Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Density Of Demand And The Consumer Benefit From Uber, Matthew H. Shapiro

Research Collection School Of Economics

Uber has attracted the attention of economists and policy makers for its innovations in the taxicab market and its potential for significant consumer welfare gains. The size of this gain depends in part on whether these innovations permit transactions previously costly or infeasible. Using New York City — the largest taxi market in the country — as its context, this paper estimates the level of any technological advantage Uber has over hail taxis in matching to consumers. I combine publicly available transportation data with data scraped from Uber and traffic cameras to estimate a model of the demand for transportation …

Producer Services: An Engine For High-Wage Job Growth, Spencer Cook, Eric Thompson

Business in Nebraska

Producer services providers are firms that sell services primarily to the business community rather than to individuals and households. Many producer services businesses are classified in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Service (PSTS) industry. Accounting firms, consultants, and computer design services are prominent examples of PSTS businesses that are worth studying for three reasons:

1. SUPPORT OF OTHER INDUSTRIES: PSTS industries supply the broader business community, making them a critical segment of the economy.

2. RAPID HIGH WAGE JOB GROWTH: Many PSTS industries are rapidly growing and pay high wages. The producer services sector, in fact, is the principal source …

Traffic Scorecard In Mountain West Cities, Kelliann Beavers, Eshaan Vakil, Katie M. Gilbertson, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This fact sheet presents congestion and mobility trends in 14 Mountain West cities as compiled by INRIX Research and author Trevor Reed, in the Global Traffic Scorecard, March 2020. The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard examines the impact of vehicle travel on 975 congested cities in the world; this fact sheet focuses on the Mountain West, providing insight on the ranking and impacts of congestion. This fact sheet also supplements INRIX’s scorecard with population data from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide context for the rankings.

Public Cleanliness Satisfaction Survey [2019], Paulin Straughan, Mathews Mathew

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Singapore Management University undertook the third wave of the Public Cleanliness Satisfaction Survey (PCSS) with 1716 Singapore resident respondents providing responses before the start of the Circuit Breaker.

The 2019 wave of the PCSS continued to reflect the overall satisfaction with public cleanliness in Singapore. Satisfaction with cleanliness and cleaning services has improved substantially across all domains.

Ninety three percent of survey respondents were satisfied with the cleanliness of public spaces that they had recently visited, a 9% increase from the findings in 2018.

There was a substantial increase in satisfaction with the cleanliness of food and beverage (F&B) …

Data And Information As Our New Transport Infrastructure: An Exploration Into How The Modern Transport System Is Being Shaped By Information Communication Technology, Adam Davidson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is focuses on the role that data and information has in creating and altering behavior related to transportation. To do so, it lays out a theoretical model of technological transition and then follows it up with three case studies. The theoretical model provides a structure to consider how different actors in our transportation ecosystem – users, firms, policy actors – mix with technological evolution to uphold or incrementally recreate our transportation landscape. The case studies stand on their own to highlight important findings about how data and information are impacting transportation scenarios, but collectively reinforce the theoretical models. …

Self-Determination In Transportation: The Route To Social Inclusion For People With Disabilities, Jessica Murray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

People with disabilities encounter many challenges with transportation but are not usually considered in research about travel behavior and well-being. Research on transportation challenges is often disability-specific even though different access needs can complement or conflict with each other. I argue that disability should be centered in the study of travel and well-being because it magnifies problems that may also frustrate people who do not currently consider themselves disabled. The goal of the dissertation was to identify how basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence apply to the context of transportation and identify ways to measure fulfillment and frustration …

Examining Geographic And Social Barriers To Hiv Treatment Adherence In Kampala, Uganda, Gabrielle Bruser

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With the rapid expansion of HIV treatment programs across sub-Saharan Africa, substantial progress has been made towards universal treatment accessibility in Uganda; however, new healthcare challenges have been emerging, such as the development of drug-resistant HIV, which threaten to undermine achievements made thus far. In order for HIV treatment to be effective, people living with HIV (PLWH) must be highly adherent without missing a single dose, which can be challenging for those also facing difficulties such as financial insecurity. In the context of Kampala, Uganda’s urban capital, it has been suggested that healthcare accessibility is made difficult by several physical …

Transport Sustainability In The United States: Leading From Below, Catherine Ross, Chisun Yoo, Bruce Stiftel

Journal of Comparative Urban Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Spatial And Dwelling Determinants Of Adult Asthma Exacerbations In The North Central Texas Region, Jinat Jahan

Public Affairs Dissertations

Asthma is an important public health concern as it is one of the major chronic diseases and is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. The asthma situation is deteriorating in the North Central Texas. In such degrading condition of asthma, this research is one of the first attempts to investigate both indoor and outdoor environment quality and their relationships with adult asthma exacerbation i.e. adult asthma hospital admission rate in this region. To investigate this, I analyzed the geographical variation of about 12,000 adult patients hospitalized for asthma in the North Central Texas (NCT) Region and their association with …

Assessment Of Mass Transit In Medellin Colombia - A Case Study, Francisco Wilfred Kessler

Public Affairs Dissertations

In Latin America, the rapid growth of large cities due to a rise of population along with increased urbanization has posed serious challenges in developing adequate infrastructure for mass transit. In these cities the demand for travel has risen sharply exceeding the supply. This case study intends to track the historical development of the City of Medellin, Colombia’s transportation system, to assess the success level of the system and how the unique concept of “social urbanism” that centered on inclusive regional mobility and accessibility was instrumental in the development of its transportation system. Medellín, a city of over 2.5 million …

Using Optimization Methods For Solving Problems In Sustainable Urban Mobility And Conservation Planning, Zulqarnain Haider

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers three separate optimization problems related to sustainable urban and environmental systems. The first problem relates to the nightly relocation and recharging operations for Free-floating electric vehicle sharing (FFEVS) systems. Such operations involve a crew of drivers to move the shared electric vehicles (EVs), and a fleet of shuttles to transport those drivers. Mixed integer programs are used to model the relocation and recharging operations. Two approaches are devised: sequential and synchronized approaches. In the sequential approach, the movement of EVs is first decided, then the routing of shuttles and drivers is determined. In the synchronized approach, all …

Corporate Structures In Transit: Comparing The Development Of Intermunicipal Transit In British Columbia And Ontario And Why Ontario Should Consider Reform, Luke Charlton

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper will argue for changes in the corporate structure of transit authorities in Ontario by contrasting their effectiveness in producing intermunicipal transit with British Columbia’s transit authorities. It is well established that transit is correlated to many benefits: socioeconomic opportunities, increased quality of life, boosting the local economy, and reducing the environmental impact of transportation. However, one area of neglect within Ontario has been the development of intermunicipal transit within Ontario outside of the Greater Toronto Area. British Columbia proves that with a centripetal authority structure (power towards the centre), transit organizations can be adaptive and cooperative. Ontario’s centrifugal …

Transportation Affordability In The Mountain West, Saha Salahi, Kelliann Beavers, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This Fact Sheet highlights “The Most and Least Affordable Cities For Public Transit” in the Mountain West. Extracting from Paul Reynolds’ analysis of over 70 transit system across the United States from 2014 to 2015, this fact sheet focuses on data for the 7 municipalities in the Mountain West: Albuquerque, NM; Ogden, UT; Boulder, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and Denver, CO.

Workshop #3: Transportation And Sheltering Logistics During The 2020 Hurricane Season: After-Action Report (Aar), Converge Nsf Working Group, Joshua G. Behr, Wie Yusuf, Jennifer Marshall, Elizabeth Dunn

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

Participants in the CONVERGE COVID-19 Working Group’s Workshop 3 on Logistics breakout sessions identified key issues that included population considerations, training needs, continuity of operations and resources still available, site planning (i.e., feeding, registration, shelter design, resources, family unity), facility requirements, and supplies needed during a hurricane evacuation.

Operational safety measures and population considerations were mentioned throughout the workshop. This included the need for identifying additional resources, facilities, and staffing to be able to ensure safety is a priority while accommodating social distancing recommendations and the needs of vulnerable populations and staff. Workshop participants emphasized the need to identify new …

The Indian Railways: On Track For Transformation, Philip Charles Zerrillo

Asian Management Insights

Manoeuvring infrastructure and digitisation challenges on a massive track network that runs nearly 70,000 route kilometres.

Rural Transportation Conference Participants’ Opinions And Concerns Pertaining To Transit For Older Adults, James W. Mjelde, Rebekka M. Dudensing, Geoffrey Battista, Jonathan Brooks, Maria Carrillo, Blane Counsil, Anil Giri, Man-Keun Kim, V. Dimitra Pyrialakou

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Mobility remains a vital part of the well-being of rural-living, older adults and transportation disadvantaged persons. This study seeks to identify research and policy needs related to rural transit for older people and the transportation disadvantaged. To obtain this goal, the multidisciplinary study team conducted two activities as part of a 2016 rural transportation conference: a survey of conference attendees and open discussion to elicit additional information. Results suggest the attendees felt the need for rural transit for older adults would continue to increase with public and private funding being critical issues. Respondents had similar opinions about challenges and opportunities …

Refugee Housing In Worcester: A Neighborhood Case Study Of Bell Hill, Tyler Seth Maren

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

This paper examines refugee resettlement practices at the neighborhood level, asking what neighborhood characteristics are conducive to achieving positive integration and housing stability outcomes. Using data from a quantitative study of refugee resettlement case files from Ascentria Care Alliance as a foundation, this research takes the form of an analysis of the Bell Hill neighborhood in Worcester, MA, a major resettlement destination. Using Ascentria data, secondary data sources such as US Census data and the Worcester Assessor’s Database, and site visits, this paper constructs a profile of Bell Hill along four major dimensions: community characteristics, housing, social infrastructure, and physical …

The Nebraska Economy Responds To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Eric Thompson

Business in Nebraska

The Nebraska economy will contract in 2020 but the rate of decline will not be as rapid as nationwide. The economic structure of Nebraska is more focused on production and transportation than the national economy and less focused on hard-hit industries such as hospitality, entertainment, automobile parts and assembly, and oil production. Nebraska also may benefit from a higher quality workforce, which is better able to adapt to changing economic conditions.

Employment will drop by 2.4% in Nebraska in 2020, much less than the national rate of decline. Employment will rebound by 2.0% in 2021 and 1.4% in 2022. With …

Curb-Sided: How Technology Disrupts The American Transportation Planning Process, Mary Angelica Painter

Dissertations

The disruptive arrival of Uber, Lyft, and other transportation network companies (TNCs) into American cities ignited arguments on how policy-makers should regulate such entities. Policy debates started among policymakers, companies, and existing industries and interests. In attempts to persuade policy, actors adopted a variety of language and used different levels of government to achieve policy goals. In almost all cases, TNCs were able to gain favorable policy through image framing and venue shopping – the key components to Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET). This analysis looks at the policy process of three American cities: Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO, and Austin, …

The Effectiveness Of The European Union’S Environmental Policies, Wendolyn Borkoski

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The European Union has some of the highest environmental standards in the world. However, multiple member states fail at reaching the deadlines set by the European Union (EU). This thesis examines the effectiveness of the European Union’s environmental directives on gaining compliance from member states to reach the agreed-upon standards. This is assessed by using three European Union directives from different environmental areas and analyzing their requirements. Each directive represents either a hierarchical policy, negotiated policy, or voluntary policy transfer. This study hypothesizes that the hierarchical policy, represented by EU Directive 2008/98/EC, will be more effective at gaining compliance than …

Planting The Future: A Green Jobs Remediation For The Greater Dayton Area, Jason R. Utz

Student Papers in Local and Global Regional Economies

Situated in southwest Ohio, Dayton has been a vibrant hub of manufacturing for much of its past. As a host for the corporate headquarters of the National Cash Register (NCR) company and Premier Health Network, a major production facility for General Motors (GM), and Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Dayton has been a hotbed of opportunity. But now, with the departure of NCR and GM, Dayton has faced many of the same problems as other semi major cities scattered throughout the Midwest in what is now termed the “rust belt”. Although the city has a modest February unemployment of …

Copenhagenization: The Spread Of The Copenhagen Cycling Gospel; A Case Study In Urban Policy Mobility, Rozaliya Momot

Senior Theses and Projects

Copenhagen is synonymous with biking culture, and is one of the first things people think about in relation to the Danish capital. It has become constructed as a policy model for urban planning, especially for cycling policy, and cities around the world look to it as a "best practice" example. As American cities attempt to change their transportation dynamics and encourage alternate forms of transportation, they increasingly look to cycling as a solution, and refer to Copenhagen as a model. In this thesis, I examine how this model has been packaged and exported by influential Danish consultants and public figures …

Outcomes Of Utilizing Uber Health To Improve Access To Healthcare At An Urban Student Run Free Clinic, Ciara Ivanics Ms, Emily Lau, Julie Fynke Mph, Ralph Williams Md, Juliann Binienda Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: The patient population of the Robert R. Frank Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) often cite transportation as their most significant barrier to receiving care. Utilization of ridesharing services may reduce this barrier and improve patient adherence to clinic appointments.

Methods: All patients at the SRFC from February 2019 through November 2019 were offered participation in this IRB-approved randomized control trial (n=37). The intervention group was offered a roundtrip, free, pre-scheduled Uber Health ride, while the control group was offered free public transportation or utilized their own transportation. Participants received an appointment reminder by phone within two days of their …

Variability In U.S. Labor Markets: A Presentation To The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute, Michael Horrigan

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Traffic Congestion In F.C.T: Demand And Supply Approach, Ibrahim Abdul, Salihu Habibu Mohammed Gani, Ibrahim G. Umaru

Bullion

This study examined traffic congestion in Abuja metropolis, F.C.T.- Nigeria using demand and supply approach. The study adopted survey research design. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to analysed the data with the aid of tables and graphs. It was discovered that as a road reaches its capacity, each additional vehicle imposes more total delay on others than they bear, resulting in excessive traffic volumes. Congestion is mainly due to the intensive use of automobiles, whose ownership has spread massively in the F.C.T. in recent decades. The study revealed that traffic congestion causes serious consequences in …

Using Reinforcement Learning To Minimize The Probability Of Delay Occurrence In Transportation, Zhiguang Cao, Hongliang Guo, Wen Song, Kaizhou Gao, Zhengghua Chen, Le Zhang, Xuexi Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Reducing traffic delay is of crucial importance for the development of sustainable transportation systems, which is a challenging task in the studies of stochastic shortest path (SSP) problem. Existing methods based on the probability tail model to solve the SSP problem, seek for the path that minimizes the probability of delay occurrence, which is equal to maximizing the probability of reaching the destination before a deadline (i.e., arriving on time). However, they suffer from low accuracy or high computational cost. Therefore, we design a novel and practical Q-learning approach where the converged Q-values have the practical meaning as the actual …

Harmonizing Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation In Transportation And Land-Use Planning In California Cities, Serena E. Alexander, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ashley M. Hooper, Michael R. Boswell

Mineta Transportation Institute

Abstract: Recent extreme weather events in California—wildfires, drought, and flooding—make abundantly clear the need to plan effective responses to both the causes and the consequences of climate change. A central challenge for climate planning efforts has been identifying transportation and land-use (TLU) strategies that simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions (“mitigation”) and adapt communities so that they will be less affected by the adverse impacts of climate change (“adaptation”). Sets of policies that collectively address both mitigation and adaptation are known as “integrated actions.” This study explores municipal climate planning in California to determine whether cities incorporate integrated actions into their …

Spatial Distribution Of Supply And The Role Of Market Thickness: Theory And Evidence From Ride Sharing, Soheil Ghili, Vineet Kumar

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper studies the e ects of economies of density in transportation markets, focusing on ridesharing. Our theoretical model predicts that (i) economies of density skew the supply of drivers away from less dense regions, (ii) the skew will be more pronounced for smaller platforms, and (iii) rideshare platforms do not nd this skew ecient and thus use prices and wages to mitigate (but not eliminate) it. We then develop a general empirical strategy with simple implementation and limited data requirements to test for spatial skew of supply from demand. Applying our method to ride-level, multi-platform data from New York …

Human Factors & Going Green: Study Abroad On Sustainability And Transportation, Barbara Chaparro, Alex Chaparro, Christina Frederick

Sustainability Conference

The Northern European countries have been leaders in sustainability efforts, and support of alternative modes of transportation, focusing on implementation, design and strategies that make these efforts easier to adopt by the broader community. Human Factors (HF) is a discipline that studies human behavior and capabilities with the purpose of applying to the design of products, equipment and systems to maximize safety, effectiveness, and user satisfaction. Three senior faculty in the ERAU human factors department are sponsoring a summer study abroad merging sustainability and human factors. The focus of this study abroad program is on understanding Human Factors as it …

Neoliberalism, Rationality, And The Politics Of Congestion Pricing In New York City, Max Finkelpearl

Honors Papers

Elected officials in the United States currently face a difficult and growing challenge: how to finance the estimated $4.5 trillion needed to bring the United States’ public infrastructure back to a state of good repair. Amidst the uncertainty of financing public services through tax revenues, policymakers in several cities around the world have been advocating for and implementing an urban policy solution called congestion pricing. In this study, against the background of theories of political decision making, I analyze two cases in New York (2007-2008 and 2017-2019) to demonstrate why congestion pricing became the policy of choice by elected leaders …