City Transit Research Articles

Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Urban Carbon Emission Intensity: From the Perspective of Green and Low-Carbon Travel and Clean Energy

This paper uses the non-balanced panel data of 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2017 and the Peking University Digital Inclusive Finance Index to examine the impact of the development of digital inclusive finance on urban carbon emission intensity. The results show that the development of digital inclusive finance has a significantly negative impact on urban carbon emission intensity. By using the spherical distance between various cities and Hangzhou as an instrumental variable to deal with the potential endogeneity problem, the results still hold. Mechanism analysis shows that digital inclusive finance can reduce urban carbon emission intensity by promoting green and low-carbon travel modes of public transport and the use of clean energy. Compared with other regions, the effect of digital inclusive finance in reducing urban carbon emission intensity is more significant in the western region and in cities with low economic development. Against the background of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, we find that accelerating the development of digital inclusive finance can effectively promote the green and low-carbon transition of cities.

Living with energy poverty: Uncovering older people’s fuel choices in urban China

Cities are front-runners and essential actors in the household energy transition from traditional solid to modern non-solid fuels. However, achieving an equitable and just transition in cities presents challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations. Among these vulnerable groups, older people are particularly affected by energy poverty, facing inadequate access to clean and modern energy. Yet, the linkages between their energy poverty and fuel choices remain underexplored, especially in urban areas outside the Global North context. This study focuses on China, a fastest-aging country, and aims to understand why some older people in affluent urban areas continue to burn honeycomb coal briquettes. By analyzing older people’s subjective experiences and objective connections to their fuel use, we uncover their lived experiences with energy poverty. We extended the ‘Energy Cultures Framework’ by including older people's vulnerability attributes alongside their material culture, norms, practices, and external influences. Using semi-structured interviews and participant observations in urban Wuhan, we found two patterns of dirty fuel stacking among older people facing energy poverty: passive and active dirty stacking. Passive dirty stacking is mainly caused by older energy-poor individuals' material culture, external influences, and vulnerability attributes; whereas active dirty stacking is primarily associated with their norms, practices, vulnerability attributes, and related external factors. Our findings provide strong implications for social and energy policy, particularly regarding the characterization of energy poverty, regulatory and infrastructural responses, social justice, grassroots governance, energy literacy, and cultural compatibility.

From the “Green Station” to the “Blue Station”: the role of the renovation of railway stations in the ecological transition of cities. Calculation model and possible measures for mitigation and compensation of impacts.

Nowadays, mobility represents the main productive process: this means that territorial sustainability must necessarily include sustainable movements as a key component. The increase in transport entity and transport routes, economic convenience, and, last but not least, a higher environmental awareness, are leading to higher consideration of the use of railways. In this framework, railway stations represent complex objects requiring significant material flows, which make up their ecological footprint. In this sense, a railway station is the last industrial plant to be accepted in contemporary cities. The last 2 years of pandemics have amplified both the need for tangible sustainability and the demand for active mobility-friendly cities. Discussing the sustainability of a station involves examining and measuring its ecological footprint, to provide active support to the targeted planning and design of mitigation measures. Their impact and effectiveness are certainly amplified by the natural central role of the railway stations. And what if the pursuit of sustainability for the railway stations could be intertwined with the search for quality collective spaces? The answer is positive. The proposed algorithm allows shifting from a qualitative view (so to say, measured on a flat-rate basis), to a quantitative view of the possible improvement actions on the operation and maintenance processes of railway stations. Moreover, through minor adaptations, it could also be applied to industrial or residential processes.

Advancing a slum–circular economy model for sustainability transition in cities of the Global South

Advancing a slum–circular economy model for sustainability transition in cities of the Global South

Smart city strategies – A driver for the localization of the sustainable development goals?

To achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), urgent action is needed across all scales, with an increased importance being placed on local initiatives. In this context, the notion of localizing the SDGs is highlighted as essential. Simultaneously, the smart city concept is promoted to address local sustainability challenges, and smart city strategies are used to support urban sustainability transitions. Despite the extensive literature on smart city transitions, no work was found that studies how such strategies may concretely support the localization of the SDGs. In response, we analyze 57 smart city strategies across 29 countries using the SDG framework to pinpoint which SDGs and accompanying Targets are localized through smart city initiatives. The results indicate that strategies strongly support the localization of four Goals (SDGs 7, 8, 9, and 11) along with several individual Targets. While the SDGs treated by the strategies depend on the local context, smart city strategy documents promote sustainable development initiatives across a spectrum of themes. However, for cities that use smart city strategies to encourage a fundamental shift towards a more sustainable urban model, careful attention must be paid to include initiatives on often untreated topics (SDGs 2, 5, and 15).

Digital Ageism: Emerging Challenges and Best Practices of Age-Friendly Digital Urban Governance

The ageing of urban populations poses serious challenges for policymakers and urban planners alike. While the number of people over 65 is increasing in urban areas, the digital transition in cities raises concerns about the persisting digital divide facing older citizens, as well as the digital inequality and ageism inherent to most digital domains. As ageing in place and place attachment play a significant role in the social engagement and well-being of older people, the purpose of this research is to shed light on the novel approaches taken by local governments to foster active participation among senior residents in the digital public sphere. Using semi-structured interviews with public officials from three age-friendly cities in Spain, we have explored innovative urban projects for digital inclusion, active ageing, and autonomy for older people. The findings of the study reveal the importance of coordinated multi-stakeholder initiatives in promoting digital literacy and overcoming barriers rooted in ageism in the digital world. True representation of older people in local governments, the promotion of co-creation initiatives led by seniors, and the standardisation of universal design and accessibility are some of the key contributions made by Spanish cities in their transition toward places that are digitally inclusive and age-friendly.

The impact of green financial policies on carbon emission efficiency: empirical evidence from China.

In the crucial phase of high-quality economic growth, green finance is essential for directing capital to green industries and optimizing the quality of economic growth. Academics in China have paid a great deal of attention to green finance because it is a crucial government policy for advancing the development of an ecological civilization. This document examines the Chinese State Council's implementation of the Guidance on Building a Green Financial System as a quasi-natural experiment. It determines, using the double difference method and panel data from 283 prefecture-level cities in China between 2011 and 2020, if green financial reform policies can enhance carbon emission efficiency and its mechanisms. The study reveals that green finance reform policies considerably improve the carbon efficiency of cities, albeit with a significant time lag and an annual increase in net effect. In addition, the mechanism analysis revealed that green financial policies primarily improve carbon emission efficiency by decreasing the intensity of energy consumption, enhancing technological innovation, and optimizing industrial structure. Therefore, expanding the size of the reform pilot zone and increasing incentives and guidance for green financial institutions will aid the transition of cities to a low-carbon economy.

Political uncertainty and Corporate Philanthropy: Evidence from China

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between political uncertainty and corporate philanthropy in emerging markets, using China as the research setting. The growth of companies in China depends largely on various national policies which are also the main drivers on Chinese economic development. Those polices are actually executed by local leaders with a certain degree of autonomy. Each leader has a personal style of policy implementation in his/her jurisdictions. Once the local leader shifts, enterprises in the region may face the risk of policy implementation changes. Leadership transitions in Chinese cities were chosen to represent political uncertainty. After a change in local government leadership, more philanthropic activities and higher charitable spending were identified for listed companies in the region. The trend was exceptionally prominent for companies with higher regulatory risks. In that regard, companies in the private sector or owned by the local government, from pollution-intensive industries, or with a considerable size were riskier. In addition, the study identified the potential of charitable giving in lessening administrative punishments for the donating companies. The research expanded the literature on political uncertainty and corporate philanthropy by illustrating the effectiveness of the former as a response to the latter.

Impact of Sustainability Transition in Moroccan Cities Identity: The Case of Benguerir

Whether internationally or in Morocco, the construction industry is one of the world's most energy-consuming industries. Nationally, this sector is estimated to account for 33% of total energy consumption. In addition, the construction industry is one of the highest producers of GHG emissions. For these reasons, Morocco has taken steps to reduce the sector's impact on the economy and the environment. That's why the green sustainable cities trend has started in the last decade. Globalization trends and efforts to keep the concept of sustainability alive in a concrete city have brought along many conflicting choices. Moroccan cities are known for their strong identities due to the long process of shaping these cities throughout history. But new sustainability trends seem to introduce new colors that can strip them of their identity. This article is a research paper for the arid climate city of Benguerir, located in the South, one of the green cities of Morocco. Green represents a challenging context for implementing sustainability. This study reveals the different parameters of sustainability in cities, how important urban identity is, and how it can be perceived and discusses the transition and identity changes of cities. The case study exemplifies the Moroccan context, the reason behind the need for Moroccan green cities, the efforts of the government, and the problems green Moroccan cities may face when trying to preserve their identity. Benguerir is an example that has achieved various sustainability parameters and represents the policies of Moroccan green cities. The city can also represent upcoming challenges for cities in a similar context.

Understanding barriers and opportunities for promoting transit-oriented development with bus rapid transit in Bogotá and Quito

The implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT) in several Latin American cities has provided researchers with an opportunity to study the capacity of BRT in promoting transit-oriented development (TOD) and the issues associated with the unintended consequences of their impacts on equity outcomes. Using a qualitative data analysis of semi-structured interviews involving key participants in Quito and Bogotá, in this paper five emerging themes are identified explaining the framework of BRT-associated barriers and opportunities for TOD: coordination, expertise, development, management, and equity. Issues are highlighted related to the timing difficulties between the land use sector and the transportation sector, the complex relationship between public and private sectors with different perspectives on urban development in an uncertain environment with little trust between the parties, the complexities of redevelopment and renewal measures in already urbanized areas, and the general perception of TOD as a concept foreign to all except transportation planners.

The ecological transition of cities

The ecological transition of cities is crucial for the ecological transition of the entire world. This transition goes through the transformation of the current linear urban metabolism into a circular metabolism that mimics the functioning of ecosystems. A metabolism aiming to the minimisation of material inputs (products, water, food) in order to minimise both the withdrawal of resources from the environment and waste production. This goal can be achieved by adopting the principles of the circular economy, maximising the use of renewable sources and energy efficiency, and redesigning urban services, such as mobility and water-and-waste cycles. In order to bring about this transformation, it is not enough to work on technologies and techniques because citizens’ behaviour, lifestyles and cultural values are affected. Furthermore, treating the city as a living organism, i.e., as a complex system, requires an appropriate design and governance method underpinned by a systemic vision.

Does city smartness improve urban environment and reduce income disparity? Evidence from an empirical analysis of major cities worldwide

Urban policymakers are often proud to advertise their cities as smart, emphasizing the wide–scale adoption of internet technologies, innovation activities, and the number of universities the city hosts as proof of successful transition towards greater smartness. Question, however, remains whether the accumulation of these attributes results in tangible benefits for local residents. To answer this question, we compare different metrices of city smartness with several indicators of intra–urban income disparity and environmental performance, using data available for 100+ major cities worldwide. As the analysis indicates, the proliferation of internet technologies and the number of universities the city hosts, i.e., popular ways of advancing “smartness”, are not related to either intra–urban income disparity or environmental performance of cities per se. We thus suggest that the transition of cities towards greater smartness should be focused on people's needs and ICT-using skills, not on ICT proliferation per se. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first that links the level of city smartness with intra–urban income inequality and environmental performance of cities and substantiates these links empirically. By accumulating this knowledge, the study helps to understand better the smart city phenomenon and its impact on urban development.

Book review: P. Neethi and Anant Kamath, Urban Undesirables: City Transition and Street-Based Sex Work in Bangalore

P. Neethi and Anant Kamath, Urban Undesirables: City Transition and Street-Based Sex Work in Bangalore, Cambridge University Press, 2022, 240 pp., ₹895, ISBN 978-1009180214 (Hardcover).

Book Review: Selfing the City: Single Women Migrants and their Lives in Kolkata and Urban Undesirables: City transition and Street-Based sex work in Bangalore

Book Review: Selfing the City: Single Women Migrants and their Lives in Kolkata and Urban Undesirables: City transition and Street-Based sex work in Bangalore

Technologies and Strategies to Support Energy Transition in Urban Building and Transportation Sectors

More than half of the world population live in urban settlements which are responsible for a large share of energy consumption and, consequently, carbon emissions. The transition towards a more sustainable urban environment requires a change in paradigm in terms of how we design and manage our cities. Urban areas require innovative technologies and strategies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, and to be included in comprehensive plans encompassing all technical, social and economic dimensions which characterise cities. This involves the transformation of urban contexts, with a focus on local and urban-level mitigation measures, such as the construction of positive energy buildings, deployment of renewable energy, promotion of a sustainable mobility, creation of resilient urban infrastructure, implementation of circular economy and recycling practices, etc. The present article provides a perspective on the sustainable energy transition in cities, focusing on the building and transportation sectors. Furthermore, insights on supporting mechanisms and innovative management strategies are presented.

Analysis of the Behavior of Vehicular Traffic Flow through Classical Statistical Techniques

The increase in the activities of commerce, work, leisure and education of the citizens of the cities has led to an increasing use of public and private transport, which causes that, in many cities, the road infrastructure of the cities is insufficient to meet the enormous demand of vehicles, causing traffic jams at various times of the day. The increase in city transit times caused by the vehicular flow is a relevant problem for modern cities because it affects all its citizens due to the generation of pollution, health problems and problems for accessing the city services. In this context, it is necessary to analyze the dynamic variability of vehicle flow to find solutions to mobility problems in cities. This paper aims to use classical statistical techniques to analyze the variability of vehicular flow behavior using Mexico City, one of the most congested cities in the world, as a case study.

Implementable Regional Truck Freight Planning Practices: Quick Ways to Get Started

To support the elevation of truck freight within the regional planning process, this study identified seven practices regional planners can initiate: coordinating land planning and truck freight planning; using freight advisory committees; monetizing reliability in project prioritization; quantifying truck parking deficiencies; using engineering strategies; incorporating truck freight into scenario planning; and obtaining freight data from public sources. A review of the literature and agency actions was conducted to identify these practices. Although these practices benefit from regional support, they cannot be fully implemented at the regional level. Some require municipal or county authority: reservation of street space for truck parking, modification of local zoning ordinances to mandate truck parking, and allowance of trucks in lanes reserved for transit in select cities. Some require state authority: allowing trucks to use park and ride lots at night, supporting private sector participation financially in regional freight advisory committees, or using the value of travel time reliability to evaluate freight project benefits. Some require either local or state support: notably, expansion or modification of truck routes based, in part, on examination of truck patterns. All practices carry some type of financial or political cost: one interviewee noted that increased zoning requirements might reduce a locality’s ability to compete for industrial businesses. However, regional staff can start the analysis required to support these practices by identifying the benefits, costs, and feasibility of these initiatives through the regional planning process.

Mobility as Service: How Changing Travel use Habits will Affect the Transition of Cities to Climate Neutrality

Transportation contributes significantly to air pollution and carbon emissions in cities, negatively impacting human health and the environment. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is considered one of the promising solutions to this problem, as it reduces the number of trips by private vehicles. MaaS integrates different modes of transportation such as buses, trains, bicycles, and cars into a single platform, which increases the attractiveness of shared transportation and micromobility tools for users and facilitates the shift from private cars to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. MaaS brings tangible changes in transportation use behavior. Research on behavioral factors influencing MaaS use and their relationship to transportation habits is underdeveloped, especially in regions with high levels of private car use and low environmental awareness. This article presents the results of a survey aimed at identifying the factors that influence transportation user behavior and the policies needed to promote MaaS adoption. These data are then used to assess the impact of MaaS on cities’ efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. The survey was conducted in the city of Riga, the capital of Latvia, and analyzes factors such as necessary changes in infrastructure, service design, pricing, public awareness, and information efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

A dynamic network data envelopment analysis cross-efficiency evaluation on the benefits of bus transit services in 33 Chinese cities

ABSTRACT Our objective in this paper is to evaluate the benefits of bus transit. To obtain the more accurate and highly discrimination results, this study establishes an evaluation indicator system from a stakeholder perspective and proposes a novel combined method consisting of dynamic network data envelopment analysis, cross-efficiency evaluation, and Shannon entropy aggregation method. An empirical study of bus transit systems in 33 key Chinese cities from 2016 to 2019 is provided. The results show that the benefit of bus transit in most key cities was ineffective. In contrast to production efficiency, focusing on improving service effectiveness is more conducive to improving the benefits of bus transit. Small cities have higher benefits than large cities. Meanwhile, the benefits of bus transit vary geographically. This evaluation outcome provides a more appropriate basis for decision-making related to the benefits of public transit services, as well as for operational and management studies.

An Application of the Node Place Model to Explore the Interactive Mechanism Between Rail Stations and Urban Functions--A Comprehensive Analysis and a Case Study in Guangzhou

In the recent two decades, transit-oriented development (TOD) has been applied to deal with multiple traffic problems. To alleviate the urban traffic pressure, the Chinese government aims to establish rail transit in numerous cities, including the traditional rail, metro rail, light rail, and high-speed rail (HSR). Based on the notion of TOD, the balance of transport service and urban development is important for the TOD railway station. To explore the interaction mechanism between railway stations and surrounding area, this paper focuses on the coordinated evaluation of the interaction using the mode-place model. In the first part, a literature review is done to explore the overall interactive effects between node and place and the mode-place model applied to rail stations in Tokyo, Korea, and Shanghai. In general, there is a robust relationship between the transport service and the urban development of surrounding areas, and this interaction is affected by the location of rail stations. Furthermore, the application of this model not only corroborates these effects but also provides insight into the future development of rail stations. In the second part, the node place model is used to assess the node and place development of Guangzhou metro stations. The result shows that location, functional characteristics, and government planning play essential roles in the station area development.