Planning for Public Transport Accessibility: An International Sourcebook

by Carey Curtis, Jan Scheurer

Overview

Bringing together a comparative analysis of the accessibility by public transport of 23 cities spanning four continents, this book provides a "hands-on" introduction to the evolution, rationale and effectiveness of a new generation of accessibility planning tools that have emerged since the mid-2000s. The Spatial Network Analysis for Multimodal Urban Transport Systems (SNAMUTS) tool is used as a practical example to demonstrate how city planners can find answers as they seek to improve public transport accessibility. Uniquely among the new generation of accessibility tools, SNAMUTS has been designed for multi-city comparisons. A range of indicators are employed in each city including: the effectiveness of the public transport network; the relationship between the transport network and land use activity; who gets access within the city; and how resilient the city will be. The cities selected enable a comparison between cities by old world–new world; public transport modes; governance approach; urban development constraints. The book is arranged along six themes that address the different planning challenges cities confront. Richly illustrated with maps and diagrams, this volume acts as a comprehensive sourcebook of accessibility indicators and a snapshot of current policy making around the world in the realm of strategic planning for land use transport integration and the growth of public transport. It provides a deeper understanding of the complexity, opportunities and challenges of twenty-first-century accessibility planning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317080077
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/05/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	326
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Carey Curtis is Professor in City Planning and Transport at Curtin University, Australia. She is Visiting Professor at University of Amsterdam. Her research interests cover land use planning and transport planning, including a focus on city form and structure, transit oriented development, personal travel behaviour, accessibility planning, institutional barriers to sustainable transport, governance and transport policy. She has published over 90 papers, book chapters and books including Institutional Barriers for Sustainable Transport (2012) with Nicholas Low, and Transit Oriented Development: Making it Happen (2009) with John Renne and Luca Bertolini – both published by Ashgate.

Jan Scheurer is a Senior Research Associate at Curtin University, Australia and RMIT University, Australia/Spain. Trained in architecture and sustainability policy, his research straddles the gaps between urban design and spatial planning, transport policy, user behaviour and mobility culture. He has been an activist for sustainable transport in several parts of the world since 1989 and lives nomadically, but regularly sets anchor in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Melbourne and Perth.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: What is accessibility planning and why does it matter?

2. Spatial Network Analysis for Multimodal Urban Transport Systems (SNAMUTS): Understanding the Indicators

3. Continuity and change in Australasian cities

4. Stagnation and aspiration in North American cities

5. More with less? Accessibility and public transport efficiency in European cities

6. Eclipsing the car? Public transport designed to out-compete private transport

7. Public Transport Dominance in Wealthy Asian Cities

8. Polycentric and Multimodal Interfaces in the Dutch Randstad

9. Conclusion: Accessibility and best-practice land use-transport integration

Editorial Reviews

"The final chapter of the book (Chapter 9) summarizes the overall findings and reflects upon answers to introductory questions such as “What'structures and types of urban form can optimize accessibility?” or “How should we invest in public transport infrastructure?” (p. 3) leading to the conclusion that a “one size fits all-appoach” (p. 291) does not provide a realistic accessibility-optimizing perspective. This is also what I consider the top contribution of this book. [T]his book an important and well-needed pioneering contribution for accessibility planners worldwide."
Katrin Lättman, Journal of Transport Geography

Public transit is an essential component of a sustainable future, but how to design a system that meets accessibility needs given finite budgets? Curtis and Scheurer offer help in the form of a sophisticated yet practical tool for analyzing transit accessibility. They demonstrate its use with a fascinating comparison across four continents that yields insightful lessons for planners.

Susan Handy, University of California, Davis, USA

This is a unique and comprehensive sourcebook in the field of transport and urban planning. If you want to understand how cities and metropolitan areas around the globe are performing in terms of public transport accessibility, and what opportunities there are to improve it, read this book.

Karst Geurs, University of Twente, the Netherlands

From the Publisher