Editorial

5 pages, 168 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development

by Mengqiu Cao, Claire Papaix, Tianren Yang and Benjamin Büttner

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8498; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118498 - 24 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1786

Abstract

This Special Issue focuses on exploring the relationship between urban form, mobility, and social well-being across neighbourhoods, cities, and regions [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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24 pages, 3956 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Users’ Preferences in Selecting Transportation Modes for Leisure Trips in the Digital Era: Evidence from Bandung, Indonesia

by Tri Basuki Joewono, Mohamed Yusuf Faridian Wirayat, Prawira Fajarindra Belgiawan, I Gusti Ayu Andani and Clint Gunawijaya

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2503; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032503 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2103

Abstract

Leisure trips have become more important in an era where people are increasingly concerned with quality of life. Leisure trips are unique in that they are not as strict as mandatory trips, while, at the same time, they have wider characteristics because of [...] Read more.

Leisure trips have become more important in an era where people are increasingly concerned with quality of life. Leisure trips are unique in that they are not as strict as mandatory trips, while, at the same time, they have wider characteristics because of their flexibility. Research on leisure trips from developing countries is still under-represented as there is still a focus on commuting trips. This study aims to identify factors that influence the mode of transportation choice for leisure trips by domestic travelers who live in cities surrounding Bandung, Indonesia. Data were collected using stated-preference self-report questionnaires distributed to locals who have the intention to travel for leisure in Bandung in the future. Based on responses from 305 respondents with a total number of 1220 observations, a multinomial logit model was estimated. It was found that trains and buses were selected more often by locals than other modes of transportation, including private cars, for leisure trips. Our model showed that locals considered travel time and travel costs as the most significant factors in selecting the mode of transportation for their leisure trips. Besides the existence of online transportation—hailing rides through mobile apps—as an alternative, this study also reveals payment method to be a unique consideration of locals when travelling leisurely in this digital era. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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17 pages, 1344 KiB

Open AccessArticle

NOAH as an Innovative Tool for Modeling the Use of Suburban Railways

by Maciej Kruszyna

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010193 - 22 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1207

Abstract

The paper presents an innovative method called the “Nest of Apes Heuristic” (NOAH) for modeling specific problems by combining technical aspects of transport systems with human decision-making. The method is inspired by nature. At the beginning of the paper, potential problems related to [...] Read more.

The paper presents an innovative method called the “Nest of Apes Heuristic” (NOAH) for modeling specific problems by combining technical aspects of transport systems with human decision-making. The method is inspired by nature. At the beginning of the paper, potential problems related to modeling a suburban rail system were presented. The literature review is supplemented with a short description of known heuristics. The basic terminology, procedures, and algorithm are then introduced in detail. The factors of the suburban rail system turn into “Monkeys”. Monkeys change their position in the nest, creating leaders and followers. This allows for the comparison of the factor sets in a real system. The case study area covers the vicinity of Wroclaw, the fourth largest city in Poland. Two experiments were conducted. The first takes into account the average values of the factors in order to observe the algorithm’s work and formulate the stopping criteria. The second is based on the current values of the factors. The purpose of this work was to evaluate these values and to assess the possibilities of changing them. The obtained results show that the new tool may be useful for modeling and analyzing such problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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18 pages, 514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Ride-Hailing Passenger Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction Based on a MIMIC Model

by Gang Li, Ruining Zhang, Shujuan Guo and Junyi Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10954; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710954 - 02 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2832

Abstract

Well-being enhancement is an essential goal of urban transportation. As an emerging and popular mode of urban transportation, the impact of the ride-hailing service on people’s well-being has not been well examined, especially in developing countries. In order to study the influencing factors [...] Read more.

Well-being enhancement is an essential goal of urban transportation. As an emerging and popular mode of urban transportation, the impact of the ride-hailing service on people’s well-being has not been well examined, especially in developing countries. In order to study the influencing factors of ride-hailing passenger satisfaction and the relationship between passenger satisfaction and subjective well-being, a conceptual framework of the relationships between ride-hailing passengers’ characteristics, the service quality of ride-hailing (service perception, operation service, external influence, and safety perception), passenger satisfaction, and life satisfaction is developed and verified with data collected in Dalian city, China. A comparative analysis between express and hitch in the ride-hailing service is conducted by a multiple indicators multiple causes model. The result shows that service perception, safety perception, external influence, and operation service have significantly positive effects on passenger satisfaction in both express and hitch, but they play diverse roles. Passenger satisfaction in express and hitch positively and differently affects their respective life satisfaction with the consideration of individual heterogeneity in terms of socio-economic characteristics. These findings complement the interaction mechanism of service quality, passenger satisfaction, and life satisfaction in the field of ride-hailing; they provide critical insights for ride-hailing platforms and policymakers to satisfy the diversified travel needs and the well-being improvement of the public. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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19 pages, 756 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Group Difference in the Nonlinear Relationship between Commuting Satisfaction and Commuting Time

by Jiankun Yang, Min He and Mingwei He

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8473; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148473 - 11 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1618

Abstract

Analyzing commuting-time satisfaction could help to improve the subjective well-being of society. This study aimed to explore the nonlinear relationship between commuting satisfaction and commuting times in different groups and its influencing factors. An empirical study was conducted in Kunming, China. Firstly, applying [...] Read more.

Analyzing commuting-time satisfaction could help to improve the subjective well-being of society. This study aimed to explore the nonlinear relationship between commuting satisfaction and commuting times in different groups and its influencing factors. An empirical study was conducted in Kunming, China. Firstly, applying a random forest algorithm revealed that there was a nonlinear relationship between commuting satisfaction and commuting time. Secondly, the k-means clustering algorithm was used to divide the respondents into three types of commuter: short-duration-tolerant (group 1), medium-duration-tolerant (group 2), and long-duration-tolerant (group 3). It was found that the commuting-time satisfaction of these three clustered groups had different threshold effects. Specifically, the commuting satisfaction of group 1 showed a nonlinear downward trend, which decreased significantly at 12 and 28 min, respectively; the commuting satisfaction of group 2 rapidly decreased at 35 min; the commuting satisfaction of group 3 first increased in the range of 20–30 min, decreased significantly after 45 min, and decreased sharply above 70 min. These time thresholds were consistent with the ideal commuting times (ICTs) and tolerance thresholds of the commuting times (TTCTs) of the three clustered groups, which indicates that the ICT and TTCT had significant effects on commuting satisfaction. Lastly, the results of the multinominal logistic model showed that variables such as the commuting mode, job–housing distance, income, and educational background had significant effects on the three clustered groups. The policy implications of the study are that commuting circles should be planned with the TTCT as a constraint boundary and ICT as the optimal goal; in addition, different strategies should be adopted for different commuting groups to improve commuting satisfaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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17 pages, 582 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of hukou Accessibility on Migrants’ Long Term Settlement Intention in Destination

by Peilin Li, Yufeng Wu and Hui Ouyang

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7209; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127209 - 13 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1570

Abstract

Migrants’ long-term settlement intention in urban areas has been emphasized by both policy makers and researchers in promoting urbanization and coordinating regional economic development. This study advances the body of knowledge by investigating the effect of what E.S. Lee has proposed as ‘intervening [...] Read more.

Migrants’ long-term settlement intention in urban areas has been emphasized by both policy makers and researchers in promoting urbanization and coordinating regional economic development. This study advances the body of knowledge by investigating the effect of what E.S. Lee has proposed as ‘intervening obstacles’ in the ‘push-and-pull’ theory—the difficulty in obtaining hukou in migration destination, on their long-term settlement intention in urban areas. Logistic regressions were applied to examine the effect of urban registered residence system (the hukou system) accessibility on migrants’ long-term settlement intention in urban areas, as well as the determinants of subjective evaluated difficulty in obtaining urban hukou, based on a nation-wide large-scale survey in 46 Chinese cities. Our results suggest that difficulty in obtaining urban hukou does play an important role in shaping country-wide population movement. However, the negative impact of hukou difficulty on migrant workers’ residence intention is not linear, and only when the threshold in obtaining hukou is too high and difficult to achieve will migrant workers choose to return to their hometown in the long term. Moreover, the subjective evaluation of difficulty is further influenced by personal capability and living conditions in cities. This study provides pragmatic implications for administrations from either push side or pull side to improve habitant-related development strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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18 pages, 2365 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiple Smart Cities: The Case of the Eco Delta City in South Korea

by Dongho Han and Ji Hyun Kim

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6243; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106243 - 20 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3316

Abstract

This paper follows the urban development process of the Eco Delta City (EDC) in South Korea, a new waterfront development demonstrating the concept of a smart city. The investigation focuses on the mobilisation process under the framework of assemblage thinking: the way in [...] Read more.

This paper follows the urban development process of the Eco Delta City (EDC) in South Korea, a new waterfront development demonstrating the concept of a smart city. The investigation focuses on the mobilisation process under the framework of assemblage thinking: the way in which the smart city concept was applied to the project and the relational moments that delayed and stopped the process. This qualitative research with the case study and ethnographical tradition of analysis was conducted with data from diverse archival sources and interviews. By dissecting the network of EDC development, the analysis finds that the smart city mobilisation emerged from the complex actor-relations rather than from the top-down policy, and the initially brought smartness framed by the government was not accepted intactly but was contested, affiliated and compounded by the actor-relations. This study also verifies that the assemblage approach is a suitable tool in managing and evaluating policy mobilisation because it is affected by the local context and actor-relations rather than just imitation and direct application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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22 pages, 21372 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does High Spatial Density Imply High Population Density? Spatial Mechanism of Population Density Distribution Based on Population–Space Imbalance

by Dian Shao and Weiting Xiong

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 5776; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105776 - 10 May 2022

Viewed by 2262

Abstract

Numerous studies have suggested a positive correlation between spatial and population densities. However, few have systematically conducted quantitative analysis and deciphered the detailed correlation in block scale. Here, we construct a population–space correlation algorithm to quantify and compare the correlation between mobile phone [...] Read more.

Numerous studies have suggested a positive correlation between spatial and population densities. However, few have systematically conducted quantitative analysis and deciphered the detailed correlation in block scale. Here, we construct a population–space correlation algorithm to quantify and compare the correlation between mobile phone signalling data and vector spatial data and identify blocks with uneven population density. We analyse the influences of various urban spatial characteristics on population density and the distribution characteristics of the identified city blocks. Changzhou City, China, was selected as the study case. The results indicate that (1) population density distribution is unbalanced only when spatial density exceeds a critical value, reflecting the level and sphere of influence of blocks with varying spatial densities; (2) low population density distribution is concentrated in the zonal space, along the boundary between primary and secondary urban centres; (3) spatial characteristics affecting population density distribution vary with the type of block, and the green landscape’s attractiveness is reduced. Our study provides a novel perspective on quantifying the link between urban form and population distribution. It can help decision-makers and planners in accurately recommending urban intervention in population density distribution by adjusting the spatial morphology and promoting rational use of urban public resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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11 pages, 666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Empirical Analysis of the Benefits of Opening a Highway in Terms of Changes in Housing Prices

by Wonchul Kim and Sung Hyo Hong

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5527; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095527 - 05 May 2022

Viewed by 1197

Abstract

This study empirically analyzes the social benefits of opening a highway by assessing the increase in housing prices in two surrounding regions: one defined as the treatment group and the other defined as the control group. Although the two regions are geographically adjacent, [...] Read more.

This study empirically analyzes the social benefits of opening a highway by assessing the increase in housing prices in two surrounding regions: one defined as the treatment group and the other defined as the control group. Although the two regions are geographically adjacent, they belong to different administrative districts and are physically separated by natural topographical features such as mountain ranges. Both aspects make it so that the interaction or influence between the two regions is limited, which raises the probability that the control group will show a trend similar to that of the treatment group under the influence of economic factors but will not be affected by the opening of the highway. With this in mind, the benefits of accessibility improvement due to the opening of the highway are estimated by using the difference-in-differences framework, i.e., the relative change in housing prices in the treatment group compared to the control group. In addition, the corresponding highway route is analyzed by dividing it into three sections according to their opening times and locations. The findings suggest that the estimated benefits are not fictional but robust. The increase in housing prices due to the opening of a highway is estimated to be, on average, 586 to 3075 dollars per apartment (equivalently, USD 10 to 53 per square meter). These benefits are worthy of being reflected upon, complementary to a traditional cost-benefit analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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19 pages, 1618 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Street Usage Characteristics, Subjective Perception and Urban Form of Aging Group: A Case Study of Shanghai, China

by He Zhu, Qianyun Ji, Ying Lin, Ting Wang and Jingqing Lu

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5162; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095162 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1762

Abstract

Against the background of the aging trend in China, construction and regeneration strategies for an aging-friendly built environment are becoming common, led by urban governments, and public street spaces are the focus of these strategies. Exploring such planning and design strategies can help [...] Read more.

Against the background of the aging trend in China, construction and regeneration strategies for an aging-friendly built environment are becoming common, led by urban governments, and public street spaces are the focus of these strategies. Exploring such planning and design strategies can help to improve the social welfare of the aging population and meet their diverse needs. Thus, this paper, through analyzing the determinants of the elderly’s needs, examines the relationship between spatial perception and street form, using Shanghai, in China, as a case study. This study contributes to the current literature in two ways: first, it constitutes the first attempt to build a needs hierarchy for aging people in a Chinese developed city; second, our statistical analysis involves large-scale population surveys, which helps us to comprehensively and deeply understand the impact of detailed street forms on the elderly’s various spatial perceptions. Our results indicate that the renovation of street space in different areas of cities can be improved by the control of street form, to meet the diverse needs of the local aging group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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12 pages, 3609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is “Attending Nearby School” Near? An Analysis of Travel-to-School Distances of Primary Students in Beijing Using Smart Card Data

by Cong Liao and Teqi Dai

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4344; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074344 - 06 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2290

Abstract

The distance between home and school is crucial for children’s mobility and education equity. Compared with choice-based enrollment systems, much less attention has been given to the commuting distance to school in proximity-based systems, as if the institutional arrangement of assigning children to [...] Read more.

The distance between home and school is crucial for children’s mobility and education equity. Compared with choice-based enrollment systems, much less attention has been given to the commuting distance to school in proximity-based systems, as if the institutional arrangement of assigning children to nearby schools can avoid the problem of long commuting distances. Using student-type smart card data, this study explored the spatial characteristics of the commuting distance to primary schools by public transport and the residence-school spatial pattern under the proximity-based system in Beijing. The relationships between long school commutes and house price/age were investigated under the context of school gentrification. For the identified primary student users, fewer than 35% of the students travelled fewer than 3 km to school, while more than 80% of students travelled long distances greater than 5 km, which indicated that the policy of “attending nearby school” did not guarantee a shorter commuting distance to school. Long distances to school greater than 5 km correlate negatively with a lower average house price/building age and fewer students. This finding verified the assumptions from China’s school gentrification that people might buy older school-district houses but live far from the school district for a new house. These findings provide a complementary view of previous survey studies and reveal the actual commuting distance by public transport for a group of primary students in a proximity-based enrollment system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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15 pages, 1916 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Engaging Smallholders in Flower Agribusiness for Inclusive Rural Development: The Case of Yunnan, China

by Jieming Zhu, Chen Chen and Lie You

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2614; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052614 - 24 Feb 2022

Viewed by 1858

Abstract

Serious farmland scarcities make smallholders a default mode for China’s agriculture, which makes efficient and equitable rural development a great challenge. Tensions lead to alternation between autonomous family farming and coordinated collective agriculture. Rapid urbanization since the 1980s has strongly stimulated flower-growing and [...] Read more.

Serious farmland scarcities make smallholders a default mode for China’s agriculture, which makes efficient and equitable rural development a great challenge. Tensions lead to alternation between autonomous family farming and coordinated collective agriculture. Rapid urbanization since the 1980s has strongly stimulated flower-growing and agribusiness in Yunnan, China. The organization for commercial flower-farming is, however, an issue. Officially promoted for collective farming, voluntary cooperatives are wrecked by the free-riding problem. Grower associations nevertheless spontaneously emerge, with the flexible entry and exit of members without binding joint-assets and joint-ownership, which is facilitated by technological changes to the transaction. Empirical investigation in Tonghai, Yunnan, unveiled the institution of agribusiness–smallholder partnership for inclusive rural development. Smallholders have actively participated in flower agriculture, which has contributed significantly to the development of rural economies. The high casualty of micro-smallholders suggests that farm size is an important and crucial factor for sustainable farming. Effective rural development has to be supported by endogenous non-agricultural jobs so that farm size can be increased. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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13 pages, 2333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profiling Residents’ Mobility with Grid-Aggregated Mobile Phone Trace Data Using Chengdu as the Case

by Xuesong Gao, Hui Wang and Lun Liu

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13713; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413713 - 12 Dec 2021

Viewed by 1906

Abstract

People’s movement trace harvested from mobile phone signals has become an important new data source for studying human behavior and related socioeconomic topics in social science. With growing concern about privacy leakage of big data, mobile phone data holders now tend to provide [...] Read more.

People’s movement trace harvested from mobile phone signals has become an important new data source for studying human behavior and related socioeconomic topics in social science. With growing concern about privacy leakage of big data, mobile phone data holders now tend to provide aggregate-level mobility data instead of individual-level data. However, most algorithms for measuring mobility are based on individual-level data—how the existing mobility algorithms can be properly transformed to apply on aggregate-level data remains undiscussed. This paper explores the transformation of individual data-based mobility metrics to fit with grid-aggregate data. Fifteen candidate metrics measuring five indicators of mobility are proposed and the most suitable one for each indicator is selected. Future research about aggregate-level mobility data may refer to our analysis to assist in the selection of suitable mobility metrics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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16 pages, 1242 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deciphering Property Development around High-Speed Railway Stations through Land Value Capture: Case Studies in Shenzhen and Hong Kong

by Weihang Gong, Jing (Victor) Li and Mee Kam Ng

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12605; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212605 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3553

Abstract

Property development around transit stations has been viewed by many governments as a considerable way of financing public transportation. However, despite mounting evidence of the positive relationship between transport investment and proximate land value, the stakeholder relationship in enabling complex property–transit development has [...] Read more.

Property development around transit stations has been viewed by many governments as a considerable way of financing public transportation. However, despite mounting evidence of the positive relationship between transport investment and proximate land value, the stakeholder relationship in enabling complex property–transit development has received relatively scarce attention. In this study, we analyze the railway financing strategies in two cities (Shenzhen and Hong Kong) connected by the first cross-border high-speed rail (HSR) network in China. Using a holistic power approach, this study presents power direction, power strength, and power mechanism as the critical factors for each case. The results reveal that different stakeholder relations arising from different social and institutional contexts have led to varying land value capture practices. The findings of this study contribute to sustainable railway financing in three phases: First, it unravels the relationship between railway financing and property development under the context of an intercity railway program, with the intervention of state power. Second, it sorts out critical elements in the implementation of the land value capture mechanism, especially institutional factors such as the role of the transit agency. Third, it directs a flexible development of the land value capture theory to cope with foreseeable problems such as land resource scarcity, institutional complexity, and interest divergence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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17 pages, 852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impacts of Transportation Sustainability on Higher Education in China

by Daqing Zu, Kang Cao and Jian Xu

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12579; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212579 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2433

Abstract

Improving transportation sustainability serves as a means of reducing the perceived and real distance, thereby contributing to the city and higher education development. In this paper, the complexity of transport sustainability is measured via four different dimensions: economy, society, environment and politics. The [...] Read more.

Improving transportation sustainability serves as a means of reducing the perceived and real distance, thereby contributing to the city and higher education development. In this paper, the complexity of transport sustainability is measured via four different dimensions: economy, society, environment and politics. The variables are designed by the four dimensions. The higher education development is measured via the ratio of higher education degree holders, reflecting the skilled work mobility. Over the last 30 years, university students moving to cities for study and work purposes have become an important part of rural–urban transition mobility. However, few studies have explored the impacts of transportation sustainability on higher education development in China. The economic, environmental, social and political dimensions in transportation sustainability can boost China’s higher education attainment in different ways. Against this background, this study, drawing on the panel data and employing the spatial multilevel model, investigated the impacts of transportation sustainability on higher education in China, adding new empirical evidence for China’s higher education development. A panel analysis revealed that the increase in transportation sustainability induces the growth of higher education. Moreover, higher education attainment showed significant spatial dependence at the county level and had significant spatial clustering of county-level higher education attainment across provinces. Furthermore, modeled test results showed that the spatial multilevel model was more suitable for our study than traditional regression models. By identifying transport sustainability variables that have an effect on higher education, this study is the first to uncover the complexity of transportation sustainability and contributes to the latest policy implications for promoting higher education attainment through sustainable transportation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Relationship between Urban Form, Mobility and Social Well-Being: Towards an Interdisciplinary Field of Sustainable Urban Planning and Transport Development)

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