Beatriz Mella Lira discusses the use of the Capability Approach in relation to transport and soci... more Beatriz Mella Lira discusses the use of the Capability Approach in relation to transport and social equity. The concepts of capabilities and functionings are used, to help consider the things a persons may value doing and being, including the activities that they are able to perform. A list of social indicators is developed, including life, bodily health, bodily integrity, sense and emotion. The lower the levels and higher the gap between the current and expected achievement of opportunities are seen as reflective of social inequity, with transport viewed as a facilitator in the development of fairer societies.
Background Social impact assessment in transport has been usually based on the understanding of c... more Background Social impact assessment in transport has been usually based on the understanding of changes in physical accessibility, casualties and security. However, looking for more complex factors for measuring the quality of trips from the users’ perspective has been increasingly necessary to improve their quality life in the long term. In this regard, personal preferences of users regarding issues of comfort, personal safety, physical wellbeing and health have not been fully accomplished. This paper suggest that Capability Approach (CA) (Sen, 1985; 2009; Nussbaum, 2011; 2013) has the potential to offer a much wider perspective on the social dimensions of equity, based not only on the access to resources or people's possessions, but also in the opportunities and freedoms that people have. However, the use of a quantitative approach (e.g. surveys and questionnaires) as a valid method for measuring CA still remains as an open question. The aim of this paper is to suggest the use...
Introduction Subjective wellbeing is a topic that has attracted considerable attention in the tra... more Introduction Subjective wellbeing is a topic that has attracted considerable attention in the transportation literature in recent years. As a result, there is a burgeoning literature that investigates the impacts of travel on subjective wellbeing, and how wellbeing, in turn, can influence behavior. An important aspect of subjective wellbeing are the affective reactions of people to their experiences. Objective The objective of this paper is to analyze the affective reactions of travelers with respect to various modes of transportation. In particular, we are interested in the potential for dissonance between primary mode of travel and the mode(s) of travel identified as evoking various affective reactions. Materials and methods The study is based on data collected from a sample of travelers in the city of Santiago, in Chile. Participants in the study were asked about their usual mode of travel, and then were asked to name their ideal mode(s) of transportation from the perspective of ...
Relying mostly on travel time savings, cost-benefit analysis has been widely used in transport pr... more Relying mostly on travel time savings, cost-benefit analysis has been widely used in transport project appraisals in the Chilean context, with utility maximisation theory as its background. Nevertheless, subjective well-being advocates have challenged the notion of the rational man underlying this theory by proposing that other trip attributes, individual perceptions and personal features mediate satisfaction with travel, alongside global well-being. Using the recently-opened Line 6 of Metro de Santiago (Chile) as a case study, this research has two main aims: (1) to verify to what extent travel time savings, which support the cost-benefit analysis process, are present after the launching of the new line; and (2) analyse the perception of passengers’ travel time savings, and to what extent this element contributes to the travel satisfaction and to the global well-being at the individual level. Using passive data from smart cards, the results show that travel times decreased by 14% i...
Taking Planning Forward returns in its third edition for a review of the new and exciting achieve... more Taking Planning Forward returns in its third edition for a review of the new and exciting achievements of the PhD community in the Bartlett School of Planning (BSP) since the release of its second edition in May 2017 (Editorial Team)
One of the major narratives in transport policy internationally concerns the promotion of private... more One of the major narratives in transport policy internationally concerns the promotion of private versus public modes. The Global North has many examples where public transport, walking and cycling networks are well developed, yet examples from the Global South are less evident. There is a historical failure of replicating policies and practices from the Global North, particularly in perpetuating the highway building model, often unsuitable to the cultural contexts in the Global South. This paper examines individual attitudes and discourses concerning travel to De La Salle University campus, in Metro Manila, the Philippines. 42 participants are surveyed using Q methodology. Four discourses are developed, reflecting attitudes to growing automobility in Manila, public transport service provision, the difficulties of travelling in the city and the aspiration for increased comfort whilst travelling. Manila provides an example of the complexities in moving towards greater sustainable travel in the southeast Asian context where levels of private car usage are already high. It is hoped that a greater awareness of the problems of the current travel experiences might lead to us to seek different narratives, where transport systems can be developed which better serve social equity and environmental goals.
Transport plays an important role in helping people to access activities and participate in life.... more Transport plays an important role in helping people to access activities and participate in life. The availability of transport networks, the modes available, new infrastructure proposals, and the type of urban development can all impact on and change activity participation, and hence contribute to social equity in the city. This article uses surveys in low and high income neighbourhoods in Manila, the Philippines, to assess the social equity implications of differential access to transport. The analysis demonstrates how the theoretical framework of the Capability Approach (Nussbaum, 2003; Sen, 1985, 1999, 2009) can be used to assess what individuals might be able to access (capabilities) versus their actual travel (functionings). The spatial patterns of travel and access to activities are assessed, demonstrating significant differences by gender, age, income and neighbourhood, in terms of travel mode and cost of travel; health, physical and mental integrity; senses, imagination and thoughts; reasoning and planning; social interaction; natural environment; sustainable modes; and information. This approach to assessing the transport dimensions of social equity offers much potential, based not only on access to resources or consumption of mobility, but also in the opportunities that people have in relation to their activity participation. The case study context is also informative, with Manila providing an example of an Asian city with high levels of private car usage, high levels of congestion, and large spatial and income differentials in travel and associated social equity.
Beatriz Mella Lira discusses the use of the Capability Approach in relation to transport and soci... more Beatriz Mella Lira discusses the use of the Capability Approach in relation to transport and social equity. The concepts of capabilities and functionings are used, to help consider the things a persons may value doing and being, including the activities that they are able to perform. A list of social indicators is developed, including life, bodily health, bodily integrity, sense and emotion. The lower the levels and higher the gap between the current and expected achievement of opportunities are seen as reflective of social inequity, with transport viewed as a facilitator in the development of fairer societies.
Background Social impact assessment in transport has been usually based on the understanding of c... more Background Social impact assessment in transport has been usually based on the understanding of changes in physical accessibility, casualties and security. However, looking for more complex factors for measuring the quality of trips from the users’ perspective has been increasingly necessary to improve their quality life in the long term. In this regard, personal preferences of users regarding issues of comfort, personal safety, physical wellbeing and health have not been fully accomplished. This paper suggest that Capability Approach (CA) (Sen, 1985; 2009; Nussbaum, 2011; 2013) has the potential to offer a much wider perspective on the social dimensions of equity, based not only on the access to resources or people's possessions, but also in the opportunities and freedoms that people have. However, the use of a quantitative approach (e.g. surveys and questionnaires) as a valid method for measuring CA still remains as an open question. The aim of this paper is to suggest the use...
Introduction Subjective wellbeing is a topic that has attracted considerable attention in the tra... more Introduction Subjective wellbeing is a topic that has attracted considerable attention in the transportation literature in recent years. As a result, there is a burgeoning literature that investigates the impacts of travel on subjective wellbeing, and how wellbeing, in turn, can influence behavior. An important aspect of subjective wellbeing are the affective reactions of people to their experiences. Objective The objective of this paper is to analyze the affective reactions of travelers with respect to various modes of transportation. In particular, we are interested in the potential for dissonance between primary mode of travel and the mode(s) of travel identified as evoking various affective reactions. Materials and methods The study is based on data collected from a sample of travelers in the city of Santiago, in Chile. Participants in the study were asked about their usual mode of travel, and then were asked to name their ideal mode(s) of transportation from the perspective of ...
Relying mostly on travel time savings, cost-benefit analysis has been widely used in transport pr... more Relying mostly on travel time savings, cost-benefit analysis has been widely used in transport project appraisals in the Chilean context, with utility maximisation theory as its background. Nevertheless, subjective well-being advocates have challenged the notion of the rational man underlying this theory by proposing that other trip attributes, individual perceptions and personal features mediate satisfaction with travel, alongside global well-being. Using the recently-opened Line 6 of Metro de Santiago (Chile) as a case study, this research has two main aims: (1) to verify to what extent travel time savings, which support the cost-benefit analysis process, are present after the launching of the new line; and (2) analyse the perception of passengers’ travel time savings, and to what extent this element contributes to the travel satisfaction and to the global well-being at the individual level. Using passive data from smart cards, the results show that travel times decreased by 14% i...
Taking Planning Forward returns in its third edition for a review of the new and exciting achieve... more Taking Planning Forward returns in its third edition for a review of the new and exciting achievements of the PhD community in the Bartlett School of Planning (BSP) since the release of its second edition in May 2017 (Editorial Team)
One of the major narratives in transport policy internationally concerns the promotion of private... more One of the major narratives in transport policy internationally concerns the promotion of private versus public modes. The Global North has many examples where public transport, walking and cycling networks are well developed, yet examples from the Global South are less evident. There is a historical failure of replicating policies and practices from the Global North, particularly in perpetuating the highway building model, often unsuitable to the cultural contexts in the Global South. This paper examines individual attitudes and discourses concerning travel to De La Salle University campus, in Metro Manila, the Philippines. 42 participants are surveyed using Q methodology. Four discourses are developed, reflecting attitudes to growing automobility in Manila, public transport service provision, the difficulties of travelling in the city and the aspiration for increased comfort whilst travelling. Manila provides an example of the complexities in moving towards greater sustainable travel in the southeast Asian context where levels of private car usage are already high. It is hoped that a greater awareness of the problems of the current travel experiences might lead to us to seek different narratives, where transport systems can be developed which better serve social equity and environmental goals.
Transport plays an important role in helping people to access activities and participate in life.... more Transport plays an important role in helping people to access activities and participate in life. The availability of transport networks, the modes available, new infrastructure proposals, and the type of urban development can all impact on and change activity participation, and hence contribute to social equity in the city. This article uses surveys in low and high income neighbourhoods in Manila, the Philippines, to assess the social equity implications of differential access to transport. The analysis demonstrates how the theoretical framework of the Capability Approach (Nussbaum, 2003; Sen, 1985, 1999, 2009) can be used to assess what individuals might be able to access (capabilities) versus their actual travel (functionings). The spatial patterns of travel and access to activities are assessed, demonstrating significant differences by gender, age, income and neighbourhood, in terms of travel mode and cost of travel; health, physical and mental integrity; senses, imagination and thoughts; reasoning and planning; social interaction; natural environment; sustainable modes; and information. This approach to assessing the transport dimensions of social equity offers much potential, based not only on access to resources or consumption of mobility, but also in the opportunities that people have in relation to their activity participation. The case study context is also informative, with Manila providing an example of an Asian city with high levels of private car usage, high levels of congestion, and large spatial and income differentials in travel and associated social equity.
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