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Research Theme: Infrastructure & Transportation

Includes both management/policy and design/building aspects

Advancing Active Transportation Through Mobility Justice and Centering Community

Baquero, B. I., Berney, R., Romano, E. F. T., Hicks, O., Getch, R., Hall, C., Mooney, S. J., Rosenberg, D., Shannon, K. L., Saelens, B. E., & Hoerster, K. D. (2024). Advancing Active Transportation Through Mobility Justice and Centering Community. Health Equity, 8(1), 72–730. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2024.0087

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Abstract

Objectives: We established a community–academic–policy partnership to examine mobility challenges and opportunities by centering members of a diverse South Seattle neighborhood.
Methods: Three participatory research methods were used: (a) 30- to 60-min qualitative interviews with community leaders (n = 12) and members (n = 16); (b) a photovoice with youth (n = 10); and (c) mobility audits. We also engaged extensively in community dissemination and advocacy.
Results: Four major themes emerged: experiences with the built environment; conflicting views on promoting active transportation; experiences of danger, violence, and racism while moving in the community; and pride and connections within the community. Mobility audit findings reinforced many community member messages about needed infrastructure changes. Participants consistently expressed the need for neighborhood and city-wide structural improvements to support transportation and mobility, including enhanced public transportation; better lighting, crosswalks, sidewalks, pavement, and curb cuts; and maintenance of a neighborhood mixed-use trail. Participants shared the importance of community connection while walking, rolling, or using public transit and wanted to maintain this experience.
Conclusions: Collectively, findings identified ways to increase nonmotorized transportation and public transit access, safety, and resilience, centering solutions on communities of color. We disseminated and amplified community recommendations to advance mobility justice in South Seattle via a community forum, developing a website, holding meetings with local leaders, and writing through print and electronic media. A key, novel strength of our project was the addition of community organizations, community–academic partners, and government leaders from the project’s inception. Local leaders should engage in mobility justice-focused community engagement to advance equity.

Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD)

PCAD archives a range of information on the buildings and architects of California, Oregon and Washington. Also included are professionals in other fields who have made an impact on the built environment, such as landscape architects, interior designers, engineers, urban planners, developers, and building contractors. Building records are tied to those of their creators (when known) and include historical and geographical information and images. Bibliographical information, such as magazine and book citations and web sites, has also been linked for creators and their partnerships and structures.

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Awareness, adoption readiness and challenges of railway 4.0 technologies in a developing economy

Awodele, I. A., Mewomo, M. C., Municio, A. M. G., Chan, A. P. C., Darko, A., Taiwo, R., Olatunde, N. A., Eze, E. C., & Awodele, O. A. (2024). Awareness, adoption readiness and challenges of railway 4.0 technologies in a developing economy. Heliyon, 10(4), e25934–e25934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25934

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Abstract

The railway industry has witnessed increasing adoption of digital technologies, known as Railway 4.0, that is revolutionizing operations, infrastructure, and transportation systems. However, developing countries face challenges in keeping pace with these technological advancements. With limited research on Railway 4.0 adoption in developing countries, this study was motivated to investigate the awareness, readiness, and challenges faced by railway professionals towards implementing Railway 4.0 technologies. The aim was to assess the level of awareness and preparedness and identify the key challenges influencing Railway 4.0 adoption in Nigeria's railway construction industry. A questionnaire survey (was distributed to professionals in the railway construction sector to gather their perspectives on awareness of, preparation for, and challenges associated with the use of Railway 4.0 technologies. The results revealed that awareness of Railway 4.0 technologies was moderate, while readiness was low among the professionals. Using exploratory factor analysis, 10 underlying challenge constructs were identified including lack of technical know-how, resistance to change, infrastructure limitations, and uncertainty about benefits, amongst others. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) confirmed these constructs, with reliability and availability, lack of technical know-how, lack of training and resources, and uncertainties in benefit and gains having significant influence on awareness and readiness. The study concludes that focused efforts in training, infrastructure improvement, supportive policies, and communicating the advantages of Railway 4.0 are critical to drive adoption in Nigeria and other developing economies. The findings provide insights into tailoring Railway 4.0 implementation strategies for developing contexts.

Keywords

Railway 4.0; Awareness; Readiness; Challenges; Technologies

The impact of penalties, incentives, and monitoring costs on the stakeholders’ decision-making behaviors in non-compliance drone operations

Wang, X., Yang, Y., Darko, A., Chan, A. P. C., & Chi, H.-L. (2024). The impact of penalties, incentives, and monitoring costs on the stakeholders’ decision-making behaviors in non-compliance drone operations. Technology in Society, 77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102589

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Abstract

As an automated assistive tool, drones have revolutionized industrial activities and brought numerous potential benefits to society. However, irresponsible drone users often disregard compliance with regulations, leading to new challenges in drone usage. Although governments have implemented punishment and incentive mechanisms to prevent non-compliant drone operations, the extent to which they can effectively deter such activities remains unclear. To address this gap, the study employed evolutionary game theory to assess the impacts of penalties for non-compliance, incentives for public monitoring, and monitoring costs for the government on the multiple stakeholders' decision-making behaviors (SDBs). The study also used the Chinese construction market data to simulate how penalties, incentives, and monitoring costs influence SDBs. The numerical simulations reveal that penalties and incentives could reduce drone users' non-compliant operations, but this effect is useful only if the penalties and incentives exceed a certain value. In China, drone users' non-compliant operations can be controlled when penalties for drone users exceed 12,000 yuan, and incentives for the public's monitoring exceed 170 yuan/day. The current Chinese government's penalties that were administered for non-compliant drone operations have not achieved a deterrent effect, but the incentive is feasible. These findings provide a fresh insight into the decision-making behaviors of stakeholders in non-compliant drone operations. Additionally, the tripartite evolutionary game model developed in this study can assist other countries in determining optimal values for penalties, incentives, and monitoring costs to mitigate non-compliant drone operations effectively.

Post-pandemic transit commute: Lessons from focus group discussions on the experience of essential workers during COVID-19

Ashour, L. A., Shen, Q., Moudon, A., Cai, M., Wang, Y., & Brown, M. (2024). Post-pandemic transit commute: Lessons from focus group discussions on the experience of essential workers during COVID-19. Journal of Transport Geography, 116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103832

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Abstract

Public transit services, which provide a critical lifeline for many essential workers, were severely interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. As institutions gradually return to normal in-person operations, it is critical to understand how the pandemic affected essential workers' commute and what it will take to ensure the effective recovery of transit ridership and enhance the long-term resiliency and equity of public transportation systems for those who need it the most. This study used focus group discussions with essential workers who were pre-pandemic transit riders to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their commute perceptions, experiences, motives, and challenges and explore the potential changes in their travel behavior post-pandemic. We used NVivo 12 Pro to conduct a thematic analysis of the transcripted discussion data and examined patterns of commute mode change with respect to participants' attributes, including job type, home location, and gender. The results show that public transit had multiple reliability and frequency challenges during the pandemic, which resulted in most participants switching away from public transportation. With the increased availability of hybrid remote work and pandemic-related parking policies, driving emerged as a safer and more affordable commute mode for many pre-pandemic transit riders, rendering transit services less efficient for those who continued to rely on it. Planning for post-COVID resilient and reliable mobility requires a major rethinking of providing an efficient and effective transport system and a more fundamental approach to long-term public transport policy. To recover transit ridership, transit agencies need to ensure transit service availability and provide reliable transit information through smartphone apps. Similarly, transit agencies need to coordinate with other employers to provide free or heavily subsidized transit passes, to facilitate the recovery of transit demand effectively.

Keywords

Essential workers; Commute; Public transit; Focus group discussions; COVID-19 pandemic; Post-pandemic

Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Roadway Infrastructure

Ashtiani, M, Lewis, M., Waldman, B., Simonen, K. (2024) Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Roadway Infrastructure. Carbon Leadership Forum.

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Abstract

The CLF Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Roadway Infrastructure is one of several CLF’s Toolkit series that serve as abstract references for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers that are collectively targeted at understanding, estimating, and reducing embodied carbon within the context of buildings and infrastructure. This Toolkit, with a focus on the embodied carbon from building the roadway infrastructure, presents an overview of embodied carbon concepts and accounting mechanisms and provides a summary of critical steps to be taken for reducing climate change impacts of roadways. The Toolkit, in three parts, is intended to guide transportation agencies and other related stakeholders into a decarbonized future by:
-Introducing embodied carbon and its major sources within the context of roadway infrastructure construction.
-Highlighting the significant role of the transportation infrastructure in contributing to climate change impacts.
-Providing a summary of standard methodologies in accounting for embodied carbon through life cycle assessment (LCA).
-Summarizing available tools to conduct LCA for roadway infrastructure as a whole and its constituent components.
-Proposing the most impactful current and future strategies in reducing embodied carbon from the roadway infrastructure.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory from Roadway Construction: Case Study for the Washington State Department of Transportation

Ashtiani, M. Z., Huang, M., Lewis, M. C., Palmeri, J., & Simonen, K. (2024). Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory from Roadway Construction: Case Study for the Washington State Department of Transportation. Transportation Research Record, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241233278

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Abstract

Recent emphasis on actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has pushed many state departments of transportation (DOTs) to develop carbon accounting practices compatible with their current standard data collection and storage guidelines. Once accurate and reliable accounting of GHG emissions is established, strategies can be formed that could help mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of materials used by state DOTs. To date, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has not conducted comprehensive research on the embodied carbon within its construction material usage (i.e., upstream Scope 3 emissions inventory of procured materials) with most previous carbon accounting practices being focused on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (i.e., the carbon footprint of direct and indirect energy usage). This paper summarizes the results of a life cycle assessment on the agency-wide material procurements and construction operations that emit GHGs at WSDOT as a case study. This study uses several data sources from WSDOT in conjunction with publicly available life cycle emissions factor data to estimate GHG emissions attributed to the materials used to build and maintain roadways under WSDOT’s jurisdiction. Results indicate that upstream Scope 3 emissions for WSDOT as an agency is a significant contributor to its overall GHG emissions inventory. Specifically, between 2017 and 2022, this paper estimates an average annual upstream Scope 3 emissions of 310,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents, which translates to 56% of the total annual GHG emissions including Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

UW researchers issue state-level policy recommendations for transit-oriented development

CBE Researchers developed a report “Finding Common Ground: Best Practices for Policies Supporting Transit-Oriented Development,” with the Mobility Innovation Center and led by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research.  Project Team: Mason Virant, Associate Director, Washington Center for Real Estate Research Christian Phillips, Urban Design and Planning PhD Program Steven C. Bourassa, PhD Director, Washington Center for Real Estate Research Arthur Acolin, Associate Professor, Runstad Department of Real Estate Visit the project page here.

Examining commute mode choice of essential workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic – A case study of the University of Washington

Cai, M., Shen, Q., Wang, Y., Brown, M., Ban, X., & Ashour, L. A. (2024). Examining commute mode choice of essential workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic – A case study of the University of Washington. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 15, 101129-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2023.101129

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Abstract

During disruptive events and major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers, defined in this study as employees who must continue to make frequent commute trips, play a critical role in maintaining the basic function of society. It is therefore vital for transportation planners and policymakers to ensure that adequate mobility services are provided to meet the travel needs of this group of workers. To better understand essential workers' mobility barriers and inform future transportation policy, this research examines their pre-and during-pandemic commutes, as well as prospects on future commuting, using data from the Transportation Needs Assessment Survey conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle. The results show that, first, over 60% of pre-pandemic public transit riders switched to other modes, especially driving alone. In contrast, almost all the essential workers who drove alone, biked, or walked before the pandemic continued to do so during the pandemic. Second, the shift to driving alone was most pronounced among essential workers with high incomes, whereas public transit remained as a primary mode choice of lower-income groups. As travel distance increased, the probability of driving alone over public transit also went up, although the relationship was not linear. We did not find consistently significant associations between mode choice and other sociodemographic variables. Finally, our analysis indicated that most essential workers anticipated to return to their pre-pandemic commute frequency and mode choice when the pandemic is under control. Transportation planners and policymakers can facilitate mobility for essential workers through planning and policy innovations, especially during disruptive events and major crises.

Keywords

Essential workers; Transportation equity; Mode choice; Commuting; COVID-19