Understanding Public Preferences for Urban Transportation: Evidence from Montréal

Transport and environmental policy in the European Union and within the UK is increasingly concerned with the harmful effects of traffic. Stringent controls on car use in particular are being proposed and implemented. In the UK, for example, these controls include the exclusion of cars from certain streets and areas, road pricing and taxing of workplace parking. These restrictions must be implemented in parallel with investment in public transport in order to maintain levels of accessibility. Accessibility is a key determinant in the location decisions for a range of land uses. There is growing interest among policy-makers in how transport policy and the general rise in traffic congestion may affect land and property values by altering the pattern of accessibility in terms of transport mode, infrastructure provision and cost. In terms of transport influence on land and property values, new transport infrastructure may increase residential property values due to improved accessibility and increase commercial property values due to improved accessibility and possible agglomeration benefits. Previous research has suggested that lower transport costs will result in higher land and property values. This may be a reasonable hypothesis when considering an individual piece of infrastructure but may not be valid if the project has a significant impact on transport costs/accessibility in the city/region as a whole. Other research has shown that new transport infrastructure may shift values rather than increase aggregate land value. Therefore, the potential for redistribution of land and property values is a key issue. Furthermore, investment in public transport is being promoted as a positive means of tackling traffic congestion. Therefore, another key issue is whether the characteristics of the improved accessibility that will come from better public transport is equal or better to the accessibility that is lost due to increasing restraint on other modes as measured in terms of property values. Research at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK is determining whether there is a relationship between investment in transport infrastructure and land and property values. Current research is establishing a methodology that will attempt to identify a relationship between accessibility and land and property value. In doing so it will be necessary to look for a relationship at the city/region level and at the local level. This will capture any relative shifts in values across the city/region as well as any absolute shifts in values near the transport improvement itself. This paper will present the findings of the literature review undertaken as part of the research project which examines academic literature, official publications from central and local government and published reports by transport consultants relating to infrastructure investment, property value and land use change. Specifically the review; / considers the emerging transport framework and its potential impact on the property market, / examines the classical theories of the relationship between the location of urban land uses and values, / provides a critique of empirical urban rent and price determination studies with an emphasis on studies of locational influences on property values and transport influences on property values in particular, and / examines techniques used to assess new public transport investment and identify any consideration of land and property values in these techniques. The paper will then outline the methodology of the study devised to link an urban rent determination model to an accessibility model. This will test whether there is a relationship between accessibility and land and property value and whether it is robust enough to handle significant changes in accessibility patterns.

Background: Over the years, the South African government has emphasised improving the metros’ socioeconomic infrastructures because these form an essential catalyst that can boost grassroots development. Despite the considerable increase in investments in transport infrastructure in the metros, the contributions of the metros where all these transport investments are concentrated appear to be making little use of it to promote their grassroots development.Objectives: The study investigated the impact of public transportation on the output growth of South Africa.Method: One-way error component panel analysis is adopted to analyse disaggregated data from eight major metros in the country from 2003 to 2017. Data were mainly sourced on public transport expenditure, total social infrastructure expenditure, total capital formation, labour expenditure and output growth rate from each of the metros.Results: The results were a clear departure from what was obtained by previous studies on transport expenditure and the growth of South Africa. Six of the metros which are the big ones in terms of the population showed a result, which indicated that public transport expenditure did not influence their output significantly; but when combined with other social infrastructure, it exhibited significant impact. However, the results of the remaining two small metros showed that public transport expenditure and its combination with other social infrastructure all had a significant impact on their output growth.Conclusion: This confirms transport infrastructure investment conforms to the theory of the diminishing marginal product of capital. The six big metros should invest more in social infrastructure, which would complement the contemporary transport infrastructure investment. On the other hand, there is still a need to increase public transport infrastructure investments on the smaller metros.

Investment in the transport system with the aim of fostering attractiveness and land use in urban structures is of great interest for planners and investors. Investment in urban public transport would especially contribute to revitalising distinct city areas. The samples of high population density and diversified area use are organised around accessible means of urban public transport.The main objective of this case study was to find an adequate model for the solution of urban public transport on the location Novi Jelkovec in Zagreb after the construction of a new urban settlement, with the aim to revitalise the peripheral parts of the city. The theoretical assumption on the influence of better organised transport on land use is hereby researched through the example of correction of timetables and reduction of travelling time between nodes on the line in the Novi Jelkovec settlement. In preparing this paper the following methods were used: analysis and synthesis, mathematical and statistical methods, methods of interviewing. The theory of correlation of land use and urban public transport is based on models that develop the “compact city”. The obtained research results confirm the significance of the correlation between urban land use and urban public transport. It can be concluded that this paper proves the influence of the correlation between land use and urban public transport on the concrete example of Novi Jelkovec. Its implementation could result in solving the concrete traffic problem and along with it a faster urbanisation of the new settlement.

Given its high cost, governmental financing is essential for promoting HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The study investigated levels and associated factors of the general public's support toward governmental provision of free or subsidized PrEP to Chinese people at high risk of HIV. A population-based random telephone survey was conducted among 300 residents in Hong Kong, China, from June to July, 2019. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression were performed. The prevalence rates of supportive attitude for free and subsidized PrEP were 30.0% and 30.3%, respectively; opinions were split, as similar proportions showed oppositional attitude. Those who were older, had less education, did not have a full-time job, or reported a lower household income were less likely to support free or subsidized PrEP. Stigmatizing attitudes against homosexuals (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73-0.89) and perceived negative societal impacts of free PrEP (AOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.70-0.87) were negatively associated with the support for free PrEP. Compassion to others (AOR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.21), perceived positive societal impacts of free PrEP (AOR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.43-2.44), and the belief that the positive impacts would overweigh the negative impacts (AOR, 26.97; 95% CI, 10.66-68.24) were positively associated with the support for free PrEP. Similar associations were observed for the support toward subsidized PrEP. The Hong Kong general public's support for government financial assistance of PrEP for people at high risk of HIV was low. Preexposure prophylaxis advocacy campaigns are warranted and suggested to incorporate components that address the associated factors.

Environmental degradation that is related to economic growth includes greater consumption of non-renewable resources, increased levels of pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, and natural habitat destruction. The chapter examines the relationship between economic growth, environmental degradation, and transport infrastructure development in the northern emirates, an emerging economic region in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The main research question is to what extent does economic growth and transport development affect environmental degradation? The objectives are to display the transport infrastructure across the northern emirates, examine the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation, and recommend policies and practices. Primary data was collected using geographic information systems and interactive interviews with personnel from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Secondary data was gathered from government publications, global organizations, and other researchers. The findings demonstrate that the northern emirates’ economy will continue to expand. Transport development will allow for a booming logistics sector, building on the location of the east–west trade routes and further development of the tourism sector. Furthermore, investment in transport has brought increases in local access to healthcare, education, and non-local job markets. Sustainable development, however, remains a challenge. Infrastructure development has been ad hoc with little planning and proper assessment of the effects on the environment. Proposed policies and practices include the introduction of low emission zones, investment in ecofriendly public transport, a gradual decarbonization of the public and private transport system, and the introduction of walking and cycling paths.KeywordsEnvironmental degradationNorthern emiratesTransport systemSustainable developmentUnited Arab Emirates

In this book, leading researchers from around the world show the importance of accessibility in contemporary issues such as rural depopulation, investments in public services and public transport, and transport infrastructure investments in Europe. The trade-offs between accessibility, economic development and equity are comprehensively examined, and a variety of approaches to measuring accessibility and equality presented. The book’s interdisciplinary contributions also provide different geographical contexts, from the US to various European and developing countries, and cover ex ante and ex post evaluation of transport investment. Improving transport accessibility is a main objective in transport policy and planning in developed and developing countries all over the world. Investment is motivated by the need to develop and/or reduce spatial or social inequalities. However, the economic and equity implications of investments in transport are not straightforward. The concepts of accessibility and equity can be defined and operationalised in many different ways, influencing outcomes and conclusions. Moreover, equity and efficiency goals are often conflicting. Accessibility models not only help to explain spatial and transport patterns in developed and developing countries, but are also powerful tools to explain the equity and efficiency impacts of urban and transport policies and projects. This state-of-the-art overview of the accessibility-economic efficiency-equity relationship will appeal to researchers as well as transport and urban planners interested in accessibility issues and transport/regional developments.

The financing and implementation of transportation projects are more likely to be successful with the support of local communities. Hence, for cities and transportation agencies to develop strategies that will improve public acceptability and reduce resistance to funding transportation projects, it is important to understand differences in the levels of local support. This study used a factor-cluster analysis to segment a university population, to understand current levels of support toward transportation investments, and seek out important allies to endorse public and active transportation projects. The results of the study reveal five clusters of individuals with varying opinions toward transportation investments and distinct motivations. Strong advocates are the greatest allies for promoting public and active transportation investments. They support financing public and active transportation projects, and are well positioned to endorse the necessity and advantages of such investments. Highway and transit funders are motivated by their dissatisfaction with the current transportation system. Cycling advocates are valuable in publicizing the benefits of expanding the bicycle network. Infrequent commuters do not travel to the university as often as the other groups, and are supportive of transportation investments in general. Despite the overall positive opinion toward investing in public and active transportation projects, there is a minority of funding opponents who are generally against financing transportation projects. The results of this study will be helpful for policy makers intending to communicate the benefits of transportation projects to various community groups.

Mobility is a major concern in cities all over the world. Population and density increase makes urban mobility more complex to plan and budget. Decision makers have to choose which transport projects to build and how much budget to allocate to different types of investments. Cities vary by many characteristics (size, density, etc.), and different cities have adopted different transport solutions. Some cities invested more in road networks while others invested more in public transport (PT) networks. Questions regarding the amount invested in urban public transport and urban roads and the right balance between these investments, taking into account the urban characteristics and the residents’ preferences, has received less attention in the literature. In this research, we focused on urban public transport investments in various cities and examine the relationship between public transport and road network investments, speed, GDP, and modal split. The results showed that in developed cities, the current investment in public transport contributes to PT usage and increases PT share. Public transport reserved routes (as an indicator for PT inventory or past investments), jobs proportion in the Central Business District(CBD), and public transport supply were also found to have a positive effect on PT modal split, while motorization level was found to have a negative impact on PT usage as expected. The analysis showed that cities invested on average 7-8 thousand US dollars per capita in the public transport infrastructure, accounting for about 50% of the total transport budget. Cities with more developed public transport system invested about 15 thousand US dollars per capita, and allocated 65% of the budget to public transport. These cities manage to maintain the average public transport speed in the range of 30 km/h (on average a 1.3 km/h improvement in the public transport average speed for every 1000 dollar investment per capita). The investments in cities with developed public transport systems generated time benefits that covered on average 0.6-0.7 of the investment. Some cities have B/C ratios higher than 1.0, demonstrating that the time benefits predicted by the model covered the investment.

This paper examines the effects of intergenerational support on the mental health of older adults and elucidates the mechanisms underlying these effects. Utilizing data from the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), We examine the effects of different dimensions of intergenerational support on the positive and negative emotions of older adults based on the main effect model and the buffer model. Then we employ instrumental variable methods to address key endogeneity concerns. The indirect effect mechanism through which children's economic support influences the mental health of the older adults was examined using a mediation model. In addition, robustness tests and heterogeneity analyses were conducted. The intergenerational support from children has a significant impact on the mental health of older adults. All three types of support contribute to the positive emotions of older adults. In terms of the impact on negative emotions, the regression coefficients for financial support and emotional support are significantly negative, while the direction of the effect of caregiving support is positive. Additionally, financial support promotes the mental health of the older adults by influencing their social participation. Heterogeneity analysis further indicates that the impact of intergenerational support varies across different subpopulations, with rural older adults particularly benefiting from emotional support. Our findings reveal that financial support from adult children enhances older adults' mental health by improving positive emotions and reducing negative emotions, and emotional support from children has a similar effect. However, while caregiving by adult children significantly boosts positive emotions among older adults, long-term caregiving also engenders feelings of guilt, which in turn exacerbates negative emotions and diminishes overall mental health. Our study emphasizes the need to consider Filial Piety Culture, social care support and social participation in order to improve older adults' mental health.

Releaving traffic congestion by developing public transport as an alternative mode of travel is a common practice all over the world. However, the increasing public transport subsidies have created a financial burden for governments. Encouragingly, private capital supplies an opportunity for public transport in sustainable finance. Previous research mainly focuses on qualitative analysis and money-for-value (MFV) analysis. In this paper, a new investment model is proposed based on the concept ‘passenger value’, and a bi-level programming model (BLPM) is constructed as a quantitative analysis tool. The upper target of BLPM is the total surplus (including the value of time (VOT) of passengers) of the public transport system and the upper constraint is the ticket price. The lower target of BLPM is passenger’s surplus, the lower constraints are service capability and the lowest return rate of the private sector. The public transport of Jinan City, China is taken as a case to quantify the impacts of private capital investment in public transport. Results show that the proposed investment model considering passenger value is superior to the traditional one, and effective private capital investment could increase the total societal benefit of the transportation system. The proposed investment strategy satisfies economic viability and is a financially sustainability strategy. Additionally, travelers should be encouraged to use public transport through improving the service quality and passenger returns. Only in this way can the success rate of the private sector investment in public transport be improved efficiently.

Objective: The aim of this work is to review the literature and analyze trends and innovations in public transportation, as well as discuss the importance and challenges of urban mobility in the Brazilian context. Theoretical framework: Urban mobility is relevant due to the growth of cities and the need for sustainable transportation. Quality of life and economic development depend on safe and efficient transportation. Mobility also reduces social inequality by allowing access to services and opportunities for different social classes. Inclusive public policies and accessible transportation are crucial to improve people's quality of life. Method: The methodology adopted in this study was based on a literature review conducted in three distinct phases, covering the planning of the review, the effective execution of it, and the communication and presentation of the results obtained from the research. Results and conclusion: The review identified that the current scenario of urban mobility in Brazil is marked by a lack of adequate infrastructure for public transportation, cycling, and pedestrian routes, with an increase in the number of private vehicles on the streets and inequality in access to public transportation. To overcome these limitations, integrated planning, investments in quality public transportation, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and a cultural change in relation to urban mobility are necessary. Technological innovations, such as vehicle electrification, digitalization of transportation services, and autonomous car systems, are essential to solve the challenges of urban mobility. Research implications: In the future, integration of transportation forms and intermodal networks is expected to facilitate mobility. Advanced technologies, such as autonomous vehicles, can reduce costs and increase efficiency. Investments in infrastructure, such as cycling routes, charging stations, and renewal of public transportation, are necessary. Public policies that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and shared mobility, such as tax and tariff reductions, can disseminate technologies. Originality/value: It is recommended to analyze the economic and social impacts of the popularization of electric vehicles in Brazil, including financial viability and charging infrastructure. It is important to research advanced technologies, such as autonomous vehicles, to improve the efficiency and safety of public transportation, as well as to examine regulatory and implementation challenges.

BackgroundOlder parents from China’s 150 million one-child families have experienced a decline in subjective well-being. However, the relative importance of financial and time support via family versus public channels in association with life satisfaction remains unclear, posing a challenge for policy guidance.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate and compare various social support policy alternatives for older one-child parents to identify potential measures that improve subjective well-being.MethodsData were derived from four waves of the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey (2014–2020), comprising 7,517 observations from 4,170 parents aged 60 and above. A random-effects generalized ordered probit (REGOP) model was employed to analyze life satisfaction, while the Shapley decomposition method quantified the relative contribution of different support factors to inequality in predicted values. Group regression models and Fisher’s tests were employed to examine heterogeneity across living arrangements and urban–rural settings.ResultsFamily financial (β = 0.056/0.035, p < 0.01), public time (β = 0.202/0.340, p < 0.01), and family time (β = 0.038/0.034, p < 0.01) supports were significantly and positively associated with higher probabilities of being “Satisfied” and “Very satisfied,” whereas public financial support (β = 0.069, p < 0.01) was positively associated only with the “Satisfied” category. In terms of relative importance, financial support (11.94%) contributed more to subjective well-being inequality than time support (4.85%), and family support (12.01%) contributed more than public support (4.03%). Heterogeneity analyses revealed that financial and family time supports were significant and positive only in urban areas. Regarding living arrangements, the significant positive association of family time support was identified only in the solitary subgroup.ConclusionFor East Asian countries like China, prioritizing financial support and strengthening family function for prevalent one-child families might be potential strategies to address dual challenges of low fertility and aging. Furthermore, support policies could also be differentiated according to urban–rural contexts and living arrangements.

INTRODUCTION In the United States, all communities do not receive the same benefits from transportation advancements and investments. (1) Despite the heroic efforts and the monumental social and economic gains made over the decades, transportation remains a civil rights issue. (2) Transportation touches every aspect of where we live, work, play, and go to school, as well as the physical and natural world. Transportation also plays a pivotal role in shaping human interaction, economic mobility, and sustainability. (3) Transportation provides access to opportunity and serves as a key component in addressing poverty, unemployment, and opportunity goals while ensuring access to education, health care, and other public services. (4) Transportation equity is consistent with the goals of the larger civil rights movement and the environmental justice movement. (5) For millions, transportation is defined as a basic right. (6) Transportation is basic to many other quality of life indicators such as health, education, employment, economic development, access to municipal services, mobility, and environmental quality. (7) The continued segregation of people of color away from suburban job centers (where public transit is inadequate or nonexistent) may signal a new urban crisis and a new form of residential apartheid. (8) Transportation investments, enhancements, and financial resources have provided advantages for some communities, while at the same time, other communities have been disadvantaged by transportation decision making. (9) I. OLD WARS, NEW BATTLES In 1896, the United States Supreme Court wrestled with this question of the different treatment accorded blacks and whites. (10) In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court examined the constitutionality of Louisiana laws that provided for the segregation of railroad car seating by race. (11) The court upheld the section and colored section Jim Crow seating law, contending that segregation did not violate any rights guaranteed by the Constitution. (12) In 1953, nearly four decades after the Plessy decision relegated blacks to the back of the bus, African Americans in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, staged the nation's first successful bus boycott. (13) African Americans accounted for the overwhelming majority of Baton Rouge bus riders and two-thirds of the bus company's revenue. (14) Their economic boycott effectively disrupted the financial stability of the bus company, costing it over $1600 a (15) The successful Baton Rouge bus boycott occurred two years before the famous 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education declared separate but equal unconstitutional. (16) On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks ignited the modern civil rights movement. (17) Mrs. Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in defiance of local Jim Crow laws. (18) Her action sparked new leadership around transportation and civil rights. (19) Mrs. Parks summarized her feelings about resisting Jim Crow in an interview with sociologist Aldon Morris in 1981: My resistance to being mistreated on the buses and anywhere else was just a regular thing with me and not just that day. (20) Transportation was a central theme in the Riders' campaign in the early 1960s. (21) John Lewis and the young Freedom Riders exercised their constitutional right of interstate travel at the risk of death. (22) Greyhound buses were attacked and some burned in 1961. (23) Nevertheless, the Freedom Riders continued their quest for social justice on the nation's roads, highways, and urban streets. (24) While some progress has been made since Just Transportation: Dismantling Race and Class Barriers to Mobility in 1997, (25) much remains the same. Discrimination still places an extra tax on poor people and people of color who need safe, affordable, and accessible public transportation. …

Major investments in public transport in the Netherlands are often considered inefficient from a welfare economic perspective. Bakker and Zwaneveld (2010) show that of about 150 social cost–benefit analyses (CBAs) of public transport projects in the Netherlands conducted in the past decades, only one-third of the projects had a positive benefit–cost ratio. These public transport projects were typically not part of an integrated planning approach, and the CBAs examined the costs and benefits of the transport projects only. In particular, the role of spatial planning or spatial developments in these CBAs was ignored or not made explicit (that is, land use is assumed to be fixed or does not differ between project alternatives). In recent years, however, integrated spatial and transport planning has received more attention in Dutch national policy-making. In 2007, a national policy document, Randstad Urgent, was published, aiming to improve cooperation between national and regional governments and create a joint policy decision-making process for different spatial projects and transport infrastructure projects that are to be realized within the same region (Ministry of Transport Public Works and Water Management, 2007). The policy document focused on 40 projects within the Randstad Area, the most urbanized region in the western part of the Netherlands. The aim of this new approach is to speed up the decision-making process and increase the social benefit–cost ratio of the projects. In this chapter, we examine the RAAM project (‘Rijksbesluiten Amsterdam – Almere – Markermeer’), the largest integrated policy project included in Randstad Urgent. The project involves adding 60 000 dwellings and 100 000 jobs and major transport investments in the corridor between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam and Almere, located 30 kilometres east of Amsterdam (see Figure 8.1). Almere would nearly double in size from its current 190 000 to 350 000 inhabitants by 2030. Local governments developed three spatial policy alternatives for the development of Almere with tailored public transport investment programmes. Almere is a new town built on reclaimed land (a polder) with two bridges linking two motorways (A6 and A27) and a railway (parallel to the A6) linking to the mainland. These road connections are already severely congested and rail capacity is insufficient to increase train frequencies substantially. Doubling the population of Almere is not considered feasible without major infrastructure expansion. Transport investments are thus seen of crucial importance to the future population growth of Almere.

Exploring how perceptive differences impact the current public transport usage and support for future public transport extension and usage: A case study of Melbourne's tramline extension