate that the impacts of road charging on PJA are associated with urban BE elements. Moreover, such effects are the common result of specific characteristics of the BE. The higher the number of jobs, the better the public transportation conditions, and the better the street design (high densities of street and intersections), the less the region will be negatively influenced by a road charging policy, and vice versa. To avoid the negative effects of road pricing on PJA prior to the launch of such a policy, cities should improve public transportation networks and enhance the street design of the road pricing policy areas, especially the toll ring periphery area.     

Evaluating the European added value of TEN-T projects: a methodological proposal based on spatial spillovers, accessibility and GIS

This paper develops a methodology for calculating the European value added value (EVA) generated by transport infrastructure projects. This approach is particularly useful for evaluating projects in the framework of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), although it may also be used in trans-national projects in other geographical areas. The methodology is based on the appraisal of spatial spillovers generated by trans-national projects by using accessibility indicators (access to markets) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Projects are split into sections and spillover effects of each section are then computed. The sections that produce a high proportion of spillovers in relation to internal benefits generate a high EVA. Additionally, indicators are obtained of the effects of each section in terms of spatial concentration on the different countries affected, efficiency (general improvement in accessibility) and territorial cohesion (reduction in accessibility disparities between regions). The validity of this approach is verified by applying it to TEN-T priority project 25. This methodology does not seek to replace existing project appraisal methodologies (particularly the cost-benefit analysis); rather it provides complementary data for decision-making. Sections which are scarcely profitable from the cost-benefit analysis perspective but which have high European value added should receive more European funding than more profitable sections of markedly national interest.     

Confrontations and concessions: an everyday politics of tourism in three ethnic minority villages,Guizhou Province,China

As a state-promoted livelihood diversification approach for ethnic minority communities in rural China, tourism development influences household and community assets in diverse ways. Focusing on three case study villages in Qiandongnan Hmong and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, we compare the livelihoods of one village without tourism to date (but slated for tourism development in the near future), one with a ‘medium’ level of tourism, and another where tourism is in full force. Our analysis of the transitional characteristics of these communities focuses on agriculture, income-related activities, cultural norms, and social relationships to shed light on the everyday politics of ethnic minority households under different stresses and demands from local government and state-controlled tourism businesses. We find that confrontations have arisen due to tourism expansion and state tourism planning directives among a wide range of stakeholders: Zhailao elites, core and peripheral tourism communities, country-level governments, local residents, and tourists. In turn, local residents have made broad concessions ranging from resignation to unwelcome changes in their livelihoods and new income inequalities, to acceptance of certain tourism-based changes and reallocation of resources. In sum, we find that villagers’ everyday politics involves coping with or challenging new tensions in diverse ways, yet at times marginalisation remains.     

Bicycle equity in Brazil: Access to safe cycling routes across neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba

In many Latin American cities, rapid motorization and population growth have resulted in unprecedented urban transportation challenges, with lower income populations disproportionately facing constraints to mobility as well as externalities like air pollution, traffic collisions, and the impacts of climate change. The construction of bicycle lane networks has been identified as an effective tool for increasing citizen's mobility and accessibility as well as combating the effects of motorization, but in cities where bicycle lane networks exist, it is not known if they have benefited different income groups equally. This paper assesses the extent to which bicycle lane provisioning has been equitable among neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. Both cities were found to have more than twice the supply of bicycle lanes in the wealthiest quintile than the lowest income quintile relative to area and population. A network analysis using a Level of Traffic Stress classification to categorize roads found that wealthier areas have more commercial areas accessible along safer cycling routes. Implications for cycling policy and future research are discussed.     

Measuring spatial proportionality between service availability,accessibility and mobility: Empirical evidence using spatial equity approach in Iran

Spatial proportionality plays an important role in recognizing inequities, the quality of actions to reduce them, and halting complicated and unclear cycle of inequities and even reversing their increasing trend. The aim of this study is to measure spatial equity based on spatial proportionalities (SESP), taking into account three-fold factors including service availability, accessibility and mobility. The SESP identifies proportionality between the quality of service distribution and allocating opportunities and the quality of getting access to locations and people's selections according to status quo. Thus, it examines the balance between supply and demand, optimization of distance and the number of choices people make out of total services and the role of move ability to use in compensating for shortages either in terms of service capacity or the level of human deprivation and reduction of effects of distance from services and etc. Gorgan as an old and intermediate city in northern Iran was selected as the case study. The results indicated that the study area does not enjoy suitable proportionality, revealing that the central and northern districts have much more enjoyment than the southern, eastern and western districts. Thus, there is disproportionality between supply and demand, high difference in provided choices and disproportionality between less enjoyed areas and their move ability to use services and inability to create walking travel pattern in Gorgan. Understanding of spatial proportionality can help the planners and policy makers to change their passive role into active in order to reduce inequities, adding to their knowledge on the underlying factors of inequity as well as the factors that hinder and reverse the cycle of inequity.     

Policy transfer and the introduction of road pricing in Valletta,Malta

Charging motorists to pay for driving at times and/or in places where there is insufficient capacity to meet the level of demand has long been recognised by transport economists as an efficient way to address traffic congestion. However, only a few locations have actually decided to use this mechanism, with Valletta one of the more recent cities to introduce such a scheme. This paper aims to present a case study of road pricing in Valletta and the role played by policy transfer in its introduction. To do this, it applies data gathered from existing literature, in-depth interviews and direct observation with those involved in the policy development. Experience of road pricing was gained from London, Durham, Edinburgh and Stockholm. One of the major barriers to policy transfer was felt to be the unique geography of the island however international events, local conditions and a political champion driving change were critical factors to the successful implementation of the road pricing scheme. Policy transfer was deemed useful in terms of policy development, relations with stakeholders, scheme design and administrative approaches. This paper concludes by identifying the contributions of the case study of Valletta to the policy transfer literature.     

Explaining changes and trends in the airline industry: Economies of density,multiproduct scale,and spatial scope

Changes in the shape and size of airline networks have not been explained clearly from a cost perspective based on the finding of increasing returns to density for given route structures and constant returns to scale for variable network size. We reassessed the estimates of these economies by using new scale and scope indices, finding savings due to changes in route structures and various types of economies of spatial scope not previously calculated: network size, trunk-local services and domestic-international services. Results contribute new insights on the role of cost incentives in the observed changes and trends in the airline industry.     

The factors in residents' mobility in rural towns of China: Car ownership,road infrastructure and public transport services

The improvement of rural people's mobility in developing countries has informed many policies. Still, debates remain on which policies are efficient, for instance, building more roads, providing public transport or promoting car ownership. The empirical evidence for these debates at the national level remains scarce. As a result, this paper aims to provide fresh evidence for discussions by examining residents' mobility in China using nationwide survey data with 12,524 respondents from 119 rural towns. The results of the analysis show car ownership is the most significant factor influencing rural people's mobility than other factors. Higher car ownership relates to a higher travel frequency to counties or cities. Other kinds of transport vehicles (i.e. electric cars, motorcycles and electric bikes) also have positive but relatively weaker impacts on rural mobility. For public transport, it is more accessible to access bus stops, which encourages travel to higher-order centres rather than increasing the frequency of county bus services. The accessibility of high-quality road systems tends to have a negative influence and has combined effects with levels of local services. People from towns with insufficient local services and poor access to highways travel the most frequently to higher-order centres. This study highlights the critical role of road investments and car ownership enhancement policies in improving mobility. Moreover, this study also underscores the supplemental role of public transport services given the current low car ownership rates in rural towns of China and the global consensus on sustainable green transport development. It highlights the importance of engaging eco-friendly and locally adaptive transport alternatives, such as electric cars and electric bikes. It also calls for a rational distribution of bus stops and more flexible, convenient, and physically accessible public transport and carshare modes in rural China.     

The implementation of road user charging and the lessons learnt: the case of Valletta,Malta

Whilst the theory on road pricing is well developed there are only a few schemes operating worldwide with others which have failed to be implemented. One scheme which has received relatively little attention is the Controlled Vehicular Access System (CVA) recently implemented in Valletta, Malta. This paper draws on the experience of Valletta with a move from a fixed annual charge (V-licence) for access into the city to a time-based road user charge implemented in May 2007. The aims of this paper are to identify the reasons why a fixed charge was initially introduced; to review the literature related to implementation of road user charging schemes around the world; to compare the V-licence with the CVA and identify the issues relating to the change from one scheme to another. Through the direct involvement of one of the authors in the design and implementation of the road user charge in Valletta, this paper is based on archival data, direct observation and qualitative interviews. This paper concludes on what lessons can be learnt from the case of Valletta for other cities contemplating the introduction of a road user charge.     

Residence,workplace and commute: Interrelated spatial choices of knowledge workers in the metropolitan region of Munich

Knowledge workers (KW), as important individual agents who embody, exchange, create and exploit knowledge, contribute to regional competitiveness and growth. To attract and retain them in a region, it is necessary to have a better understanding of their fundamental spatially-related behaviors including residence, workplace, and commute choices. In this study, we depart from a perspective of knowledge typology (analytical-synthetic-symbolic knowledge base) to investigate the heterogeneity of knowledge workers' residence, workplace, and commute choices. The case study was conducted in the metropolitan region of Munich. Various types of data are integrated: structural statistical and individually-based web-survey data; individuals' actual choices and their assessment of importance for each criterion; positional and relational data. We find that symbolic Advanced-Producer-Services (APS) workers tend to reside in central areas and use public transport or active modes to commute. In contrast, synthetic high-tech workers are found in relatively peripheral areas and depend more on cars to reach their workplaces. The spatially-related choices of analytical high-tech and synthetic-APS workers are positioned in between symbolic APS-workers and synthetic high-tech workers. We reach three conclusions: Firstly, the features of the knowledge base are evident in the spatial choices of knowledge workers. Secondly, there is a consistency of characteristics between interrelated spaces surrounding residence, workplace, as well as along the commute path of knowledge workers. Lastly, while the influence of the knowledge base has to be weighed against socio-demographic factors, different groups of knowledge workers clearly display distinct choices of residential location and commute mode. These conclusions may provide insights for urban planners and policy-makers regarding the attraction and retention of knowledge workers.     

Making urban road pricing acceptable and effective: searching for quality and equity in urban mobility

Urban Road Pricing has been proposed many times as a powerful instrument to fight congestion in urban traffic, but has systematically faced a hostile political envirionment, due to lack of confidence on its promised (traffic) results and fear of its political consequences. Lack of action in this front is contributing to stable or even growing congestion problems in most large cities.This paper tries to address the problem with a fresh look at the objectives of road pricing and at the reasons for that political hostility. For managing and developing the urban mobility system, efficiency and equity are normally taken as the basic economic objectives. Sustainability objectives may be integrated in the efficiency objective if we are able to represent adequately the costs of the resources consumed in the process. Political hostility is normally based on having to pay for what was freely available, and on the risk of exclusion for those with little revenue available for the extra cost of driving into the city.Pursuit of efficency leads to suggestion of marginal social cost pricing but this is hard to explain to the public and application of this principle is fraught with pitfalls since some components of that cost get smaller as traffic grows (noise related costs for example). Pricing is still a good option but the objective has to be something easier to understand and to serve as a target for mobility managers. That “new” objective is quality of the mobility system, with a meaning similar to that of “level of service” in traffic engineering, and prices should be managed to across space, time and transport modes in such a way that provision of service is made with good quality in all components.Pursuit of equity leads to some form of rationing, which has often been associated with high transaction costs and abuse by the administrators. But the use of electronic road pricing should allow easy ways to address the rationing process without such high costs. The basic proposition is that all local taxpayers receive as a direct restitution of their tax contribution a certain amount of “mobility rights”, which can be used both for private car driving in the tolled areas and for riding public transport.These principles are easily applicable with a variety of technical solutions for road pricing, from the simplest cordon pricing to the more sophisticated “pay-as-you-go” schemes. The paper addresses this question of implementation and argues for increasingly sophisticated schemes, as people get accustomed to the principles and finer targeting of demand segments may be needed.     

Port activities and the spatial structure of cities: the case of Freetown, Sierra Leone

Port activities often give rise to distinctive regions within their town or city and it might be expected that they would have on effect on the spatial differentiation and spatial structure of urban areas. However, urban spatial theory appears to ignore this possibility, urban structure models having little or nothing to say about the role of port activities in shaping the spatial structure of towns and cities. Given this, the paper investigates the possibility of port activities having influenced the spatial structure of Freetown, Sierra Leone. It discusses the historical development of the port and city as a framework for consideration of the role of port activities in shaping the growing urban area. Attention is focused particularly on those areas where the influence is clearest, i.e. the central area with its concentration of business, commercial and administrative activities, and on the location of modern industrial areas in the emerging metropolitan area. Other factors that have shaped the urban area are discussed also. It is argued that, whilst port activities have been important historically, other influences have become more significant as the basis of the economy has broadened, the structure of society has become more complex and the city has assumed additional functions. The findings are tested by a brief and preliminary examination of other port-cities in tropical Africa, establishing that spatial associations between port activities and the central business area and between them and industrial areas are common.     

Evaluating residents' attitudes and intentions to act towards tourism development in regional Victoria,Australia

With the tourism industry expanding post‐2001, research on the impacts of tourism development continues to be important. Previous research has focused both on the types of impacts on the residents and the segmentation of the host community. Most of these studies have used attitudes as the clustering base. Although the resultant cluster groups have been able to discriminate community groups who either support or oppose future tourism development, these groups are difficult to identify in the community and the influence these attitudes have on the behaviour of residents remains unknown. This research investigated the link between positive and negative attitudes and the residents' intentions to act either to support or protest future tourism development. The results found no significant relationship between negative intentions to act (protest) and demographics, attitudes or the various community cluster groups. However, positive intentions to act (support future development) were related to gender, age, education, life cycle, length of residence and tourism business connection. Further, positive intentions to become more involved in tourism development within the community were related to both positive and negative attitudes. Finally, this research found that residents who traditionally involved themselves in proactive community groups had the strongest intention to ensure future tourism development benefited the community. Implications for the tourism industry, local government and the management of future tourism development were explored. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rebuilding women's livelihoods strategies at the city fringe: Agency,spatial practices,and access to transportation from Semmencherry,Chennai

Existing debates suggest that resettlement leads to exclusion of the urban poor from the city, linked to interrupted livelihoods and lack of accessibility to the city. This paper analyses the ways in which public transport mobility plays a role in the livelihood strategies of women living in a resettlement area at the fringe of Chennai, India. The main question addressed is how women exercise agency in embedding spatial practices within their livelihood strategies to reconnect to the city.The analysis is based on 4 months fieldwork in Semmencherry Resettlement Area in Chennai (India). It combines a qualitative analysis with a spatial exploration drawing on concepts from debates on the livelihoods approach, spatial practices, and accessibility and transport-related exclusion. Results show that the more agency women have to negotiate livelihoods strategies, the better they can take complex decisions on accessing resources over large distances and minimizing their adverse effects.We argue that combining a livelihood with a spatial analysis is important because it shows how spatial exclusion has to be assessed according to women's own priorities and decisions concerning spatial practices as part of livelihoods strategies. Accessibility and recreating relational spaces may both widen women's opportunities as well as overstretch their physical and financial resources.     

Longer-term forecasting and risks in spatial optimization models: The world grain trade

This study develops a methodology to quantify risks associated with projected commodity flows in a spatial optimization model. In this paper it is applied to the world grain trade which is characteristic of numerous commodities and with complicated and competing logistical channels in world trade. The model provides a longer-run solution by simultaneously allowing for changes in production patterns, trade flows, and intermodal, interport and inter-reach allocation of shipments. Results show that important factors affecting shipments include: changes in demand across countries, delay costs, and the increased domestic use of grains. Findings of interest show delay costs on barges shift movements to rail, other origins and ports. Second, there is much greater uncertainty for projections for more distant periods forward. Finally, the model can be applied similarly to other commodities and/or be used to analyze spatial flows concentrated in other geographic regions.