Aerial cable-car systems for public transport in low-income urban areas: lessons from Medellin, Colombia

In pursuing fear-reduction strategies in public transport, the total experience of accessing rail stations should be taken into account. This article correlates passengers’ fear of crime at train stations with neighborhood types and income data within the pedestrian catchment area. The research is based on urban form and income around 84 S-train stations in the Copenhagen metropolitan area and nine years of passenger surveys on fear of crime at these stations. The study reveals a significant positive correlation between low income and fear of crime; the lower the income in an urban area, the more unsafe passengers feel at the station. However, when controlling for the relationship between income, safety and neighborhood type, stations in neighborhoods with urban form associated with low incomes have the lowest ratings of safety. The research indicates that train passengers’ sense of security is connected to neighborhood type and the city’s planning characteristics. This is an important finding for urban designers and planners working on the integration of public transport and station design in urban areas.

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Equity in public transport — a case of Bangalore’s city bus transport

Journal of Sustainable Urbanization Planning and Progress ◽

10.18063/jsupp.2016.01.002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deepak Baindur ◽

Pooja Rao

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Public Transport ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Survey Study ◽

Transport Systems ◽

City Bus ◽

Main Challenge ◽

The Cost ◽

The Impact

In most urban areas, buses are the most heavily used form of public transportation[1] and more so in Indian cities where buses make up for over 90% of public transport ridership[2]. In the selected Indian metro cities, where formal bus based PT systems are operated by public agencies, they are over-reliant on state support to sustain operations as fare box collections are inadequate in spite of having relatively high ridership. The main challenge for all this is to achieve long term financial sustainability of public transport systems while providing good quality and affordable bus services.This paper investigates internal and external factors that led to the steep and recurrent fare increases in the Bangalore city bus services in the period from 2012–2014 which are operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. In order to estimate the impact of the recent bus fare increases that have had on the economically weaker sections of the society dependent on these services, the paper presents the results of a random sampling survey study carried out in a central locality in the city that has a large slum area.The key findings throw light on the various ways in which the low income bus users have adapted to reduce their travel costs through changes in travel behavior, travel pattern and modal shifts. The cost of the behavioral changes through lost opportunities and the cost of the modal shifts of the persons earlier favoring public transportation draw attention to the significance of public transport fare policies. Furthermore, the management and operations of the BMTC agency show scope for improvement which can translate into better revenue generation and consequent reduction in fares.

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Service Quality and Satisfaction with City Bus Public Transport, Kota Kinabalu Sabah

International Journal of Engineering & Technology ◽

10.14419/ijet.v7i3.36.29083 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (3.36) ◽

pp. 78

Author(s):

Abdullahi Ali Mohamed ◽

Chong Yau Giou ◽

Lawal Billa ◽

Mohd. Ahmadullah Farooqi

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Public Transport ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Traffic Congestion ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Income Group ◽

City Bus ◽

Transport Services ◽

Bus Service ◽

Mode Of Transport

The urban public transportation is an important network system that many urban residences have come to rely on for accessibility and linkage to key urban areas. Although in many urban centers, private transport services is also a preferred mode of transport for many people, however, the significance of public transport remains a perceived need of the city from the standpoint of efficient and timely link between urban areas, control of traffic congestion, and impact on the urban air quality. For the public to maintain their patronage in public transport, reasonable public satisfaction with the services offered is indispensable. Kota Kinabalu city bus is a government-operated bus company started in 2009, but is gradually loosing public interest with low patronage, resulting in increase in personal vehicle traffic. This study aims to understand the reasons for low user patronage of city bus service by investigating the efficiency and quality of service provided. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using questionnaire survey and open ended interview. Data is analyzed using inferential statistics analysis and factor analysis. Findings reveals that majority of the users are female of Malaysia nationality in age group 18-24 years and predominantly from low-income group. Overall users rated satisfaction is low because poor services in key area such as Disabled-friend Facility, Bus Network Coverage, Overcrowding and Vehicle Cleanliness. Comfort and Safety were also a major area of concern. It was evident from the study that the users are willing to pay more for improved quality City but. It can thus be inferred that the users of public bus service are not necessarily looking for cheap services but will appreciate improved services at the reasonable price

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TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

NORDSCI Conference proceedings, Book 1 Volume 3 ◽

10.32008/nordsci2020/b1/v3/31 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Remus Runcan

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Physical Work ◽

Healthy Environment ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural Development Programme ◽

Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

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Ecosan Can Provide Sustainable Sanitation in Emergency Situations with Benefits for the Millennium Development Goals

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2006.037 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

Author(s):

E. v. Münch ◽

G. Amy ◽

J. F. Fesselet

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Millennium Development Goals ◽

Net Present Value ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Value Analysis ◽

Emergency Situations ◽

Long Time ◽

Development Goals ◽

Sanitation Systems

This paper describes the potential of ecological sanitation (ecosan) to provide sustainable excreta disposal in emergency situations and in peri-urban areas or slums in developing countries. At the present time, pit latrines are the most common form of excreta disposal both for emergency situations and in low-income peri-urban areas or slums. Although not intended to be a long-term solution, pit latrines provided during emergencies are often used for a long time (more than six months to years). This practice is not sustainable if the area is prone to flooding or there are soil conditions that allow groundwater pollution in areas where groundwater is used for drinking water, to name but two of the main factors. We propose eight criteria for the applicability of ecosan based on analysis of three case studies representing different types of emergency situations. The two most important criteria are awareness and expertise in ecosan within the aid agencies, and availability of standardised, lightweight toilet units that are quick to assemble and easy to transport (e.g. container for faeces, and urine diversion squatting pan made of impact-resistant molded polypropylene). Such toilets could be moved to, or replicated in, other areas in need after the emergency (peri-urban areas or slums). This would provide benefits for Millennium Development Goals achievements (targets on hunger, child mortality, sanitation and slum dwellers) at lower cost than conventional sanitation systems. Costs for sanitation systems should be compared based on the entire system (toilet, transport, treatment, reuse in agriculture), using Net Present Value analysis for capital, and operating and maintenance costs.

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Where Do I Allocate My Urban Allotment Gardens? Development of a Site Selection Tool for Three Cities in Benin

Land ◽

10.3390/land10030318 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 318

Author(s):

B. G. J. S. Sonneveld ◽

M. D. Houessou ◽

G. J. M. van den Boom ◽

A. Aoudji

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Urban Agriculture ◽

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Poor ◽

Site Suitability ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Middle Income ◽

Support Tool ◽

Allotment Gardens

In the context of rapid urbanization, poorer residents in cities across low- and middle-income countries increasingly experience food and nutrition deficiencies. The United Nations has highlighted urban agriculture (UA) as a viable solution to food insecurity, by empowering the urban poor to produce their own fresh foods and make some profit from surplus production. Despite its potential role in reducing poverty and food insecurity, there appears to be little political will to support urban agriculture. This is seen in unclear political mandates that are sustained by information gaps on selection criteria for UA sites. The research reported here addresses this issue in the form of a decision-making support tool that assesses the suitability of cadastral units and informal plots for allotment gardens in urban and peri-urban areas. The tool was developed and tested for three rapidly expanding cities in Benin, a low-income country in West Africa, based on an ordered logit model that relates a set of 300 expert assessments on site suitability to georeferenced information on biophysical and socio-economic characteristics. Soil, land use, groundwater depth, vicinity to market and women’s safety were significant factors in the assessment. Scaled up across all cadastral units and informal sites, the tool generated detailed baseline maps on site suitability and availability of areas. Its capacity to support policymakers in selecting appropriate sites comes to the fore by reporting changes in site suitability under scenarios of improved soil fertility and enhanced safety for women.

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Social distancing in public transport: mobilising new technologies for demand management under the Covid-19 crisis

Transportation ◽

10.1007/s11116-021-10192-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Hörcher ◽

Ramandeep Singh ◽

Daniel J. Graham

Keyword(s):

Public Transport ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Urban Areas ◽

New Technologies ◽

Demand Management ◽

Single Point ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Social Distancing ◽

New Information ◽

Occupancy Rates

AbstractDense urban areas are especially hardly hit by the Covid-19 crisis due to the limited availability of public transport, one of the most efficient means of mass mobility. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, public transport operators are experiencing steep declines in demand and fare revenues due to the perceived risk of infection within vehicles and other facilities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of implementing social distancing in public transport in line with epidemiological advice. Social distancing requires effective demand management to keep vehicle occupancy rates under a predefined threshold, both spatially and temporally. We review the literature of five demand management methods enabled by new information and ticketing technologies: (i) inflow control with queueing, (ii) time and space dependent pricing, (iii) capacity reservation with advance booking, (iv) slot auctioning, and (v) tradeable travel permit schemes. Thus the paper collects the relevant literature into a single point of reference, and provides interpretation from the viewpoint of practical applicability during and after the pandemic.

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Cross-sectional study of drivers of animal-source food consumption in low-income urban areas of Nairobi, Kenya

BMC Nutrition ◽

10.1186/s40795-016-0109-z ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Laura Cornelsen ◽

Pablo Alarcon ◽

Barbara Häsler ◽

Djesika D. Amendah ◽

Elaine Ferguson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Consumption ◽

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Animal Source ◽

Animal Source Food

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Adapting the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) to engage poor urban communities in Ghana: protocol for a participatory action research study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049564 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. e049564

Author(s):

Mary Abboah-Offei ◽

Akosua Gyasi Darkwa ◽

Andrews Ayim ◽

Adelaide Maria Ansah-Ofei ◽

Delanyo Dovlo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Action Research ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Urban Communities ◽

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Health Planning ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Community Based ◽

Key Stakeholders

IntroductionWith rapid urbanisation in low-income and middle-income countries, health systems are struggling to meet the needs of their growing populations. Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in Ghana have been effective in improving maternal and child health in rural areas; however, implementation in urban areas has proven challenging. This study aims to engage key stakeholders in urban communities to understand how the CHPS model can be adapted to reach poor urban communities.Methods and analysisA Participatory Action Research (PAR) will be used to develop an urban CHPS model with stakeholders in three selected CHPS zones: (a) Old Fadama (Yam and Onion Market community), (b) Adedenkpo and (c) Adotrom 2, representing three categories of poor urban neighbourhoods in Accra, Ghana. Two phases will be implemented: phase 1 (‘reconnaissance phase) will engage and establish PAR research groups in the selected zones, conduct focus groups and individual interviews with urban residents, households vulnerable to ill-health and CHPS staff and key stakeholders. A desk review of preceding efforts to implement CHPS will be conducted to understand what worked (or not), how and why. Findings from phase 1 will be used to inform and co-create an urban CHPS model in phase 2, where PAR groups will be involved in multiple recurrent stages (cycles) of community-based planning, observation, action and reflection to develop and refine the urban CHPS model. Data will be managed using NVivo software and coded using the domains of community engagement as a framework to understand community assets and potential for engagement.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the University of York’s Health Sciences Research Governance Committee and the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee. The results of this study will guide the scale-up of CHPS across urban areas in Ghana, which will be disseminated through journal publications, community and government stakeholder workshops, policy briefs and social media content. This study is also funded by the Medical Research Council, UK.

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Meeting the Challenges of Longitudinal Cluster-Based Trials in Schools: Lessons From the Chicago Trial of Positive Action

Evaluation & the Health Professions ◽

10.1177/0163278716673688 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 450-482 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kendra M. Lewis ◽

David L. DuBois ◽

Peter Ji ◽

Joseph Day ◽

Naida Silverthorn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Statistical Power ◽

Student Mobility ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Study Planning ◽

Positive Action ◽

Cluster Randomized

We describe challenges in the 6-year longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial (CRCT) of Positive Action (PA), a social–emotional and character development (SECD) program, conducted in 14 low-income, urban Chicago Public Schools. Challenges pertained to logistics of study planning (school recruitment, retention of schools during the trial, consent rates, assessment of student outcomes, and confidentiality), study design (randomization of a small number of schools), fidelity (implementation of PA and control condition activities), and evaluation (restricted range of outcomes, measurement invariance, statistical power, student mobility, and moderators of program effects). Strategies used to address the challenges within each of these areas are discussed. Incorporation of lessons learned from this study may help to improve future evaluations of longitudinal CRCTs, especially those that involve evaluation of school-based interventions for minority populations and urban areas.

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