Affordable Transportation Research Articles

Exploring the changes in travel behavior between the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka

The COVID-19 outbreak created immense disruptions in our daily lives. Travel is one of the major areas severely impacted by the pandemic. Bangladesh experienced two waves of COVID-19 between March 2020 and July 2021. Although several studies focused on significant changes in the travel behavior of urban road users before and during the pandemic, hardly any research examined the differences between the two waves. Hence, it was important to study the differences in travel behavior between the two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how the effects of travel restrictions, health concerns, and the severity of the pandemic on people's travel decisions change over time. This study intends to investigate the changes in travel behavior between the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka and the factors that influence these changes. Data were collected through online questionnaire surveys using the Google form. Voluntary response and convenience sampling techniques were used to collect responses from 447 people in Dhaka. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were conducted to analyze the data. In addition, two multinomial logistic models were developed to identify the factors behind the changes in travel behavior. This study reveals that work and shopping trips increased, whereas work-from-home and online shopping somewhat decreased during the second pandemic wave compared to the first pandemic wave. Most non-car owners who reduced their use of public transportation during the first pandemic increased their use during the second wave. There was no significant increase in the use of active transport modes for work and shopping trips in Dhaka. The perceived risk of COVID-19 infection was relatively lower during the second wave, influencing the respondents to travel more frequently for work and shopping purposes. Ensuring more adaptive public transportation, flexibility to work from home, and creating supportive infrastructures for active transport modes might help to provide a safe, affordable, and efficient transportation system for all during the future waves of the pandemic and other unprecedented events.

‘Hai, Man! . . . We Don’t Have Democracy’! The Transport Crisis and Working-Class De-Citizenship in South Africa: Khayelitsha, Cape Town

Affordable and safe public transport underpins effective citizenship and freedom as well as work. Citizens expect the democratic state to be caring and reciprocal. Using in-depth interviews with residents and community leaders in Khayelitsha, we look at how worsening public and private transport – mainly mini-bus taxis – not only significantly extends the working day but also destroys political hopes – a process called de-citizenship. We show how mobilities are fundamentally rooted in radically bifurcated spaces of classed citizenship – a new class apartheid – in turn reflecting the structural contradictions of Cape Town and its class struggles.

Are New Campus Mobility Trends Causing Health Concerns?

An influx of new mobility trends such as fare-free bus transportation, ride hail, and e-scooter services to improve access and affordability of transportation on campus may be shifting the travel behavior of campus patrons such that it affects their long-term health outcomes. The main research questions explored in this study are as follows: (1) why university patrons choose new modes of travel?; (2) what existing mode did the new modes of travel replace for the riders?; and (3) is the average body mass index (BMI) of users primarily using non-motorized transit options lower than those using motorized or both (referred to as hybrid) for on-campus travel needs? An online survey was administered to a campus community (n = 3309) including students (48%), faculty (15%), and staff (37%) in fall of 2018 when fare-free bus transportation and e-scooters became available on campus, and a gradual increase in ridership of ride-hail services was simultaneously observed. This study found that campus patrons were more inclined to replace active modes of travel with affordable and accessible modes of transportation, thereby substituting their walking or biking routine with app-based transportation services. The mean BMI among travelers who chose motorized transportation modes was more than active travelers, and the BMI was statistically significantly associated with age, gender, race, class standing (undergraduate/graduate), and residence on/off campus. This study concludes with suggestions to prevent substitution of active with non-active transport choices and provides policy guidelines to increase awareness on achieving physical activity levels through active modes of travel for university patrons.

The first mile towards access equity: Is on-demand microtransit a valuable addition to the transportation mix in suburban communities?

As cities grow, the benefits of living in them are increasingly unequally distributed. USA cities, in particular, have experienced rapid suburbanization of poverty and decreased levels of access to jobs for transit-dependent and vulnerable communities. The public transit challenges in suburbs call for innovative forms of transit to turn the tide on urban inequality. On-demand microtransit, a novel type of shared mobility provides efficient, convenient and affordable transportation. Its potential for redressing inequity had yet to be investigated fully in a suburban setting. We presented a case study from the suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota, USA. We combined unique datasets of microtransit ridership from two public transit agencies, transit surveys, land use data, and expert interviews, to conduct spatial analysis, accessibility analysis, and equity impact assessments for these suburbs. We found that microtransit enables public transit agencies to reach a larger number of vulnerable riders than fixed-route transit, particularly for commuting and trips to/from commercial areas. Microtransit also provided a cheaper alternative to ride-hailing and a faster alternative to public transit and walking, without cannibalizing ridership from fixed-rout transit alternatives. Finally, microtransit redressed transportation inequities by alleviating access inequality, reaching vulnerable rider groups effectively, and creating travel opportunities that are less spatially concentrated than those provided by traditional, fixed-route public transit. This study provided a framework for further investigations into the impact of microtransit, including in urban core or rural settings, and highlighted the impact of microtransit in reducing access inequity in a suburban environment.

Sizing of Multicopter Air Taxis—Weight, Endurance, and Range

In the near future, urban air mobility (UAM) will let an old dream of human society come true: affordable and fast air transportation for almost everyone. Among the various existing designs, the multicopter configuration best combines the advantages of compactness, simplicity, and maturity. These aspects are important for actual use, particularly during the early stage of this market. This study elaborates on the design principles of UAM multicopters by examining existing models in terms of their configuration, weight, and range specifications. In particular, the weights of the different components are estimated based on empirical models, aerodynamic fundamentals for the analysis of UAM multicopters are derived from momentum theory, and the power and energy requirements for hovering and cruise flight are evaluated, thereby enabling estimation of the maximum hovering time and flight range. Finally, a sizing method is introduced and validated against an actual UAM design.

Pemetaan Ilmiah Topik Penelitian Perluasan Layanan Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Trans Jateng

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one of the types of bus-based public transportation that provides fast, convenient, and affordable urban transportation. The BRT service in Central Java is called Trans Jateng and is managed by the Transportation Agency of Central Java Province. The operational concept of Trans Jateng is to serve routes that connect urban agglomeration areas in the province of Central Java. Trans Jateng plans to develop future services grouped into service corridors based on the existing development areas in Central Java, including the Kedungsepur, Wanarakuti, Banglor, Bregasmalang, Petanglong, Subosukowonosraten, Barlingmascakeb, and Purwomanggung agglomerations. In addition to opening new corridors, the development of Trans Jateng BRT services can also be carried out by expanding existing services; therefore, a comprehensive study is essential to monitor and track the progress of the research. This paper will map the literature on service expansion, BRT, and Trans Jateng. The literature database was taken from Google Scholar and analyzed using the VOSviewer tool with a mapping of previous research. The results of this research are highly useful for understanding the current development of research on the expansion of Trans Jateng BRT services in the future.

Unmet health-care needs among older adults living alone in Thailand

The present study examined unmet health-care needs (UHN) among older adults living alone in Thailand. This study had two specific objectives: (i) to analyze the effect of living alone on UHN using a matched sample obtained from a propensity score matching method and (ii) to analyze the sociodemographic determinants of UHN using the entire sample of data. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were employed, along with Thailand’s 2019 Health and Welfare Survey dataset. The findings indicated that older people living alone experienced 1.613 (confidence interval [CI]: 1.066 – 2.440) times more UHN than those living with others (Objective 1). Moreover, older people with low incomes and chronic diseases experienced 1.391 (CI: 1.015 – 1.923) and 5.629 (CI: 4.375 – 7.243) times more UHN than their counterparts (Objective 2). Non-medical costs and a lack of social support facilitating access to health care (e.g., a lack of caretakers to bring older people to health-care providers and a lack of affordable transportation options) may have been the primary causes of the high UHN rate for these groups, as indicated in previous studies. Thus, the government should continue its efforts to alleviate these issues. Specifically, the existing community health volunteer program should prioritize older people living alone who need caretakers during illness. Local health authorities should support the program by offering health emergency vehicles, especially to those living outside major cities with limited transportation options to access health-care providers. The government should also increase the old-age allowance to enhance the financial independence of older people and extend the current telemedicine services to district hospitals and community health centers. Such measures have significantly improved health-care access for low-income older people who do not have extra resources to travel to health-care providers and chronically ill older people who need regular health care in Thailand.

An Empirical Study on the Tourist Cognitive Evaluations of Tourism Public Services in Xinjiang Province, China

In the post-pandemic era, there has been a noticeable increase in tourism demand in China, and the comprehensive driving role of tourism in the national economy and social development has become more pronounced. Tourism public service providers, which are led by the government, urgently need to consider methods for enhancing the efficacy of public services in tourism to meet tourist demands, methods for further attracting more visitors, and methods for achieving sustainable and high-quality development in the tourism industry. However, despite the continuous enrichment and enhancement of the content and quality of tourism public services by Chinese government departments, the current research on government-provided tourism public services in underdeveloped areas is still relatively scarce in terms of tourists’ cognitive evaluations. Therefore, this study focuses on five 5A-rated scenic areas in Xinjiang, where 1122 valid questionnaires were distributed. In using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, we established an evaluation system for Xinjiang’s tourism public services. Paired sample t-tests and importance–performance analyses (IPA) were employed to assess the importance and satisfaction of the aforementioned indicators. The results showed the following: (1) The tourism public service quality scale comprised 47 measurement items across four dimensions and exhibited high reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. (2) The average satisfaction score across the 47 indicators was 3.90, thus indicating a favorable assessment of Xinjiang’s tourism public services by visitors. In addition, the highest satisfaction noted was in well-established safety assurance mechanisms (4.46), and the lowest was recorded in facial recognition entry systems (3.35). (3) The IPA results suggest that aspects such as comprehensive traffic guidance signage, affordability of transportation, and convenience of access are factors that require maintenance. Clear safety guidelines and warning systems, truthful promotion, and emphasis on protecting tourist rights are in the potential advantage area. The promotion of paid leave policies requires moderate attention, while intelligent parking lots, electronic all-in-one cards for scenic areas, and one-click rescue indicators necessitate improvement. These research findings have significant practical implications for the construction of public services in Xinjiang’s tourism.

Determining Usage Intention for the Sustainability of Public Transport in Northern Cyprus Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Transportation plays an important role in serving economic, social, political, and population mobility. Public transport is gaining importance for providing sustainability, such as by reducing traffic congestion, noise levels, providing better air quality, and contributing to public health. Public transportation facilities are undeveloped in Northern Cyprus, and only buses and minibuses are available. Many people are ready to shift to public transportation if safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options are available. The theory of planned behaviour was used, and an online survey including 33 questions was conducted with the contributions of 385 participants. All variables of the theory of planned behaviour have a greater than 0.70 Cronbach’s alpha value; therefore, multiple linear regression analysis with the SPSS V27 program was conducted to detect the impact of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on behavioural intention. Note that 32.2% of intention is indicated by attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. The study concluded that subjective norms and perceived behavioural control have a positive influence on behavioural intention. Attitude is not a predictor of behavioural intention. Subjective norms are the strongest (β = 0.438, p < 0.001), and perceived behavioural control is the weakest (β = 0.438, p < 0.001) predictor of public transport usage intention.

Travel behaviour differences among people with disabilities: A cluster analysis of accessible taxi users before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionPeople with disabilities (PWD) represent the largest minority group in Canada. Many municipalities have implemented paratransit services and subsidized accessible taxi services to provide affordable and equitable transport choices for PWD. However, few scholars have examined who is using these services and how they use them, making it challenging to assess the social impacts of paratransit projects. This study helps to address this knowledge gap through its examination of the differences in travel behaviour among PWD who use accessible taxi services in Toronto, Canada. Specifically, our study engages four research questions: (1) who are accessible taxi service users? (2) how are individuals using accessible taxi services? (3) are there different groups of users based on their travel behaviour? and, (4) how has travel behaviour changed in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic? MethodsThis article employs a cluster analysis to categorize users based on their travel habits and patterns and examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their travel behaviour. Study data includes approximately one million trips made by 40,000 users between June 2018 and June 2021. ResultsThe study identifies five distinct user profiles among accessible taxi users. During the pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the number of PWD using accessible taxi services, particularly for occasional users. Conversely, the percentage of users who made health-related trips increased. Additionally, the findings suggest that PWD who continued or started using accessible taxi services during the pandemic are more likely to be among the most socially disadvantaged groups. ConclusionsThis study can help transit service providers and policymakers better understand the different types of paratransit users and improve services. Additionally, the findings contribute to the existing literature on addressing transport-related social exclusion in Toronto, which is largely focused on population groups with low-income and affordability issues, and not disability.

Money, Violence and Power: Towards Understanding the South African Minibus Taxi Industry

ABSTRACT: The article seeks to add to the understanding of the South African minibus taxi industry, where violence plays a central role in enabling accumulation and regulating order. Qualitative interviews, reviews of documents and participant observations show how different parts of the minibus taxi industry benefit from, or are disadvantaged by, their respective positions within the industry and their relationship with the broader motor vehicle sector and state. It focuses on how little impact state policies and interventions have had over the forty years of the existence of the minibus taxi industry. Instead of becoming a blueprint for black middle-class formation, relatively few individuals – called taxi bosses – who resemble the mafia within the taxi industry and parts of the formal private sector and the state have benefited from the development of a particular set of extra-legal, social, economic and political relations. In contrast, the majority of taxi drivers and owners of taxi vehicles continue to be marginalised from achieving decent livelihoods and accumulating wealth, while commuters are not provided with safe and affordable public transport.

Identifying and prioritising barriers to injury care in Northern Malawi, results of a multifacility multidisciplinary health facility staff survey.

The burden of injuries globally and in Malawi is substantial. Optimising both access to, and quality of, care in health systems requires attention. We aimed to establish how health facility staff in Karonga, Malawi, perceive barriers to seeking (delay 1), reaching (delay 2) and receiving (delay 3) injury care. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of health facility staff who treat patients with injuries in all health facilities serving the Karonga Demographic Surveillance Site population. The primary outcome was participant perceptions of the importance of delays 1 to 3 following injury. Secondary outcomes were the barriers within each of these delays considered most important and which were considered the most important across all delays stages. 228 staff completed the survey: 36.8% (84/228) were female and 61.4% (140/228) reported being involved in caring for an injured person at least weekly. Delay 3 was most frequently considered the most important delay 35.1% (80/228), with 19.3% (44/228) and 16.6% (38/228) reporting delays 1 and 2 as the most important respectively; 28.9% (66/228) of respondents either did not know or answer. For delay 1 the barrier, "the perceived financial costs associated with seeking care are too great", was considered most important. For delay 2, the barrier "lack of timely affordable emergency transport (formal or informal)" was considered most important. For delay 3, the barrier, "lack of reliably available necessary physical resources (infrastructure, equipment and consumable material)" was considered most important. When considering the most important overall barrier across all delays, the delay 3 barrier, "lack of reliably available necessary physical resources" received the most nominations (41.7% [95/228]). Given the awareness of health facility staff of the issues facing their patients, these findings should assist in informing health system planning.

Comprehensive Design Analysis of Economical E‐Bike Charger with IoT‐Empowered System for Real‐Time Parameter Monitoring

The demand for electrically powered transportation is increasing exponentially due to high fuel prices and global environmental issues. The use of electric bikes is increasing rapidly within urban mobility. The current E‐bike chargers are expensive and fail to provide proper authentication, real‐time monitoring, parameter analysis, health maintenance alerts, etc. To meet future demand, the paper presents detailed design procedures and experimental analysis of smart, user‐friendly, economical, and green charging solutions for electric bikes. The research provides an IoT‐based cheap charging facility for different workplaces, organizations, and highway rest areas. Real‐time pricing and parameters are sensed using an IoT module and observed online with a monitoring interface via the ThingSpeak platform. The parameters are visualized using both simulation and hardware analysis. The detailed power converter and high‐frequency transformer design procedure with mathematical equations are presented in the article. The proposed design improves reliability, security, timely maintenance, and system health conditions. The research provides economical off‐board charging stations with smart interfaces that can be accessed by users or service providers through the data cloud. The low‐cost smart charging stations promote the use of electric vehicles and decrease the charging anxiety of users. The proposed scheme reduces emissions problems, improves the air quality index, and facilitates people with affordable and reliable transportation.

Developing an agent-based microsimulation for predicting the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) demand in developing countries: A case study of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been widely recognised as an affordable and effective mass transport system that can solve various mobility issues in countries that are unable to afford rail-based mass transit options. However, it is extremely challenging to predict the demand for the first BRT service in a city of a developing country with a weak public transport system using aggregate models, given the radical difference in the level of service between the BRT and the existing modes. Further, there can be substantial changes in the activity and travel patterns in a city after the introduction of the BRT which simpler disaggregate level analysis tools are unable to predict. Agent-based simulation tools, which are the state-of-the-art tools for simulating complex travel behaviour, are hence more appropriate for predicting the network conditions after the introduction of a new BRT system. But the application of such simulation tools has been primarily limited to developed countries where the transport landscape and the travel behaviour are very different from the developing countries. To address this gap, this paper presents a demand forecasting model for BRT and integrates it into an activity-based micro-simulation tool in the context of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and one of the fastest growing megacities in the world. The model was developed based on an existing multi-agent, activity-based, travel demand simulator (MATSim). The MATSim implementation in the context of Dhaka focused on two aspects: (1) implementing behaviour models in MATSim to reflect the mode choice in the presence of the proposed BRT (2) integrating multiple data sources (including stated-preference data) for calibrating the mode choice and other components of MATSim to realistically mimic the travel behaviour in the city. Once calibrated, different access scenarios for BRT were simulated using MATSim, and the sensitivity of the outputs to different modelling assumptions is tested. Results from the simulation showed that the marginal utility of travel time, travel cost, and pricing structure of BRT significantly influenced BRT travel demands. Also, BRT demand was found to be the highest (25% of the total trips) in the scenario with multi-modal access/egress connections. While such direct model outputs presented in this paper will be useful for the planners to maximise the ridership of the proposed BRT, the calibrated simulator will be also useful for the evaluation of other innovative transport modes in the context of Dhaka in the future.

Foreign experience in implementing the inclusive city strategy in the EU countries

In the context of continuous urbanization and the formation of urban development strategies, It is necessary to carefully consider the possible impact of this process on social integration. It is known that some cities have successfully used urbanization as a tool for increasing social inclusion, which, in turn, has made them leaders in the field of quality of life. There are several examples of successful urbanization that has led to social integration, and these cities have become leaders in quality of life and comfortable living conditions. Cities such as Vienna (Austria), Melbourne (Australia), Copenhagen (Denmark) and others have developed programs that take into account the needs of all segments of the population when planning the future growth and development of their cities. One of the key aspects that these successful cities prioritize is access to basic services such as education, health, culture, and other social amenities. By ensuring equal access for all members of society, they create a more inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. In addition, these cities often implement policies aimed at reducing inequality by addressing issues such as affordable housing or public transportation.
 While urbanization involves many challenges, including environmental issues or infrastructure burden, it is clear that prioritizing inclusion in urban development leads to better outcomes for all participants. The success stories of leading cities around the world should serve as inspiration for policy makers seeking to build more inclusive communities in their jurisdictions.
 From a public administration perspective, moving to an inclusive city model is essential for shaping a better future and involves developing policies that promote accessibility, equality, and participation for all residents of the country.

Assessing mode-specific transport affordability in a car-centric city

Housing and transport are the two highest costs in household budgets and can significantly impact affordability and quality of life. These costs also impact decisions and require households to make a trade-off between the ease of accessing desired opportunities and the size of their home. Yet studies that have aimed to gain insights into the factors that influence housing and transport affordability to develop policy interventions rely on aggregate or incomplete measures of these associated household costs, potentially obfuscating the trends. This paper aims to enrich understanding of the relationship between housing and transport affordability using data collected from University of Alberta (Canada) students, faculty and staff. It relies on the reported monetary cost of household spending on housing and transport, and estimated travel time cost, as well as information on the transport mode and home location in an effort to confirm the relationship between housing and transport costs and identify policies that can lower generalized costs for households. Based on the analysis, we establish the importance of accounting for the travel time associated with different transport modes in quantifying the generalized cost burden of a household. We also confirm that housing and transport costs change in opposite directions with the increase in distance from the city core. Lastly, policy interventions that lower transport costs via improvements in transit service and land use are identified.

Ammonia as an Energy Carrier for Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage

An emerging energy carrier, ammonia (NH3), has attracted ever-increasing attention due to its high hydrogen content (17.65 wt. %) and its ease of storage, transportation, and handling [1,2]. This work aims to investigate the feasibility of utilizing ammonia as an energy carrier for intermittent renewable energy conversion and storage via an electrochemical flow cell, which includes two independent electrocatalytic processes (Fig. 1): ammonia production via nitrogen reduction and electricity generation via ammonia oxidation [3,4]. Firstly, the effects of structural design and operating parameters on the flow cell performance are investigated. Our preliminary results have shown that the ammonia yield reaches 27.9 μg h−1 mg−1 and the power density reaches 20.7 mW cm-2. Secondly, an in-depth analysis and discussion on the simultaneous transport of mass and charge through the flow cell are conducted. Thirdly, a techno-economic assessment for using ammonia as an energy carrier is performed. These research findings will provide crucial insights into the utilization of ammonia as an energy carrier for renewable energy conversion and storage.AcknowledgementThis work was fully supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 52022003)References[1] Y. Zhao, B.P. Setzler, J. Wang, J. Nash, T. Wang, B. Xu, Y. Yan, An efficient direct ammonia fuel cell for affordable carbon-neutral transportation, Joule, 3 (2019) 2472–2484.[2] Y. Guo, Z. Pan, L. An, Carbon-free sustainable energy technology: Direct ammonia fuel cells, J. Power Sources, 476 (2020) 228454.[3] Y. Liu, Z. Pan, O.C. Esan, X. Xu, L. An, Performance characteristics of a direct ammonia fuel cell with an anion exchange membrane, Energy Fuels, 36 (2022) 13203-13211.[4] Y. Liu, Z. Pan, O.C. Esan, X. Liu, H. Wang, L. An, Efficient electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia with FeNi-Co/carbon mat electrodes, J. Alloys Compd, 927 (2022) 166973.Figure 1. Ammonia as an energy carrier for renewable energy conversion and storage. Figure 1

Climate policy and inequality in urban areas: Beyond incomes

Opposition to climate policies is partly due to their impacts on inequality. But with most economic studies focused on income inequalities, the quantitative spatial effect of economic climate policy instruments is poorly understood. Here, using a model derived from the standard urban model of urban economics, we simulate a fuel tax in Cape Town, South Africa, decomposing its impacts by income class, housing type, and location, and over different timeframes, assuming that agents gradually adapt. We find that in the short term, there are both income and spatial inequalities, with low-income households or suburban dwellers more negatively impacted. These inequalities persist in the medium and long terms, as the poorest households, living in informal or subsidized housing, have few or no ways to adapt to fuel price increases by changing housing type, size or location, or transportation mode. Low-income households living in formal housing are also impacted by the tax over the long term due to complex effects driven by competition with richer households in the housing market. Complementary policies promoting a flexible labor market, affordable public transportation, or subsidies that help low-income households live closer to employment centers will be key to the social acceptability of climate policies.

Commuting barriers to low-wage employment

Lack of access to affordable transportation has been hypothesized to be a barrier to employment among low-wage workers. We build a structural job search model to investigate how commuting costs influence the employment decisions of low-wage workers in the United States, and whether differences in commuting by race and education can explain observed disparities in employment. We find that commuting itself poses a significant barrier to overall low-wage employment, as the associated costs are high relative to potential wages. However, we find that inter-group differences in commuting costs account for a much smaller fraction of inter-group employment disparities than do differences in other labor market factors such as the wage offer distribution and offer arrival rates.

A community-based approach to identifying and prioritising young people’s mental health needs in their local communities

BackgroundIdentifying locally relevant and agreed-upon priorities for improving young people’s mental health, aligned with social and environmental factors, is essential for benefiting target communities. This paper describes a participatory approach to engage young people and professionals in identifying such priorities, whilst considering the social determinants related to them.MethodsWe utilised a community-based participatory approach to support young people and professionals in identifying, reviewing, refining, and prioritising, locally relevant opportunity areas that are crucial for understanding and addressing social determinants of young people’s mental health. We adopted a flexible five-stage process, which enabled greater reflection and adaptation in response to young people’s and professionals’ feedback and reflections.ResultsOver seven months, we engaged with young people and professionals in Northern Devon, (a rural area in southwest England), involving over 290 individuals to identify locally relevant priorities for supporting young people’s mental health. Three priorities were identified for subsequent exploration using co-design approaches: (1) identity and belonging; (2) mental health awareness and literacy; and (3) diverse opportunities (for education, employment and leisure). The engagements suggested that designing initiatives and strategies in these areas could contribute to improvements in young people’s mental health.ConclusionYoung people in Northern Devon prioritised three themes for the next phase of the Kailo Programme—mental health literacy, access to diverse careers and employment opportunities, and identity and belonging within their communities. Rural communities face unique barriers associated with these issues, related to less diverse populations, lack of access to reliable and affordable transport and local industries, and seasonal working. The perceived neglect by authorities towards rural young people has resulted in a lack of activities and opportunities catering to their specific needs, compared to urban areas. Although the government has recognised the need to address these disparities, community members suggest that there is still more work to be done.