2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
[077] Toward Establishing Transportation Planning Methodologies for Hillside Cities: Proposal of a Roadmap and Identification of Current Research Gaps
Keywords:topography, transportation planning, accessibility, travel behavior, hillside cities, roadmap
Although the topography of many hillside cities worldwide affects the mobility of people when walking and cycling, there is no concrete methodology to address this issue in transportation planning. This study proposes a roadmap (1) to establish methodologies for including the impact of topography on behaviors in planning and (2) to identify the current research gaps. First, the study defines the required perspectives: the physical burden of topography on individual mobility while walking and cycling, the influence of topography on travel behavior, measures to assess the mobility environment in hillside cities, the relationship between the assessment and transportation policy, and countermeasures and their benefits.
The review of previous studies and theories led to the roadmap proposal. The review intended to reveal the impact of topography and theoretically and logically reflect it in the practical transportation planning process. The proposed roadmap consists of the following parts: assessing mobility, describing travel behaviors, assessing mobility environments, and describing policy and countermeasures. Findings from the health science field, which examined physical burdens due to topography, aided mobility assessment. Travel behavior analyses of topographical variables revealed the impact of topography on behaviors. The theory of accessibility, particularly the utility-based accessibility measures, connected behavior mechanisms and the assessment. Further, transportation policy defined the range of accessibility that they vouch for travelers, which served as assessment thresholds. The policy had to be discussed alongside the district’s vision and was
the same for the benefit calculations.
The roadmap identified the current research gaps. There were a few significant gaps at the intersection of fields, such as the gap between physical burden and travel behavior mechanism and the gap between travel behavior and accessibility measures. Furthermore, there were gaps in indices or standards, such as methodologies to describe topography in models or accessibility thresholds. This proposal and the identification of current research gaps will accelerate the concrete movement toward establishing methodologies to reflect topography impacts in transportation planning for hillside cities.
The review of previous studies and theories led to the roadmap proposal. The review intended to reveal the impact of topography and theoretically and logically reflect it in the practical transportation planning process. The proposed roadmap consists of the following parts: assessing mobility, describing travel behaviors, assessing mobility environments, and describing policy and countermeasures. Findings from the health science field, which examined physical burdens due to topography, aided mobility assessment. Travel behavior analyses of topographical variables revealed the impact of topography on behaviors. The theory of accessibility, particularly the utility-based accessibility measures, connected behavior mechanisms and the assessment. Further, transportation policy defined the range of accessibility that they vouch for travelers, which served as assessment thresholds. The policy had to be discussed alongside the district’s vision and was
the same for the benefit calculations.
The roadmap identified the current research gaps. There were a few significant gaps at the intersection of fields, such as the gap between physical burden and travel behavior mechanism and the gap between travel behavior and accessibility measures. Furthermore, there were gaps in indices or standards, such as methodologies to describe topography in models or accessibility thresholds. This proposal and the identification of current research gaps will accelerate the concrete movement toward establishing methodologies to reflect topography impacts in transportation planning for hillside cities.