Residential mobility and location choice: a nested logit model with sampling of alternatives

Residential mobility and relocation choice are essential parts of integrated transportation and land use models. These decision processes have been examined and modeled individually to a great extent but there remain gaps in the literature on the underlying behaviors that connect them. Households may partly base their decision to move from or stay at a current location on the price and quality of the available alternatives. Conversely, households that are on the market for a new location may evaluate housing choices relative to their previous residence. How and the degree to which these decisions relate to each other are, however, not completely understood. This research is intended to contribute to the body of empirical evidence that will help answer these questions. It is hypothesized that residential mobility and location choice are related household decisions that can be modeled together using a two-tier hierarchical structure. This paper presents a novel nested logit (NL) model with sampling of alternatives and a proposed procedure for sampling bias correction. The model was estimated using full-information maximum likelihood estimation methods. The results confirm the applicability of this NL model and support similar findings from other empirical studies in the residential mobility and location choice literature.     

The container terminal community

Over the past 30 years, technological developments have not only affected the design and operation of the port function, but also the organizational and institutional relationships within the port community. Two inter-organizational interaction models are presented, drawing on the findings of over 200 in-depth interviews with senior managers representing terminal operators, shipping lines, feeder operators, ship agents, road hauliers, freight forwarders and shippers serving the UK?Far East trade. The first model represents a breakbulk berth of the 1960s and the second a modern container terminal community. In comparing the models, it is shown that containerization has transformed the fragmented breakbulk operation of the 1960s into the cohesive container terminal community that today facilitates port operations. The paper concludes by examining trends in key inter-organizational relationships in the community and the emergence of eBusiness.     

Port concentration, inter-port competition and revitalization: the case of Mombasa, Kenya

Mombasa is overwhelmingly the dominant port, urban and industrial complex on the Kenya coast. Improvements in operational efficiency, management restructuring and the revitalization of the port in the competitive context of the East A frican port system as a whole are critically important current policy objectives. These issues are discussed in the context of the character and development of the port. Two further issues are outlined: the proposal to establish a free port at Mombasa, and the idea of developing a second deepwater port elsewhere on the Kenya coast. Both are considered interesting but premature.     

Not All Transfers Are Created Equal: Towards a Framework Relating Transfer Connectivity to Travel Behaviour

Abstract

Walking from origins to transit stops, transferring between transit lines and walking from transit stops to destinations—all add to the burden of transit travel, sometimes to a very large degree. Transfers in particular can be stressful and/or time‐consuming for travellers, discouraging transit use. As such, transit facilities that reduce the burdens of walking, waiting and transferring can substantially increase transit system efficacy and use. In this paper, we argue that transit planning research on transit stops and stations, and transit planning practice frequently lack a clear conceptual framework relating transit waits and transfers with what we know about travel behaviour. Therefore, we draw on the concepts of transfer penalties and value of time in the travel behaviour/economics literature to develop a framework that situates transfer penalties within the total travel generalized costs of a transit trip. For example, value of time is important in relating actual time of waiting and walking to the perceived time of travel. We also draw on research to classify factors most important to users’ perspectives and travel behaviour—transfer costs, time scheduling and five transfer facility attributes: (1) access, (2) connection and reliability, (3) information, (4) amenities, and (5) security and safety. Using this framework, we seek to explicitly relate improvements of transfer stops/stations with components of transfer penalties and changes in travel behaviour (through a reduction in transfer penalties). We conclude that the employment of such a framework can help practitioners better apply the most effective improvements to transit stops and transfer facilities.     

Triple doses: a view of seamen's health

The health of seamen of all nations has long been a subject of concern. In this paper Brian Nolan stresses the specific social and economic situations of life at sea which produce their own injury, disease and death, and highlights the need for greater concern and actions by unions and employers to lessen the present high cost of seafaring to seamen.     

Facts,Fictions, and Failures of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe

Nearly 40 years on since its first tentative steps in North America, this article considers whether Integrated Zone Coastal Management (ICZM) in Europe has grown to maturity as a form of governance. The article summarizes the findings of recent research concerning the levels of implementation of coastal management in Europe, with particular reference to the UK experience. A research framework is used to identify the different motivations behind the social actor groups involved in coastal management. The application of this framework reveals four major findings about gaps in implementation: (1) the complexity of responsibilities at the coast continues to prevent agencies from taking a “joined-up” approach; (2) a policy vacuum is constraining implementation from national to local scales; (3) informational obstacles are significant in preventing co-ordination between science and policymakers, and between different sectors; (4) a democratic deficit is preventing implementation in the working practices of coastal stakeholders, with little opportunity in decision making for public comment or local accountability, especially offshore. The article also explores different conceptualizations of the role of coastal management and planning held across Europe, providing an analysis using the Strategic Management literature and the experience of the EU Demonstration Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (1996–1999). Recent arrangements, with the availability of priming funds from the European Commission and emphasis on “pilot” and “demonstration” methods, have tended to encourage a project-based approach to ICZM that may fail to realize long-term objectives. The article seeks to present an analysis of the behaviors of scientists, academics, policymakers, and practitioners, and will be of interest to all those seeking to establish ICZM within the wider system of governance, as supported by the Commission of the European Community (2000) Communication on ICZM (COM 547). Some technical solutions are also offered from the UK experience that will be of use to coastal project officers working at national and regional levels.     

Reframing Engagement Methods for Climate Change Adaptation

Climate change poses known and unknown risks for coastal communities and also challenges for university faculty and local government staff who communicate about cli- mate sciences. Conceived as a way to move beyond traditional models of science communication, this project involved public and private decision makers in specific at-risk communities in Oregon (U.S. Pacific coast) and Maine (Atlantic coast). Both state projects sought to move behavior toward decisive action that results in coastal communities that are more resilient to climate variability at all scales. To promote engagement between project staffs and publics, a dialogic model of communication was advanced, beginning with interviews and focus groups that in turn shaped further engagement through workshops and targeted video products. This means of communication led to a deeper understanding of participants’ knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, values, and barriers to action related to climate change and its effects. Coinciding with this, project participant evaluations in both Oregon and Maine indicate that the workshops and videos were successful at informing them on this complex issue; and in both states, project participation led to action outcomes. We believe that applied elsewhere our multifaceted and adaptive approach will garner similar results, provided sufficient dedicated staffing and attention to methods.     

Comparison of In-Vehicle Auditory Public Traffic Information With Roadside Dynamic Message Signs

Dynamic message signs (DMS) have been widely used by transportation agencies to disseminate traffic information (referred to in this article as “public traffic information”) for decades. Unfortunately, their effectiveness is limited, based on the following reasons: they are costly, can only present a limited amount of information, and typically only display information in one language. The wide availability of smart devices and the development of connected vehicles offer the possibility to create “virtual” DMS (VDMS), utilizing geofencing and audible messages to convey public traffic information. This research compares the ability of VDMS to convey public traffic information with existing DMS. A mixed repeated-measure experiment using a driving simulator was designed that examined the impacts of driver age, information transmission mode, amount of information, and driving complexity on message comprehension. Forty-two participants were recruited and each of them was tested under different combinations of the three within-subject factors. Participant performance was measured in terms of message comprehension, distraction, and self-reported overall difficulty level in receiving messages. Results revealed that VDMS generally performs better than DMS as information content increases and driving condition complexity increases, regardless of driver age. VDMS increased message comprehension by 16% under relatively complex driving conditions, reduced driver reaction time to unexpected stimuli (as measured with a reduced time-to-brake of 0.39 s), and made the same messages easier to process and retain for drivers than DMS. Based on these results, it is recommended that transportation agencies give careful consideration to VDMS as a future strategy for delivering public traffic information in a connected vehicle environment.