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On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being
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On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 8392

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Federica Biassoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy
Interests: transport behaviour and transport choices; risk perception; risk communication; design and evaluation of safety and sustainability programs; fitness-to-drive assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the issue of sustainable transport is one of the biggest challenges of our time, to pursue wellbeing for individual and society both in the present and in the future, it has taken a central role to many disciplines and research fields. Moreover, sustainable transport is a living concept, becoming broader and increasingly faceted, including more and more matters: not only environmental issues, but also safety, inclusivity, equality, efficiency, individual and collective wellbeing; it is also gradually including more fields of interest and application. As is already known, many psychological processes underlie transport behaviour and mobility choices: from perception to attention; from decision making to affective processes. On the other hand, sustainability is a matter of psychology, for various reasons, since it brings into question motivation, concern, problem solving and the ability to take on different points of view and shorter and longer time perspectives. For such reasons, it is important that research explores and deepens the psychological determinants of sustainable transport. Research data, besides allowing a more extensive knowledge of the psychological processes influencing individual behaviour and the interaction between human factor, vehicles and infrastructures, may provide scientific foundations to the stakeholders and decision makers, to plan and evaluate interventions centered both on modifying the environment and the infrastructural system and on fostering change and promoting sustainable choices and behaviours.

This Special Issue is dedicated to papers focusing on the psychological aspects connected to sustainable transport and its relationship to individual and collective well-being. The scientific papers should cover both applied and fundamental research on the psychological processes underlying transport behaviour, transport choices and transport experience, with regard to any of the concepts related to sustainability.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Mobility as a factor for individual well-being;
  • Sustainable transport and benefits for individual well-being;
  • Sustainable transport and benefits for social and community well-being;
  • Different modes of transport, stress and psychological well-being;
  • Motivations for choosing sustainable modes of transport;
  • Perception and representations of new sustainable modes of transport (car-pooling, car sharing, green vehicles, soft-mobility);
  • Acceptability of autonomous vehicles;
  • Risk mitigation as a way to empower sustainable transport;
  • Interventions to promote sustainable transport;
  • Psychological determinants in the choice of walking and cycling;
  • Psychological factors affecting public transport use;
  • Risk perception and behavioural intervention for safety in transport;
  • Inclusiveness in transport;
  • Equality in transport;
  • Sustainable transport for vulnerable users;
  • Sustainable transport in low–middle-income countries;
  • Education and training programmes for sustainable transport;
  • Assessment of interventions to promote sustainable transport.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Federica Biassoni
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • psychological determinants of sustainable transport
  • well-being
  • transport safety
  • transport inclusivity
  • new transport modes

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 925 KiB  
Article
Travel Experience and Reasons for the Use and Nonuse of Local Public Transport: A Case Study within the Community Interregional Project SaMBA (Sustainable Mobility Behaviors in the Alpine Region)
by Manuela Bina and Federica Biassoni
Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16612; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416612 - 6 Dec 2023
Viewed by 696
Abstract
Knowing the reasons for mobility choices, how users evaluate the characteristics of public transport and how satisfied they are with their travel experience is essential to promote the use of LPT (local public transport), especially in rural or suburban areas where the use [...] Read more.
Knowing the reasons for mobility choices, how users evaluate the characteristics of public transport and how satisfied they are with their travel experience is essential to promote the use of LPT (local public transport), especially in rural or suburban areas where the use of private cars is often prevalent. The present study aimed to investigate the mobility experience and the reasons for use and nonuse of the LPT in a suburban area by the people traveling to a large hospital center in a province of the north-east of Italy. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by people from different categories traveling to the hospital (students, employees, clients), who were user and nonusers of the LPT. The results showed that insufficient hourly coverage and accessibility of the service are the primary reasons for opting not to use LPT and, together with reliability and comfort, these factors contribute to user satisfaction with their travel experience. The perceived sustainability of LPT contributes to overall travel satisfaction. However, perceived sustainability alone does not appear to influence the choice of LPT if the service lacks adequate accessibility and does not meet the needs of travelers in terms of hourly coverage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being)
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24 pages, 1457 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between the Evaluation of Public Transport Services and Travel-Based CO2 Emissions from Private Transport Modes in Regional and Metropolitan Areas in Japan
by Shreyas Pradhan, Takehito Ujihara and Seiji Hashimoto
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13296; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813296 - 5 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1889
Abstract
Promoting public transport use is expected to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions in the transport sector. Using Okayama City and Central Tokyo as representative case studies of regional and metropolitan areas in Japan, this study examines the impact of the evaluation of [...] Read more.
Promoting public transport use is expected to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions in the transport sector. Using Okayama City and Central Tokyo as representative case studies of regional and metropolitan areas in Japan, this study examines the impact of the evaluation of the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ attributes of rail and bus services on the overall evaluation. This study then explores the relationship between the overall evaluation and usage frequency of rail and bus services, as well as the relationship between the usage frequency and travel-based CO2 emissions from private transport modes. Furthermore, this study investigates whether the emissions cause differences in the evaluation of the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ attributes of public transport services. The findings suggest prioritising an improvement in ‘hard’ rather than ‘soft’ attributes in order to reduce emissions through the use of public transport in regional areas. However, in metropolitan areas, no relationship was found between the evaluation of public transport services and emissions, presumably because of the lower ownership rate of private cars that residents can use freely and the markedly higher level of rail and bus services. This study provides a methodological reference for analysing the potential to reduce travel-based emissions from private transport modes by enhancing public transport service contents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being)
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17 pages, 3279 KiB  
Article
Designing Urban Spaces to Enhance Active and Sustainable Mobility: An Analysis of Physical and Symbolic Affordances in School Squares in the Metropolitan Area of Milan, Italy
by Federica Bianchi, Dafni Riga, Rossella Moscarelli and Paolo Pileri
Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11328; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411328 - 20 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1322
Abstract
As thresholds to cities, public spaces adjacent to schools play an important role in children’s everyday mobilities, potentially shaping their future mobility habits and affective experiences. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the urban design conditions of such spaces, defined as [...] Read more.
As thresholds to cities, public spaces adjacent to schools play an important role in children’s everyday mobilities, potentially shaping their future mobility habits and affective experiences. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the urban design conditions of such spaces, defined as “school squares”, and, with the aid of affordance theory, to analyze spatial features and characteristics that might encourage or hinder active and sustainable mobility practices. In the first part of the paper, we define sustainable mobility, conduct a literature review on affective responses to the urban environment, and discuss active school travel (AST) in relation to the design of school squares. By focusing on 416 primary and lower secondary schools in the metropolitan area of Milan, we present an assessment method that is composed of on-desk and on-site surveys. In particular, Phase 1 defines the type of school squares, Phase 2 investigates physical affordances (spatial features and characteristics that directly influence active mobility practices, such as bicycle racks, protective barriers, benches, and parked cars), and Phase 3 discusses symbolic affordances (elements and characteristics that might induce different affective responses to a school square with regard to active mobility, such as bicycle racks, parked cars, greenery, and dustbins). The results indicate that in most cases school squares are characterized by typological confusion that has nothing to do with the school environment: narrow sidewalks, disorder, and low levels of safety. In order to promote active and sustainable mobility choices and enhance children’s mobile experiences, it is necessary to address the aforementioned features. The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide insights for developing an urban regeneration framework that considers school squares a safe context and a starting point from which to perform sustainable mobility practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being)
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19 pages, 979 KiB  
Article
Road Rage as a Type of Violation of Well-Being in Traffic: The Case of Turkey
by Zeynep Reva and Oğuz Polat
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5147; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065147 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2107
Abstract
One of the essential components for understanding a life with dignity and with human rights is the right to health. The World Health Organization defines “health” as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease [...] Read more.
One of the essential components for understanding a life with dignity and with human rights is the right to health. The World Health Organization defines “health” as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Physical and social well-being is not enough, and the individual’s mental well-being should also be realized. Anger is one of the most important factors affecting the mental, as well as the physical, health of individuals. Anger can be both a cause and a consequence of poor mental health. Driving anger can be defined as the anger that occurs while driving, and its level can be associated with aggressive and risky driving, loss of concentration and vehicular control, and near miss accidents in traffic. In this research, the factorability of the 14-item short form of the Driver Anger Scale (DAS) was investigated in the Turkish population. The data were further analyzed for various demographics and independent variables. The short form of the DAS can be reliably used for Turkish drivers as well. A safe driving culture must be substantially popularized via educatory applications within digital or classroom environments to control, regulate, and lessen traffic violence. Effective audits and deterrent regulations are also important with respect to decreasing driving anger and violence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being)
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15 pages, 327 KiB  
Perspective
Fostering an Age-Friendly Sustainable Transport System: A Psychological Perspective
by Luigi Tinella, Andrea Bosco, Sergio Traficante, Rosa Napoletano, Elisabetta Ricciardi, Giuseppina Spano, Antonella Lopez, Giovanni Sanesi, Angela Stefania Bergantino and Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13972; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813972 - 20 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1344
Abstract
The aging population is rapidly growing across the world, with the number of people aged 65 or older projected to reach 1.6 billion by 2050. As such, it is essential to consider how to develop sustainable transport systems that are age-friendly. This perspective [...] Read more.
The aging population is rapidly growing across the world, with the number of people aged 65 or older projected to reach 1.6 billion by 2050. As such, it is essential to consider how to develop sustainable transport systems that are age-friendly. This perspective paper investigates how to foster an age-friendly transport system with a particular focus on public and sustainable transport options for the elderly. Existing transport systems are evaluated to determine their adherence to an effective age-friendly transport system in terms of three main requirements, namely affordability, accessibility and safety. Then, a psychological perspective is introduced by considering the psycho-physical needs and preferences of the elderly as well as individual factors affecting them. Four areas are considered: (a) independence and autonomy, (b) comfort and convenience, (c) social inclusion and ageism, (d) physical health and well-being, especially injuries due to mobility and fear connected with them. Finally, a proposal is made about psychological training programs directed to both elderly users and transport workers to overcome concerns for an age-friendly transportation system. Such programs could effectively support the age-friendly use of public transport systems simply by increasing the age-friendly skills of both users as well as transport workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue On the Psychology of Sustainable Transport and Well-Being)
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