The aim of this thesis is to help understand the impact of street network configuration on travel behavior by modeling pedestrian travel to/from rapid transit rail stations. The primary goal is to determine whether and to what extent street connectivity is related to transit walk-mode shares and walking distances after controlling for population density, land-use mix, household income, and car ownership. The data are drawn from all the stations of Atlanta's rapid transit network (MARTA). The research shows that land-use mix and street connectivity around stations are significantly related to the decision to walk for transit. Importantly, the analysis reveals that station environments with higher street densities and more direct connections within 1, 0.5, and 0.25 mile radii are associated with higher proportion of walking shares among station patrons. Furthermore, the results of analyses for walk trip distances suggest that street networks with denser intersections and more linear alignments of road segments support greater walking distance thresholds. Overall, the findings confirm the hypotheses that well structured and differentiated street networks affect not only transit access/egress walk-mode shares but also the distance people are willing to walk to/from a station. Thus, this study provides some encouragement that effective policies designed to encourage new designs with the option to walk will actually support more sustainable cities in which transit systems can become integrated within urban culture.

This dissertation examines unequal outcomes of urban transportation policies in the neoliberal era. It focuses on inequalities in the Portland, Oregon metro area between 1994 and 2011 as measured in three key areas: 1) access to public transit; 2) the journey-to-work; and 3) "household-serving" trips. Growing concern over the harmful impacts from an increasing dependence on cars has led planners in the U.S. to encourage a modal shift from private car to public transit, bicycling, and walking. The required policies to make this modal shift possible, however, might inadvertently be benefiting "choice" riders at the cost of transport disadvantaged groups. Other contributing factors to this unequal benefit appear to be the suburbanization of poverty, an ongoing gentrification of central areas, and market forces that make it difficult for low income groups to afford housing in transit-rich neighborhoods. The Oregon Household Activity and Travel surveys are used to answer the three major research questions in this dissertation: what has been the effect of neoliberalism on access to public transit?, how do gender, race/ethnicity, and income inequality affect the journey-to-work in Portland?, and how do household-serving trips vary by gender in Portland? Six hypothesis are tested in answering these questions. Those related to access to transit draw on Fred Block's theory of the capitalist state and the "urban growth machine" concept, both of which predict spatially unequal outcomes from neoliberal ideology. Hypotheses about the journey to work draw on a rich body of literature around social relations in the household and the job market, as well as residential location. The final question, about household-serving trips, draws on theories of gender socialization. Findings showed that: (i) individuals in the Portland metro area had less access overall to bus public transit in 2011 than in 1994; (ii) impoverished dependent riders have lost access to transit service over time, whereas choice dependent riders increased their access to public transit; (iii) low income groups have been "forced" into greater car-ownership, in part due to the lower access to public transit; (iv) women in Portland have shorter journey-to-work trips than men; (v) Blacks have longer journey-to-work trips than Whites and Latinos; (vi) low-income individuals have shorter journey-to-work trips than higher income individuals; and (vii) women with children make more household-serving trips than men in similar family structures.

臺北都會區的土地利用，受到周圍環境變遷的影響，造成都市迅速擴張，產生許多邊緣城市的問題，面對都市成長所造成的外部性，為了解決都市蔓延與都市再生的問題，國內有許多研究提倡大眾運輸導向發展 (Transit Oriented Development, TOD)的理念，依據交通部的統計資料，捷運的使用率逐年提高，而臺北都會區大眾捷運系統路網，自西元1988年起陸續全面動工，分別於1996年3月至2013年11月完工通車，屬於發展成熟的交通路網，TOD的發展模式與場站周邊土地使用息息相關，因此，本研究參考國內外相關文獻關於TOD規劃設計的要素，以臺北捷運系統已通車路網103個捷運場站周邊500公尺為範圍，界定出與TOD規劃相關聯的指標，依捷運場站特性區分出不同的場站類型，就各個不同類型的場站分別提出TOD規劃的策略。 依實證結果，本研究提出核心商業型捷運站應強調都市設計，降低建蔽率，以增加開放空間；轉運中心型捷運站建議加寬人行道寬度，進行土地整合，提供外部公共空間和步行系統的連通設施，周邊地區利用公有土地，開闢公共設施；行政服務型捷運站可以朝多元化休閒、公益、商業的需求方向規劃；鄰近都市型捷運站可以藉由都市計畫調整商業區的劃設比例，增加公共設施的開闢率，提高都市服務設施；地區服務型捷運站可著重於遊憩規劃，強調良好的都市環境設計、街道與公共設施，提供具質量的自然環境、行人連結道，改善鄰里社區轉乘或步行至車站的便利性與連結性；產業發展型捷運站應透過都市計畫調整土地使用分區，增加住宅、商業、公園、廣場、綠地等土地使用類型，對於老舊之工業區並運用市地重劃等方式轉型為住、商、休憩均可使用之土地發展型態。每種類型的場站都能發展成為TOD捷運場站，但是，必須運用TOD的發展特性，進行場站及周邊土地使用之調整規劃。本研究提供TOD的關聯指標，以這些指標，可以評估各類型捷運場站的TOD如何發展，另外，提供一個經驗性的檢證，探討採用TOD的運作方式，如何形塑不同車站區域的長期發展策略。 / The land usage within the metropolitan areas of Taipei has promoted the rapid expansion of the city due to environmental changes and causing problems for the neighboring satellite cities. In order to solve the question of city expansion and renovation, many within the nation have set forth the concept of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). According to statistical data from the Ministry of Transportation, usage of mass rapid transit has increased annually and since the start of the Taipei Metropolitan Rapid Transit System in 1988 with lines finished and operating respectively from March of 1996 to November of 2013, it has become a mature and steadily growing traffic network. The framework behind TOD and the land usage along the stations are tightly linked, hence this paper taking into account both national and international related research on TOD related factors, focuses on the surrounding 500 meters alongside each of the 103 stations within the Taipei Metropolitan Rapid Transit highlighting TOD planning related markers according to station types and setting forth strategies for TOD planning. According to results, this research suggests that core business stations should emphasize city planning in order to lower building obstructions hence increasing open spaces; transit stations are suggested to increase the width of pedestrian walks providing open access to public areas; public service stations can follow a multi-directional approach based on recreation, philanthropy, and business; suburban stations can adjust business sector ratios to increase the area of public facilities with the application of city planning; local area stations can focus on leisure with emphasis on city environmental planning in regards to streets and public facilities providing a quality natural environment and pedestrian walkways improving the convenience of transfers and traffic to or from stations; industrial development stations should adjust land allocation through city planning increasing the number of residential dwellings, businesses, parks, squares, green areas, and so forth, but older industrial areas can be transformed for residential, business, or leisure purposes via methods such as rezoning to become land development models. Every type of station has the potential to become a TOD transit station, but measures must take into account the developmental characteristic of TOD to carry out station or adjoining land usage planning. This research provides TOD related markers to evaluate future development of transit stations and additionally first-hand verification of how the appliance of TOD can shape long term development strategy for different forms of transit areas.

My dissertation address is to describe the long distance bus (LDB) transport, its structure, service adequacy and the role it plays in linking the core to the periphery of Ethiopia. The study applied both qualitative and quantitative data analyses. The quantitative data was mainly collected by using questionnaires, from the selected passengers and operators by longitudinal survey, 384 passengers, or 10 %, from each bus took part in the survey. Of these, only 241 questionnaires (63%) were fully completed and used for this analysis. And 6 % of buses or operators (64) were selected by systematic sampling. The routes and towns were also selected by lottery method. The qualitative data was mainly collected by interview. Among these, 5 % (twenty-five) of experts from the City Transport Bureau; the heads of LDB Associations; the owners of LDB; the Federal Transport bureau; and the Mercato Bus terminal. An interview was analyzed based on their own explanations. FGDs were carried out with passengers awaiting departure in the terminal (off-journey). The secondary sources were taken from both the EFTA and Mercato bus terminal dispatch report. The analysis was made mostly by integrating method, and in some cases with separate analysis. Beside with other inferential statistical, Pearson correlation was also applied. The growth rate for level one and level two buses had risen more than 100 % per annum, whereas level three buses showed a decline of 18 % per year. The whole sector shows a 6.6 % growth rate, which is double that of the population growth (2.6 %). The rate of bus dispatch is very high, approximately 38 per day, on the Dessie and Mojo route. The average bus dispatch in all directions is about 32. In terms of service provision and area coverage, level one buses interlink about 23 major towns. Level two buses service more than 70 major towns, and level three more than 110. The highest record of both area and service coverage was occupied by first level buses servicing Dessie, Mekele, Shashemene, Hawassa, and Jimma. On average, the majority of towns are being serviced by one bus, irrespective of their levels. The area and service coverage is thus very high for level three buses, compared with levels two and one. The Dessie and Mojo lines enjoy the highest bus coverage. LDBs typically provide transport for distances of less than 400 kilometres. They contribute towards core to peripheral ties of the nation. This result is expressed by Krugman’s (1991) core-periphery theory. The service adequacy of the industry indicates that above half of the operators would have to wait approximately one hour to pick up passengers and 1 or 2 days per week to get the turn too. This reveals that Levels one, two and three operators are dormant for 1 or 2 days per week. Supply is thus greater than demand, causing the emergence of an informal LDB service. The fact that about 60 % of passengers have to wait for approximately an hour to catch a bus, after collecting tickets, indicates the demand. The buses’ downtimes in order to secure a full load on each departure are positively correlated with bus levels. The LDB provide more for mobility of goods and peoples that can be shape land use and development patterns, and it generate jobs. This enable more for economic growth. Thus, level one is more attractive than other levels. The study identifies the major challenges facing LDB transport. Integration within stakeholders, both internally and externally, is crucial to satisfy the passenger. / Geography / D. Phil. (Geography)