Residential built environment and walking activity: Empirical evidence of Jane Jacobs’ urban vitality

This study intends to empirically verify Jacobs’ urban vitality theory, which was based on the observations of her New York City neighborhood in the mid-20th century. To examine the relationship between the residential built environment and walking activity, we used telephone survey data consisting of 1823 valid samples from across Seoul, a city characterized by a high population density and a well-established public transportation system. Respondents were asked questions about their residential location, their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and their walking activities. This study then used geographic information systems to measure objective indicators of built environment variables within 500-meter buffer areas based on the home addresses of the respondents. Then, this study constructed multilevel regression models with walking activity as the dependent variable. Our results indicated that walking activity is associated with Jacobs’ six conditions for urban vitality, including land use mix, density, block size, building age, accessibility, and border vacuums.     

A combined assessment of air and noise pollution on the High Line,New York City

The High Line is an elevated public park in New York City, transformed from an unused freight rail line. Pedestrians walking through Manhattan’s West Side can walk either on the High Line or on a footpath below. Using Manhattan as a laboratory, this paper offers a combined assessment of noise and particulate matter pollution for its pedestrians. Noise and PM_2.5 levels were recorded simultaneously for two cases (i) pedestrians walking on a footpath alongside road traffic and (ii) pedestrians walking on the elevated High Line. Testing took places over three days in autumn 2014. Results were analysed to investigate if pedestrians using the High Line would have a lower pollution exposure to those using the footpath below. Results showed statistically significant differences between the upper and lower levels in exposure to both pollution types. In order to quantify the overall impact, results are expressed through a combined air–noise pollution index. This index indicates that the average reduction in PM_2.5 and noise pollution along the High Line compared to the footpath below is approximately 37%.     

Dynamic traffic metering in urban street networks: Formulation and solution algorithm

Traffic metering offers great potential to reduce congestion and enhance network performance in oversaturated urban street networks. This paper presents an optimization program for dynamic traffic metering in urban street networks based on the Cell Transmission Model (CTM). We have formulated the problem as a Mixed-Integer Linear Program (MILP) capable of metering traffic at network gates with given signal timing parameters at signalized intersections. Due to the complexities of the MILP model, we have developed a novel and efficient solution approach that solves the problem by converting the MILP to a linear program and several CTM simulation runs. The solution algorithm is applied to two case studies under different conditions. The proposed solution technique finds solutions that have a maximum gap of 1% of the true optimal solution and guarantee the maximum throughput by keeping some vehicles at network gates and only allowing enough vehicles to enter the network to prevent gridlocks. This is confirmed by comparing the case studies with and without traffic metering. The results in an adapted real-world case study network show that traffic metering can increase network throughput by 4.9–38.9% and enhance network performance.     

Optimal design of electric vehicle public charging system in an urban network for Greenhouse Gas Emission and cost minimization

In this paper, we address the optimization problem of allocation of Electric Vehicle (EV) public fast charging stations over an urban grid network. The objective is to minimize Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) under multiple constraints including a limited agency budget, accessibility of charging stations in every possible charging request and charging demands during peak hours. Additionally, we address bi-criteria problems to consider user costs as the second objective. A convex parsimonious model that depends on relatively few assumptions and input parameters is proposed and it is shown to be useful for obtaining conceptual insights for high-level planning. In a parametric study using a hypothetical urban network model generated based on realistic parameters, we show that GHG emissions decrease with agency budget, and that the reductions vary depending on multiple factors related to EV market and EV technologies. The optimal solutions found from the bi-criteria problems are shown to be close to the solution minimizing GHG emissions only, meaning that the emission minimizing policy can also minimize user costs.     

Urban single-lane roundabouts: A new analytical approach using multi-criteria and simultaneous multi-objective optimization of geometry design,efficiency and safety

Building safe and effective roundabouts requires optimizing traffic (operational) efficiency (TE) and traffic safety (TS) while taking into account geometric factors, traffic characteristics and local constraints. Most existing simulation-based optimization models do not simultaneously optimize all these factors. To capture the relationship among geometry, efficiency and safety, we put forward a model formulation in this paper. We present a new multi-criteria and simultaneous multi-objective optimization (MOO) model approach to optimize geometry, TE and TS of urban unsignalized single-lane roundabouts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first model that uses the multi-criteria decision-making method known as analytic hierarchy process to evaluate and rank traffic parameters and geometric elements of urban single-lane roundabouts. The model was built based on comprehensive review of the research literature and existing roundabout simulation software, a field survey of 61 civil and traffic expert engineers in Croatia, and field studies of roundabouts in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb. We started from the basis of Kimber’s capacity model, HCM2010 serviceability model, and Maycock and Hall's accident prediction model, which we extended by adding sensitivity analysis and powerful MOO procedures of the bounded objective function method and interactive optimization. Preliminary validation of the model was achieved by identifying the optimal and most robust of three geometric alternatives (V.1-V.3) for an unsignalized single-lane roundabout in Zagreb, Croatia. The geometric parameters in variant V.1 had significantly higher values than in the existing design V.0, while approaches 1 and 3 in variant V.2 were enlarged as much as possible within allowed spatial limits and Croatian guidelines, reflecting their higher traffic demand. Sensitivity analysis indicated that variant V.2 showed the overall highest TE and TS across the entire range of traffic flow demand and pedestrian crossing flow demand at approaches. At the same time, the number of predicted traffic accidents was similar for all three variants, although it was lowest overall for V.2. The similarity in predicted accident frequency for the three variants suggests that V.2 provides the greatest safety within the predefined constraints and parameter ranges explored in our study. These preliminary results suggest that the proposed model can optimize geometry, TE and TS of urban single-lane roundabouts.     

智慧校园环境下课程资源建设的实践研究 ——以汽修专业《汽车空调原理与检修》课程建设应用为例

为研究智慧环境下课程资源建设,文章以《汽车空调原理与检修》课程建设应用为例,通过建设该教学平台,实现线上线下教学的有机结合,可以有效提升教师的教学质量及教学效率,还可以为那些渴望更深层次知识的学生提供一个良好的学习平台。在“智慧校园”的建设和发展过程中,需要不断更新与教学相关的信息,因此建设《汽车空调原理与检修》课程教学资源是高等院校课程改革的需求。     

城市公交车身轻量化分析与设计

作为城市枢纽的公交车,采用纯电动技术可作为降低城市环境污染、减少能源消耗的切入点。目前续驶里程短是制约纯电动公交发展的主要因素。可以通过增加动力电池的电量或者对整车进行轻量化来增加续驶里程。在轻量化设计方面,对高强钢、铝合金、镁合金、工程塑料和碳纤维等几种轻量化材料进行对比分析,从中选出目前较为合适的铝合金材料。通过理论计算与设计,再通过有限元分析手段进行验证,设计出合理的车身骨架用型材截面以及连接结构。实现减重的同时保证车身结构可靠性,同时通过全生命周期中成本评估对比,发现铝合金车身可以实现降本。     

集聚经济视角下轨道交通投资对城市系统均衡的影响

随着城镇化进程加快,城市规模增加所带来的集聚效应和交通拥堵等负外部性之间的矛盾越来越突出,优化城市交通基础设施建设是缓解该矛盾的重要举措。本文同时考虑了集聚经济和交通拥挤两种外部性,构建并求解了一个两区域城市空间结构模型,分三种情况探究了轨道交通的投资引入和道路容量的优化对城市规模和城市空间结构均衡的影响。结果表明,轨道交通的投资引入能够增加城市人口规模和社会福利,使城市结构更加紧凑。但是,随着集聚经济水平的提高,城市规划者应逐步完善公交配套设施,以降低公交拥挤成本,提高公交出行分担率;还应制定相应的福利政策,避免由于个体效用下降而导致人口流出。     

京津冀地区燃料电池汽车示范运行研究

本文在跟踪调研北京和张家口地区示范运营的燃料电池汽车的基础上,采集车辆的运营数据,完成了车辆运营里程、加氢量、百公里耗氢量、加氢次数、故障信息等数据指标的统计和分析对比,针对示范运营过程中存在的问题提出建议,论文研究结果在一定程度上概括和反映了2019年度京津冀地区燃料电池汽车的示范运营情况。