• Energy Research

Climate change is currently the biggest environmental threat, being the cities responsible for a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions. In this sense, the transport sector is among the main causes for both emissions and the depletion of non-renewable resources. Considering this scenario, there is an appeal to build more accessible, smart, sustainable and energy-efficient cities, promoting energy transition in urban systems and increasing the quality of urban life. This review aims to analyse transport and urban mobility studies that employ optimisation techniques to achieve environmental-related, sustainability, energy transition or climate change mitigation goals. After an overview regarding modelling aspects of how such goals were addressed, the nature of the objective functions, the perspectives considered, and the network application, such studies were classified into five areas and further detailed. The areas comprise: (i) planning and policy-making; (ii) environmental variables; (iii) demand and traffic management; (iv) technology and energy; and (v) non-spatial measures. In this sense, future research directions should include optimisation models that consider the social aspects of transport and the interests of passengers, operators, and the community simultaneously, improve the modelling of environmental impacts to increase its robustness, and deal with large network problems.

Climate change is currently the biggest environmental threat, being the cities responsible for a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions. In this sense, the transport sector is among the main causes for both emissions and the depletion of non-renewable resources. Considering this scenario, there is an appeal to build more accessible, smart, sustainable and energy-efficient cities, promoting energy transition in urban systems and increasing the quality of urban life. This review aims to analyse transport and urban mobility studies that employ optimisation techniques to achieve environmental-related, sustainability, energy transition or climate change mitigation goals. After an overview regarding modelling aspects of how such goals were addressed, the nature of the objective functions, the perspectives considered, and the network application, such studies were classified into five areas and further detailed. The areas comprise: (i) planning and policy-making; (ii) environmental variables; (iii) demand and traffic management; (iv) technology and energy; and (v) non-spatial measures. In this sense, future research directions should include optimisation models that consider the social aspects of transport and the interests of passengers, operators, and the community simultaneously, improve the modelling of environmental impacts to increase its robustness, and deal with large network problems.

The city’s built environment and functionality play a crucial role in shaping individual mobility patterns, impacting the overall health and quality of life of its population. Understanding these influences is an important research topic, making it a central focus of this paper. This study aims to identify the factors responsible for promoting healthy mobility behavior. To address this comprehensively, a multidisciplinary empirical survey was developed based on the “Triad”—a model consisting of the built environment, mobility(-behavior), and public health. In addition to the evaluation of socio-demographic factors and activity radius mapping, statistical analyses like multiple linear regression were used. These statistical analyses allow the assessment of the impact of various independent variables on the promotion of healthy mobility behavior within urban settings. The multiple regression shows that the satisfaction with the accessibility of public transport and the sense of safety as a cyclist contribute to explaining the variation of healthy mobility. Furthermore, the satisfaction with walking in the neighborhood and the inhalation of exhaust fumes while walking also seem to have an impact. The results show the link between the Triad and make it clear that mobility planning and urban planning must take a more integrated approach to promote health and simultaneously protect the climate.

The city’s built environment and functionality play a crucial role in shaping individual mobility patterns, impacting the overall health and quality of life of its population. Understanding these influences is an important research topic, making it a central focus of this paper. This study aims to identify the factors responsible for promoting healthy mobility behavior. To address this comprehensively, a multidisciplinary empirical survey was developed based on the “Triad”—a model consisting of the built environment, mobility(-behavior), and public health. In addition to the evaluation of socio-demographic factors and activity radius mapping, statistical analyses like multiple linear regression were used. These statistical analyses allow the assessment of the impact of various independent variables on the promotion of healthy mobility behavior within urban settings. The multiple regression shows that the satisfaction with the accessibility of public transport and the sense of safety as a cyclist contribute to explaining the variation of healthy mobility. Furthermore, the satisfaction with walking in the neighborhood and the inhalation of exhaust fumes while walking also seem to have an impact. The results show the link between the Triad and make it clear that mobility planning and urban planning must take a more integrated approach to promote health and simultaneously protect the climate.