scholarly journals Smart and Resilient Urban Futures for Sustainability in the Post COVID-19 Era: A Review of Policy Responses on Urban Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6486
Author(s):  
Christina Kakderi ◽  
Eleni Oikonomaki ◽  
Ilektra Papadaki
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Smart Growth ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Daily Routines ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Urban Futures ◽  
Made In

The COVID-19 pandemic has put lifestyles in question, changed daily routines, and limited citizen freedoms that seemed inalienable before. A human activity that has been greatly affected since the beginning of the health crisis is mobility. Focusing on mobility, we aim to discuss the transformational impact that the pandemic brought to this specific urban domain, especially with regards to the promotion of sustainability, the smart growth agenda, and the acceleration towards the smart city paradigm. We collect 60 initial policy responses related to urban mobility from cities around the world and analyze them based on the challenge they aim to address, the exact principles of smart growth and sustainable mobility that they encapsulate, as well as the level of ICT penetration. Our findings suggest that emerging strategies, although mainly temporary, are transformational, in line with the principles of smart growth and sustainable development. Most policy responses adopted during the first months of the pandemic, however, fail to leverage advancements made in the field of smart cities, and to adopt off-the-shelf solutions such as monitoring, alerting, and operations management.

scholarly journals Building Smart and Resilient Urban Futures by Setting a Mission for Sustainability in the Post COVID-19 Era

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Kakderi ◽  
Eleni Oikonomaki ◽  
Ilektra Papadaki
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Smart Growth ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Daily Routines ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Urban Futures ◽  
Made In

The COVID-19 pandemic has put lifestyles in question, changed daily routines and limited citizen freedoms that seemed inalienable before. A human activity that was greatly affected since the beginning of the health crisis is mobility. Focusing on mobility, we aim to discuss the transformational impact that the pandemic brought on this specific urban domain, especially with regards to the promotion of the smart growth agenda and the acceleration towards the smart city paradigm. We collect 60 initial policy responses related to urban mobility from 86 cities around the world and analyse them based on the challenge they aim to address, the exact principles of smart growth and sustainable mobility that they encapsulate and the level of ICT penetration. Our findings suggest that emerging strategies, although mainly temporary, are transformational, in line with the principles of smart growth. As a result the pandemic becomes an opportunity for shifting towards more sustainable urban planning and mobility practices. However, most policy responses adopted during the first months of the pandemic fail to leverage advancements made in the field of smart cities, and to adopt off-the-shelf solutions such as in monitoring, alerting and operations management.

scholarly journals Children’s Privacy in Lockdown: Intersections between Privacy, Participation and Protection Rights in a Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-34
Author(s):  
Lisa Archbold ◽  
Valerie Verdoodt ◽  
Faith Gordon ◽  
Damian Clifford
Keyword(s):  
Children's Rights ◽  
Children’S Rights ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Specific Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Made In

Children and young people throughout the world have felt the effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the decisions made in response to the public health crisis, acutely. Questions have been raised about adequately protecting children’s privacy, as schooling, play and socialising went almost exclusively online. However, due to the historical lack of children’s rights being embedded throughout decision-making processes (including important participation rights), the effects of the increased surveillance as a result of the pandemic have not been thoroughly considered. This article pursues three objectives. First, it seeks to develop the literature on the enabling aspects of privacy for children in relation to education and play. Second, it seeks to expand the discussion on the exploitative risks endemic in not protecting children’s privacy, including not only violent harms, but commercial exploitation. Third, it suggests some policy responses that will more effectively embed a children’s rights framework beyond the ‘parental control’ provisions that dominate child-specific data protection frameworks.

scholarly journals Challenges and Strategies for Post-COVID-19 Gender Equity and Sustainable Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guadalupe González-Sánchez ◽  
María Isabel Olmo-Sánchez ◽  
Elvira Maeso-González
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Sudden Decrease

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countries around the world to take unprecedented measures to contain it. In particular, its impact on mobility has been enormous, causing a sudden decrease in the number of trips and changes in the choice and use of modes of transport. Furthermore, the effects of this health crisis on the social and economic spheres have aggravated inequalities between population groups, with women being one of the most affected groups, which may accentuate the already known gender gap in mobility. Based on these premises, we carried out a strategic analysis of urban mobility from the perspective of sustainability and gender equity in the context of the pandemic, identifying a set of effective strategies to address the post-COVID-19 urban mobility scenario. To this end, based on the review of the literature and expert opinions, we carried out a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis that allowed us to formulate 16 strategies after careful consideration of the weaknesses, strengths, threats and opportunities encountered. Our results provide useful recommendations for making successful policy decisions on post-COVID-19 mobility planning towards a more sustainable, equitable and safe model.

Transferring Urban Mobility Studies in Tehran, Istanbul, and Cairo to Other Large MENA Cities: Steps toward Sustainable Transport

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houshmand Masoumi ◽  
Erik Fruth
Keyword(s):  
Decision Makers ◽  
Lead Author ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Transport ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Large Share ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Mobility Studies ◽  
Legal Constraints

AbstractThe number of urban mobility studies and projects in the three large metropoles of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Tehran, Istanbul, and Cairo, is growing while other large cities do not enjoy a large share. It would be efficient for those other large cities to adapt the experiences, projects, and studies of Tehran, Istanbul, and Cairo to their own contexts. This paper can help facilitate that adaptation. It investigates the transferability and generalisability of the findings of a recent publication by the lead author on mobility choices in Tehran, Istanbul, and Cairo to some other large cities of more than one million inhabitants in the MENA region. The discussion provided here can provide decision-makers in the MENA region with guidance on how to utilise the findings from a recent study on Tehran/Istanbul/Cairo in their own contexts. T-tests were conducted to test the comparability of the three base cities with a sample 57 others with populations of over one million people. The results show that it would be possible to adapt the urban mobility studies of the three base megacities to 3 to 27 cities based on different criteria. Key suggestions identified by this study include providing local accessibility, neighbourhood facilities, and cycling facilities as well as removing social and legal constraints to cycling, advertising cycling, informing people about the harm arising from the overuse of cars, and increasing street connectivity by adding intersections. According to the findings, these evidence-based recommendations can enhance sustainable mobility for the inhabitants of up to 27 large cities.

scholarly journals Use of the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI) for Enhancing the Sustainable Urban Mobility in Greek Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1709
Author(s):  
Maria Morfoulaki ◽  
Jason Papathanasiou
Keyword(s):  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Efficiency Index ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Specific Procedure ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Step Procedure ◽  
Directorate General ◽  
Alternative Measures ◽  
Sustainable Urban Mobility

Since 2013, the European cities have been encouraged to develop local Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) according to the specific procedure that was launched by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) and updated in 2019. One of the most critical steps in this 12-step procedure is the assessment—with specific criteria—of all the alternative measures and infrastructure, which will be optimally combined, in order to better satisfy the problems and the achieve the vision of each area. The aim of the current work is to present the development and implementation of a methodological framework based on the use of multicriteria analysis. The framework targets the capturing of opinions of the relevant local experts in order to evaluate alternative sustainable mobility measures, and also prioritize them using the Sustainable Mobility Efficiency Index (SMEI).

scholarly journals Promoting Sustainable Mobility: A Perspective from Car and Public Transport Users

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4715
Author(s):  
Audrius Dėdelė ◽  
Auksė Miškinytė
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Bicycle Safety ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Significant Factors

Sustainable mobility is becoming a key factor in improving the quality of life of the residents and increasing physical activity (PA) levels. The current situation of sustainable mobility and its analysis is a first step in understanding the factors that would encourage residents to discover and choose alternative modes of travel. The present study examined the factors that encourage the choice of active modes of travel among urban adult population. Walking and cycling were analyzed as the most sustainable forms of urban mobility from the perspective of car and public transport (PT) users. Total of 902 subjects aged 18 years or older were analyzed in the study to assess commuting habits in Kaunas city, Lithuania. The majority (61.1%) of the respondents used a passenger vehicle, 28.2% used PT, and only 13.5% used active modes of travel. The results showed that safer pedestrian crossings, and comfortable paths were the most significant factors that encourage walking. A wider cycling network, and bicycle safety were the most important incentives for the promotion of cycling. Our findings show that the main factors encouraging walking and cycling among car and PT users are similar, however, the individual characteristics that determine the choice of these factors vary significantly.

scholarly journals How does globalization affect COVID-19 responses?

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve J. Bickley ◽  
Ho Fai Chan ◽  
Ahmed Skali ◽  
David Stadelmann ◽  
Benno Torgler
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
High Government

Abstract Background The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vast differences in approaches to the control and containment of coronavirus across the world and has demonstrated the varied success of such approaches in minimizing the transmission of coronavirus. While previous studies have demonstrated high predictive power of incorporating air travel data and governmental policy responses in global disease transmission modelling, factors influencing the decision to implement travel and border restriction policies have attracted relatively less attention. This paper examines the role of globalization on the pace of adoption of international travel-related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the coronavirus pandemic. This study aims to offer advice on how to improve the global planning, preparation, and coordination of actions and policy responses during future infectious disease outbreaks with empirical evidence. Methods and data We analyzed data on international travel restrictions in response to COVID-19 of 185 countries from January to October 2020. We applied time-to-event analysis to examine the relationship between globalization and the timing of travel restrictions implementation. Results The results of our survival analysis suggest that, in general, more globalized countries, accounting for the country-specific timing of the virus outbreak and other factors, are more likely to adopt international travel restrictions policies. However, countries with high government effectiveness and globalization were more cautious in implementing travel restrictions, particularly if through formal political and trade policy integration. This finding is supported by a placebo analysis of domestic NPIs, where such a relationship is absent. Additionally, we find that globalized countries with high state capacity are more likely to have higher numbers of confirmed cases by the time a first restriction policy measure was taken. Conclusions The findings highlight the dynamic relationship between globalization and protectionism when governments respond to significant global events such as a public health crisis. We suggest that the observed caution of policy implementation by countries with high government efficiency and globalization is a by-product of commitment to existing trade agreements, a greater desire to ‘learn from others’ and also perhaps of ‘confidence’ in a government’s ability to deal with a pandemic through its health system and state capacity. Our results suggest further research is warranted to explore whether global infectious disease forecasting could be improved by including the globalization index and in particular, the de jure economic and political, and de facto social dimensions of globalization, while accounting for the mediating role of government effectiveness. By acting as proxies for a countries’ likelihood and speed of implementation for international travel restriction policies, such measures may predict the likely time delays in disease emergence and transmission across national borders.

scholarly journals Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and Health Security

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4403
Author(s):  
Ilenia Spadaro ◽  
Francesca Pirlone
Keyword(s):  
Virus Disease ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Development Environment ◽  
Health Security ◽  
European Guidelines ◽  
Sustainable Urban Mobility

The topic of sustainable mobility is now a priority at the urban level. Today’s cities are often very busy, polluted, and dangerous. Therefore, to encourage sustainable mobility is important; it brings territorial development, environment, health, society, and economy benefits. The corona virus disease-19 (COVID) emergency, which occurred at the beginning of 2020, highlighted the already critical situation in many cities and how our mobility habits were not, even before, so sustainable. Within sustainable mobility, the concept of safety and security is important to consider. In the literature, safe mobility is often associated with the theme of accidents. The pandemic has highlighted the need to consider safety also from a health point of view. Municipalities, as known, also according to European guidelines, have a specific tool at their disposal to promote sustainable mobility: the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). This paper intends to propose a methodological approach aimed at integrating the health security aspect in the SUMP. In this research, in order to promote safe mobility, different aspects were considered: accidents, risk perception, and health emergencies. For each aspect, specific indicators and good practices were proposed for the achievement and monitoring of the expected results. The paper refers to the European context with particular attention to Italy; La Spezia was chosen as a case study.

scholarly journals Review of Whole System Simulation Methodologies for Assessing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as an Enabler for Sustainable Urban Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5591
Author(s):  
Mark Muller ◽  
Seri Park ◽  
Ross Lee ◽  
Brett Fusco ◽  
Gonçalo Homem de Almeida Correia
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Mode Choice ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
City Region ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Future Assessment ◽  
Transportation Simulation ◽  
Sustainable Urban Mobility ◽  
The Impact

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is an emerging concept that is being advanced as an effective approach to improve the sustainability of mobility, especially in densely populated urban areas. MaaS can be defined as the integration of various transport modes into a single service, accessible on demand, via a seamless digital planning and payment application. Recent studies have shown the potential reduction in the size of automobile fleets, with corresponding predicted improvements in congestion and environmental impact, that might be realized by the advent of automated vehicles as part of future MaaS systems. However, the limiting assumptions made by these studies point to the difficult challenge of predicting how the complex interactions of user demographics and mode choice, vehicle automation, and governance models will impact sustainable mobility. The work documented in this paper focused on identifying available methodologies for assessing the sustainability impact of potential MaaS implementations from a whole system (STEEP—social, technical, economic, environmental, and political) perspective. In this research, a review was conducted of current simulation tools and models, relative to their ability to support transportation planners, to assess the MaaS concept, holistically, at a city level. The results presented include: a summary of the literature review, a weighted ranking of relevant transportation simulation tools per the assessment criteria, and identification of key gaps in the current state of the art. The gaps include capturing the interaction of demographic changes, mode choice, induced demand, and land use in a single framework that can rapidly explore the impact of alternative MaaS scenarios, on sustainable mobility, for a given city region. These gaps will guide future assessment methodologies for urban mobility systems, and ultimately assist informed decision-making.

Trapped in a Blind Spot: The Covid-19 Crisis in Nursing Homes in Italy and Spain

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Margarita León ◽  
Marco Arlotti ◽  
David Palomera ◽  
Costanzo Ranci
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Emergency Interventions ◽  
Institutional Embedding ◽  
The Welfare State

This article investigates the delay in implementation and inadequacy of specific policy actions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. The analysis focuses on Lombardy and Madrid, the two wealthiest regions in Italy and Spain. These were the most severely affected by the onset of the pandemic, both country-wise and at the European level. We compare the chronology of policy decisions that affected nursing homes against the broader policy responses related to the health crisis. We look at structural factors that reveal policy legacy effects. Our analysis shows that key emergency interventions arrived late, especially when compared to similar actions taken by the national health services. Weak institutional embedding of nursing homes within the welfare state in terms of ownership, allocation of resources, regulation and coordination hindered a swift response to the onset of the crisis.

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