Hoorcollege 1, Marco Helbich, (12-11-2019)
Significance of transport: since the beginning of human history urge for mobility, contributed to
prosperity of nations.
Why do we travel? -theoretical perspectives-
● ‘to transform the geographical attributes of freight, people or information, from an origin to a
destination’ (Rodrigue, 2013)
● Travel as constrained behavior (capability, authority, coupling, constraints)
● Travel as an outcome of decisions (utility maximization)
Core components (Rodrigue, 2013)
● Modes
- Conveyances (vehicles used to move passengers or freight
- Mobile elements of transportation
● Infrastructures
- Physical support of transport modes, such as routes and terminals
- Fixed elements of transportation
● Networks
- System of linked locations (nodes)
- Functional and spatial organization of transportation
● Flows
- Movements of people, freight and information over their network
- Flows have origins, intermediary locations and destinations.
Travel modes and the spatial consideration of movement
● Spatial constraints (i.e. distance) impede movement)
● After a certain distance a mode is not economically justified anymore
What influences travel decisions? → Individual, household and trip characteristics.
● This does not happen in a vacuum, has a geographical setting
● Environmental characteristics at the origin, destination and en-route.
Transport and its societal and environmental impact
● Positive effects → Access to services; Independence and freedom to move; Global
space-time convergence (less days required to circumnavigate the globe)
● Negative effects → Noise pollution; Road safety; Adverse economic and health
effects; land-use patterns; car emissions, smog, accidents
Conclusion
● transport is one of the most important human activities
● significance of transportation is still growing
● changing travel patterns and choices
- increased complexity
- individualization and diversification
● Resulting challenges ⇒ Health impacts, climate change, congestion
1
, Hoorcollege 2 - Dick Ettema - (14-11-2019)
Theoretical perspectives on travel and transportation
Why do we see different travel patterns in different geographical contexts?
What drives travel?
● Needs (reasons for travel) and opportunities
● Locations and resistance (constraints)
● Choices
Conceptueel model Van Wee and Annema (2014)
● Needs & opportunities
● Locations
● Resistance by travel mode
● TRAVEL (trips by mode)
Needs and opportunities (Chapin, 1974)
● Scientific underpinning of city planning
● Study of human behaviour in the city
● Cities should accommodate human activity patterns
● Wider range of activities/trips, not only car commuting.
● Trips derived from activities
- → Activities (and travel) driven by motivations, roles, opportunities, which may
change over time!
Trends that influence need for travel
Economic growth; (female) labour force participation; higher share in higher education; ICT; social
networks; demographic transitions; ethnic composition.
Reasons for leisure travel (Harms, 2007)
● increasing amount of free time (1945-85), decreasing (1985-now)
● Increasing income levels
● Intensification of leisure activities, higher expenditures
● Leisure consumption to define lifestyle
● ‘Experience economy’
● Development of leisure periphery (economies of scale)
2
, Why do travel patterns in Calgary, Amsterdam & Hong Kong differ? → Due too different
distancenses to work, school etc. and different transport options (Time geography)
Locations and resistance: constraints
Time geography (Hägerstrand, 1970) → Individuals follow path through space and time.
● liveability requires access to schools, theatres, libraries etc.
- liveability = location choice and movement of people to make money/consume.
● organisation at the micro level (subject to change and context)
● Roles/activities are linked to places and times
● Limiting access to facilities/liveability
Constraints (Hägerstrand, 1970)
● Capacity constraints (travel speed, time use)
- Individual capacity/skills determine freedom of movement
● Coupling constraint (work, household)
- Limitations because people need to be on specific places on a specific time.
● Authority constraints (regulation)
- Limitations by authorities.
● (Fixed activities serves as anchors)
Women combine work and household tasks, limiting their DPPA compared to men.
Advantages of time geography
● Declares differences in travel behavior of people.
● Is useful to investigate people’s options and limitations (in relation to their needs and daily
activity patterns)
● Makes accessibility person specific
Criticisms on time geography (Sui, 2012)
● Time geography has to much social and emotional context
● Unclear boundaries between place and space
● To much human agency
● (Reductionist, objectivistic)
Travel as a decision
● Given CCA constraints (usually) many options remain
● This implies choices regarding locations, travel mode, time of day etc.
● to understand travel you must understand people's choices :
- mico-economic discrete choice models [random utility theory] (Ben-Akiva & Lerman,
1985)
- Psychological behavioural models.
Discrete choices, relevant because by knowing the choices we’re able to forecast the future
● Mode choice
● Destination choice
● Departure time choice
Policy relevance
● Influencing choices
- stimulating public transport to fight congestion and pollution
- promoting active travel
- marketing
3
