Land Use Transport Research Articles

Models of Coupled Settlement and Habitat Networks for Biodiversity Conservation: Conceptual Framework, Implementation and Potential Applications

Worldwide, the expansion of settlement and transport infrastructure is one of the most important proximate as well as ultimate causes of biodiversity loss. As much as every modern human society depends on a network of settlements that is well-connected by transport infrastructure (i.e. settlement network), animal and plant species depend on networks of habitats between which they can move (i.e. habitat networks). However, changes to a settlement network in a region often threaten the integrity of the region’s habitat networks. Determining plans and policy to prevent these threats is made difficult by the numerous interactions and feedbacks that exist between and within the settlement and habitat networks. Mathematical models of coupled settlement and habitat networks can help us understand the dynamics of this social-ecological system. Yet, few attempts have been made to develop such mathematical models. In this paper, we promote the development of models of coupled settlement and habitat networks for biodiversity conservation. First, we present a conceptual framework of key variables that are ideally considered when operationalising the coupling of settlement and habitat networks. In this framework, we first describe important network-internal interactions by differentiating between the structural (i.e. relating to purely physical conditions determining the suitability of a location for living or movement) and functional (i.e. relating to the actual presence, abundance or movement of people or other organisms) properties of either network. We then describe the main one-way influences that a settlement network can exert on the habitat networks and vice versa. Second, we give several recommendations for the mathematical modelling of coupled settlement and habitat networks and present several existing modelling approaches (e.g. habitat network models and land-use transport interaction models) that could be used for this purpose. Lastly, we elaborate on potential application of models of coupled settlement and habitat networks in the development of complex network theory, in the assessment of system resilience and in conservation, transport and urban planning. The development of coupled settlement and habitat network models is important to gain a better system-level understanding of biodiversity conservation under a rapidly urbanising and growing human population.

Microsimulation of life-stage transitions and residential location transitions within a life-oriented integrated urban modeling system

This paper presents microsimulation of life-stage transitions and residential location transition processes within a life-oriented agent-based integrated Transport Land Use and Energy (iTLE) modeling system. The iTLE assumes that individuals and households are the agents, and parcels are the objects. It is conceptualized following the life-course perspectives and theories to address the evolution of multi-domain decision interactions over the life-course of the agents. Residential location is simulated as a two-stage process of residential mobility, and location choice. Life-stage simulation includes aging, death, birth, out-migration, in-migration, and household formation. The iTLE is implemented at a yearly time-step from 2006 to 2021 for Halifax, Canada. A 100% synthetic population is generated for the base year 2006, which shows a SRMSE value of 0.37 and APE measures of less than 5% for 89% of the DAs. The simulation results are validated with the 2011 Census information. The validation results suggest that the iTLE generates reasonably satisfactory population estimates. For example, around 52% of the DAs show an APE value of less than 30%, and 37% of the DAs show a difference in the number of households of less than ±50. The predicted results regarding the spatio-temporal evolution of Halifax suggests an increase of around 14% population in 2021 compared to 2007. Younger population residing closer to the CBD are predicted to be more frequent movers than older population residing farther away from the CBD. Higher proportions of the households are predicted in the locations within 25 km from the CBD over the years. Proportion of households in these high density neighborhoods are predicted to increase from 68% in 2007 to 71% in 2021. In 2021, a higher density of single person households are predicted in the urban core. Density is predicted to be more variable and skewed towards suburban neighborhoods as household composition changes through marriage and child birth.

A multi-dimensional multi-level approach to measuring the spatial structure of U.S. metropolitan areas

For many years, attempts to measure the urban structure and physical form of metropolitan areas have been focused on a limited set of attributes, mostly density and density gradients. However, the complex nature of the urban form requires the consideration of many other dimensions to provide a comprehensive measure that includes all aspects of the urban structure and growth pattern at different hierarchical levels. In this paper, a multi-dimensional method of measuring urban form and development patterns in urban areas of the United States is presented. The methodology presented here develops several variables and indices that contribute to the characterization and quantification of the overall physical form of urban areas at various hierarchical levels. 
 Cluster analysis is performed to group metropolitan areas based on their urban form and land-use pattern. This allows for a better utilization of land-use transportation planning and policy analyses used by planners and researchers. This clustering of urban areas could eventually help policymakers and decision makers in the decision-making process to evaluate land-use transportation policies, identify similar patterns, and understand how similar policies implemented in urban areas with similar urban form structure would result in more efficient and successful planning in the future.

Land-use transport models for climate change mitigation and adaptation planning

The adoption of the Paris Agreement has committed the world to limiting anthropogenic climate change to 2°C above preindustrial levels, adapting to climate risks, and fostering climate resilience. Given the high proportion of global emissions released by cities and the concentration of people living in urban areas, this will require an unprecedented reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and transformation of the built environment on a yet unparalleled timescale. This poses substantial challenges for urban land-use and transport planning and for the use of land-use transport models (LUTM), which have historically been developed to test incremental changes rather than the rapid transformations implied by the Paris Agreement. 
 This paper sets out the need for a new generation of tools to support the planning of a transition toward a low-carbon and resilient future, arguing that land-use and transport modeling tools are crucial to support this process. Recent developments in urban integrated assessment that link models of land-use and transport with other environmental models of greenhouse gas emissions and climate hazards show promise as platforms to assess the potential of urban policies in achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
 
 The paper concludes by defining challenges for the LUTM community if it is to achieve these goals. Crucial will be the adoption of new modeling approaches to better represent rapid social and technological change and to concurrently assess the resilience and sustainability implications of different land-use and transport policies. Simple models to explore multiple scenarios of change must be integrated with more sophisticated models for detailed design. Collaborative approaches will be necessary to allow multiple stakeholders to use these tools to explore urban futures and design radical urban transitions across multiple and interdependent urban sectors.

Representação do fenômeno urbano por meio de modelos integrados dos transportes e uso do solo: revisão da literatura e discussão conceitual

Este artigo tem como objetivo principal avaliar a capacidade de modelos operacionais integrados dos transportes e uso do solo (LUTI) em representar o fenômeno urbano, como um passo inicial para ampliar o papel da modelagem no processo de planeja­mento urbano. Atualmente, o uso dessas ferramentas está focado apenas na fase final do planejamento, na avaliação de alternativas, mas podem também ser utilizadas em suas fases mais estratégicas de compreensão da problemática. Oito modelos LUTI, re­presentantes das categorias dos modelos de interação espacial, econométricos e de microssimulação, foram avaliados quanto à sua capacidade de representar as intra e inter-relações entre os subsistemas de transportes, de uso do solo e de atividades, con­siderando suas características de nível de agregação, aleatoriedade e dinamicidade das decisões modeladas. Verificou-se que as bases conceituais desses modelos precisam ser melhor explicitadas para tornar mais claro aos atores, planejadores e modeladores suas premissas e limitações, fazendo com que não só seus resultados, mas também seu processo de construção, com destaque para os esforços de calibração e validação, seja útil para uma melhor compreensão da complexa problemática urbana.

Appraising the environmental benefits of ride-sharing: The Paris region case study

This paper investigates the environmental benefits of ride-sharing through its CO2 emission mitigation potential. Ride-sharing is expected to substantially decrease CO2 emissions by raising vehicle occupancy, thus mechanically reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Yet, as ride-sharing entails both a decrease in travel (monetary) costs and in travel times (inasmuch as it reduces road congestion), it is likely to make the car more attractive ultimately. This could result in mode switching in the short run (as travelers forsake public transport or active modes for car), as well as in longer distances travelled in the medium run. In the long run, people could even take advantage of the easier travel conditions to relocate further within the metropolitan area. To account for these rebound effects, we develop an integrated land-use transport model. This intends to capture the effects of ride-sharing on the whole household decision process regarding transport and residential location. The model is applied to the Paris region, with several ride-sharing scenarios for year 2030. While ride-sharing does indeed strongly reduce CO2 emissions, we find substantial rebound mechanisms. In contrast to the (naïve) expectation that raising vehicle occupancy by 50% would reduce CO2 emissions by 33%, the various rebound effects end up dividing the CO2 emission savings by a factor ranging from 2 to 3 depending on the day period considered (i.e. the morning or evening peak period). The rebound mechanisms - the mode switching, distance and relocation effects - should therefore be heeded. Some policy recommendations are provided to develop ride-sharing while curbing these unintended effects.

Equity in transport: Learning from the policy domains of housing, health care and education

IntroductionThe aim of this paper is to explore the equity principles in three main domains of government intervention (health, education and especially housing) and to draw lessons for the domain of transport. In line with the burgeoning literature, we consider equity in transport to be primarily – albeit not only – concerned with the level of accessibility conferred by the transport-land use system to persons. While some (recent) research has explored what requirements of fairness may imply for accessibility the issue has received scant attention in the practice of transport planning and policy. In contrast, equity principles are fairly well established in the domains of health care, education and housing. By analyzing the equity principles in each of the latter domains, and assessing their possible relevance for the domain of transport, we want to contribute to the rapidly growing literature addressing equity concerns in the domain of transport.MethodsThe paper consists of two parts. In the first part, we conduct a thought experiment with the aim to provide a rough first estimate of the population at risk of what we call accessibility poverty. In the second part of the paper, we contrast the (lack of) equity principles in the transport domain with the type of equity principles underpinning three domains of government intervention: health care, education, and housing. We have selected these domains, because in contrast to transport, they are generally considered key anchors of developed welfare states; and in parallel to transport, they are each concerned with the delivery of a particular good to citizens.ResultsWe estimate that in developed (Northern-European) countries about 9% to 11% of households is at risk of accessibility poverty. Of this group, 7% of all households is at risk because of a poor transport system (and sometimes also because of affordability problems), while another 2% to 4% is at risk of accessibility poverty because of disproportionally high motoring costs. We observe that most Western societies have well-established policies regarding the fair provision of health care, education and housing for all (income) groups. In contrast, decision-makers have not even started to define what fairness in the domain of transport could amount to.ConclusionGiven the importance of mobility in modern societies, we argue that there is an urgent need for societal and policy debates about fairness and for subsequent translation of the outcomes of these debates into adequate principles, standards, and policies for the transport domain.

Land-use Transportation Integrated Models : A Literature Review and Research Directions

Land-use Transportation Integrated Models : A Literature Review and Research Directions

Transport in Mikrorayons

Residential housing compounds known as mikrorayons were enclosed within vast housing estates and served as central features of socialist urbanism in the Eastern Bloc. To reduce daily travel, designers located the communities on well-considered metropolitan sites and proposed embedded commercial opportunities and community services. This article examines, twenty-five years after the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the vision and implementation of transport planning in these modernist residential districts. A novel source of information is a rich literature, published during the operative years of the USSR, which explains and promotes contemporaneous socialist urbanization. This literature is enhanced with subsequently published critique and commentary to explore commuting, mobility, and transport-land use interaction vis-à-vis the legacy of central planning for housing estates. Findings suggest that various elements of built environments that were vital to access and mobility significantly lagged the timing, quality, and completeness of housing construction. The Soviet system substituted proximity for mobility in certain aspects of urban life, but incomplete service networks in residential districts meant that the promises of propinquity were unrealized.

Building Livable Transit Corridors through Transportation Land Use Integration: An Interactive Guide, Calculator and Exercise

Background For years, transportation and land use integration (TLI) has been an important approach for planners, engineers, and urban designers, but few studies have formally linked TLI to broader livability and quality of life outcomes. Methods In response, this research builds on a multi-year analysis of the livability literature, theory, and practice, followed by an extensive study of thousands of transit stations in over 350 corridors throughout the US--one of the largest studies ever on transportation, land use, and livability. Results This study finds that effective integration between transportation and land use and station area livability pivots on people’s ability to equitably access opportunities to improve or maintain quality of life outcomes, identifying key characteristics of stations to be applied toward a typological framework that can guide scenario testing and policy decisions. This study finds livability to be an effective organizing principle for guiding the practice of transportation and land use integration as it illuminates goals and strategies to provide individuals with equitable access to opportunities for a better quality of life. In turn, this accessibility measurably shows significant potential for providing many societal and individual quality of life benefits such as lower rates of obesity and cardio-vascular disease, access to health care, walkability, lowering auto-dependency, improving air quality, increasing household discretionary income, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Conclusions Unfortunately, while people are realizing higher quality of life (QOL) outcomes around Integrated station areas that are diverse from a transportation and land use perspective, they are not diverse from a socio-economic one, suggesting the need for policies for greater social equity and inclusion around these stations. This paper also introduces a practical handbook for building Livable Transit Corridors and a Smart Growth/Livability Calculator, which outlines key policies that can move use toward more equitable access to livability opportunities for all. Building on the work embodied in this study and paper, we are proposing to engage the audience in an interactive exercise using the smart growth/livability calculator and handbook to both assess corridors and station areas, and select policies and design solutions to address the strengths and weaknesses of these dynamic analyses.

An activity-based integrated land-use transport model for urban spatial distribution simulation

This research develops an activity-based integrated land use/transport interaction model based on the concepts – activities (mainly, households and employment activities), activity location and relocation for Chinese regions. It consists of a residential and employment location sub-model, a transport sub-model and an implicit real estate rent adjustment sub-model. The model is developed to model the urban activity distribution evolution, predict urban spatial development trends and examine various planning decision implications. It spatially distributes household and employment activity change of a study area by zone based on the current activity distribution, land use policies and the accessibilities of the zones. The model is subsequently calibrated to predict the distribution of households and employment activities in Beijing metropolitan area in 2025. Model results show that the resident and employment densities are still high in central Beijing in 2025, and most zones’ resident densities are higher than their employment densities. However, there is also significant population density increase along the 6th ring road, indicating the relocation trend of the residents and businesses to the outskirts. This is consistent with the government objectives to decentralize activities within the central urban area. The paper also suggests that the model should be used mainly in examining the possible differences arising from the adoption of different policies though predicting future of a city distribution proves feasible.

A pathway linking smart growth neighborhoods to home-based pedestrian travel

Land development patterns, urban design, and transportation system features are inextricably linked to pedestrian travel. Accordingly, planners and decision-makers have turned to integrated transportation-land use policies and investments to address the pressing need for improvements in physical activity levels via the creation of walkable communities. However, policy questions regarding the identification of smart growth indicators and their connection to walking remain unanswered, because most studies of the built environment determinants of pedestrian travel: (a) represent the built environment with isolated metrics instead of as a multidimensional construct and (b) model this transportation-land use relationship outside of a multidirectional analytic framework. Using structural equation modeling, this Portland, Oregon study identifies a second-order latent construct of the built environment indicated by land use mix, employment concentration, and pedestrian-oriented design features. Study findings suggest this construct has a strong positive effect on the household-level decision to walk for transportation and discretionary trip purposes.

An activity-related land use mix construct and its connection to pedestrian travel

Integrating a diverse set of land use types within a neighborhood is a central tenet of smart growth policy. Over a generation of urban planning research has heralded the transportation, land use, and public health benefits arising from a balanced supply of local land uses, including the improved feasibility for pedestrian travel. However, land use mixing has largely remained a transportation-land use planning goal without a conceptually valid set of environmental indicators quantifying this multifaceted spatial phenomenon. In this study, we incorporated activity-based transportation planning and landscape ecology theory within a confirmatory factor analysis framework to introduce a land use mix construct indicative of the paired landscape pattern aspects of composition and configuration. We found that our activity-related land use mix measure, and not the commonly adopted entropy-based index, predicted walk mode choice and home-based walk trip frequency when operationalized at three geographic scales.

Baseline Synthesis and Microsimulation of Life-stage Transitions within an Agent-based Integrated Urban Model

Abstract: This paper presents baseline synthesis and microsimulation of life-stage transitions within an agent-based integrated Transport Land Use and Energy (iTLE) modeling system. The baseline synthesis involves generation of synthetic population and vehicle ownership level synthesis. Synthetic population in generated in two stages: (1) generation of synthetic population at the dissemination area (DA) level, controlling for household- and individual-level attributes; and (2) allocation of the synthetic population at the micro-spatial unit of parcel using a logit-link model. Vehicle ownership synthesis involves a multinomial logit model to determine the vehicle ownership level for the base year. The life-stages of the synthetic population are simulated longitudinally at a yearly simulation time-step within the iTLE framework. The simulated life-stages include: aging, birth, death, in-migration, out-migration, and household formation. The iTLE is coded in the C# DotNET programming platform. A 100% synthetic population is generated for Halifax, Canada. The baseline synthesis and life-stage simulation results are satisfactory. For instance, population synthesis results suggest that around 62.81% of the DAs show an error percentage range of -5% to +5%.

Evidence-Based Transit and Land Use Sketch Planning Using Interactive Accessibility Methods on Combined Schedule and Headway-Based Networks

There is a need for indicators of transportation–land use system quality that are understandable to a wide range of stakeholders and that can provide immediate feedback on the quality of interactively designed scenarios. Location-based accessibility indicators are promising candidates, but indicator values can vary strongly depending on time of day and transfer wait times. Capturing this variation increases complexity, slowing calculations. This paper presents new methods for rapid yet rigorous computation of accessibility metrics, allowing immediate feedback during early-stage transit planning while being rigorous enough for final analyses. The approach is statistical, characterizing the uncertainty and variability in accessibility metrics related to differences in departure time and headway-based scenario specification. The analysis was carried out on a detailed multimodal network model including both public transportation and streets. Land use data were represented at high resolution. These methods were implemented as open-source software running on a commodity cloud infrastructure. Networks were constructed from standard open data sources, and scenarios were built in a map-based web interface. A case study is presented, describing how these methods were applied in a long-term transportation planning process for an urbanized, polycentric Randstad region in the Netherlands.

Combinatorial connectivity and spectral graph analytics for urban public transportation system

Abstract Spatial structural analytics have increased importance in recent years as a helpful tool for decision making as well as public operators’ commitment in integrated transport planning and land use. Analysis of complex systems remains the domain of excellence to grasp for control complexity. The public transportation transit system assessment targets two important aspects of public transport network: the organizational diagnosis and the technical diagnosis. Theoretical foundations derived from order theory (combinatorial connectivity, spectral graphs analysis) provide interesting solutions to study exchanges and flows in a system. These are systemic tools well suited to big linked data analytics. Various applications exist in the areas of computer networks, social networks analysis, economic analysis and, knowledge discovery. This paper involves simplicial algebra and centrality based on spectral graphs for the discovery of the organization and the existing linkage between transport supply given by the routes served by transport (bus, tram, metro, train) and demand resulted in attractive spatial zones (stop stations generators). The case study concerns the analysis of urban transportation systems of the city of Valenciennes (France). However, the approach remains valid for other networks without any alterations or modifications.

Comparative Analysis of QOL in Station Areas between Cities at Different Development Stages, Bangkok and Nagoya

Abstract As sustainable transport systems need to secure long-term benefits of users, it is useful to compare the social benefits of land-use transport development between cities at different development stages based on different values of local residents. In Asian developing megacities, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) has recently been developed to calm serious traffic congestion at an early development stage, facing rapid motorisation. On the other hand, large cities in Japan have experienced long-term MRT development at a late development stage, but they need improvement of the system, facing ageing society. Both cities are required to have new quality of land-use transport systems in the different contexts of value changes of local residents. This study aims to compare Quality of Life (QOL) for residential location in station areas between Bangkok in Thailand and Nagoya in Japan. The result clarifies their difference in perceived quality of transit-oriented development with the QOL index that composes indicators of life elements and values in preference for them.

Evaluation of the land carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas and the identification of risk factors

Analyzing the risk factors in the land carrying capacity system of major grain-producing areas is crucial for the optimization of land management by decision makers. For that purpose, the major grain-producing areas (Heilongjiang Province) in China are used as an example, with 17 indicators, such as resource, social, economic, coordinated development of an ecological subsystem, selection of the coordination degree of water and soil, effective irrigation rate, grain yield and environmental protection investment rate. This paper establishes an evaluation index system for the land carrying capacity. In addition, on the basis of the values of each index, the initial values were obtained via multiple interval stochastic weight assignments; the evaluation criteria and the land carrying capacity level were determined using a cloud model, and the major risk factors were determined using the degree of risk for each index. The results indicated that the evaluation criteria for the land carrying capacity can be categorized within level I [0.02, 0.24], level II [0.24, 0.40], level III [0.40, 0.55], level IV [0.55, 0.70] and level V [0.70, 0.91]. The land carrying capacity exhibited a continuous rise at each observation station during representative years. The industrial structure and regional development directly affected the land carrying capacity. Therefore, the evaluation results were concluded to be reliable. The risk factors for the land carrying capacity system were different at different periods of time; they included the effective irrigation rate and net income per capita between 2001 and 2008 and transportation land use, solid waste and fertilizer consumption between 2009 and 2013. In addition, between 2001 and 2013, the risk source for the land carrying capacity system transitioned from economic and social subsystems to ecological and social subsystems. The research results provide a decision-making reference for the development, improvement and management of land resources in the study area.

Urban planning in Qatar: strategies and vision for the development of transit villages in Doha

ABSTRACTDoha, the capital city of the State of Qatar, has went through a fast growth in its economy and transformation of its built environment. Currently, major urban public transit systems are under construction. This paper looks at Souq Waqif station and its surrounding neighbourhood as one of the new transit hubs of Qatar. The district is located in the core of Doha and plays a significant role in the social, economic and particularly culture, as a way of life, of the people in Qatar. Within the context of Doha, there is an urge to implement transit villages, also defined as transit-oriented developments (TODs), in most of the existing centres along the rail network. A TOD is a mixed use commercial and residential area designed to maximise access to public transport and to encourage transit ridership. Therefore, it is critical to understand the benefits and impacts that TODs would invite in this context before investing large funds in developing them. The research empirically investigates the level at which transit villages can be implemented and also formed within the built environment of Doha. It is argued that this strategy and vision would encourage sustainable development by supporting better transport integration and land use. The aim is to assess and promote sustainable developments integration in the city of Doha through controlling increasing traffic and planning for transit villages. In order to develop a strategy for intervention, the existing TOD case study of Yeerongpilly in Australia was analysed, followed by the exploration of the conditions of the existing Souq Waqif area. The assessment of the Souq Waqif allowed judgments of the existing development to be made, which in turn leads to the draft of potential recommendations and suggestions for the formation and implementation of transit villages in Doha.

Arnold Bennett, transport and urban development

ABSTRACTLiterary geography, pioneered in the first half of the twentieth century, is now a well-established field of research. English novelist and journalist Arnold Bennett is one of many literary artists whose works have been studied by geographers. This article examines Bennett's writings in order to explore how changing modes and spatial patterns of transport influence landscape, land use and urban morphology. It demonstrates his geographical understanding of the role and influence of transport in regional development and on the landscape, thus emphasising Bennett's ability to describe and explain these phenomena using the trained sensibilities of the novelist. Examples are drawn from Bennett's native Potteries district and from other areas familiar to him, both in England and on the European continent.