Key sustainable mobility indicators for university campuses

Abstract

The increasing focus on promoting sustainable transportation in higher education institutions has resulted in studies that examine different aspects of the planning process. However, little research has focused on an essential element of the process: indicators of sustainable mobility in the context of university campuses. This gap is particularly noticeable in countries like Brazil, where this investigation was carried out. This study aimed to identify a set of key indicators to evaluate sustainable mobility on university campuses by taking into account their relevance and suitability to different contexts. The study combined knowledge gained from real-life planning initiatives with experts' judgment to identify the key indicators. After selecting potentially transferable indicators, we formed an expert panel with professionals from various university campuses to determine the degree of relevance and suitability of these indicators in different contexts. The results were analyzed using the Friedman non-parametric test, which indicated experts' agreement, in terms of relevance and suitability, in the following 13 indicators: Public transport infrastructure, Quality of pedestrian paths (inside and to access the campus), Parking spaces for users with mobility constraints, Urban public transport, Security within and around the campus, Universal access to buildings, Parking infrastructure, Bike racks and bike shelters, Infrastructure to access the campus, Adequacy of transport modes, Quality of campus roads, Cycling infrastructure, and Road safety campaigns. The final list may be particularly convenient for preliminary assessments or for universities that do not have resources available for wide-ranging evaluations of sustainable mobility.