Part 3: Progress Report

Topic:
For my final project, I opted to examine how transportation infrastructure affects
socioeconomic development in urban centers. I plan to answer the question: “How does
transportation play a role in urbanization?” Evidence suggests that transportation and
socioeconomic growth in urban centers are related, and technology is driving smart cities and
improving urban centers’ socioeconomic and ecological welfare. For example, the study by Ao &
Naess (2023) shows that transport infrastructure development can profoundly foster regional
mobility, with the impact being substantial in larger cities than small towns. The study also
reports that improved transportation infrastructure can facilitate environmentally friendly transit
modalities and, thus, are critical in urban centers. Some diverse transportation elements
supporting environmentally friendly travel include shorter walking distances, transit stops, and
high-frequency systems.
The most popular and preferred means of transport are flexible and swift enough to allow
people to commute to and from work effectively and efficiently (Gurjar, Agarwal, & Jain, 2020).
Also, the most effective transport systems are those that pay attention to the economic and
environmental aspects; these include those with low fuel consumption, fewer maintenance costs,
and those utilized to total capacity. Also, adequate scientific evidence shows a significant
correlation between public transportation, population density, and household expenditure in
urban centers (Mattson, 2020). The city’s population correlates directly to the number of
passengers using public transportation and household transport spending; densely populated
cities have many people using public transport, and household spending on transportation is
significantly lower.

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Additionally, empirical evidence has identified smart mobility’s critical role in
transportation (Porru et al., 2020). Networked telematics has also been shown to bolster
opportunities for smart public transportation. Lastly, there is a close correlation between
transportation infrastructure and economic growth (Pradhan, Arvin, & Nair, 2021). Good transit
networks support greater mobility of people and goods/services; this fosters economic growth.
This can also facilitate the adoption of smart mobility technologies, providing real-time data on
the distribution of goods and services. Overall, this can positively contribute to socioeconomic
development in participating regions. I truly believe that understanding how transportation
infrastructure affects socioeconomic development in urban centers is an integral subject in
modern society, especially as more than half (4.4 billion or 56%) of the world’s population
currently resides in cities.
Presentation:
I plan to give a written PowerPoint presentation with simple and minimal slide content
and detailed speaker notes. I will also use easy-to-read visuals like charts, graphs, and images to
break up the text and make the presentation more appealing. I will only include necessary
information, limit information to essentials, apply colors complimenting and contrasting,
standardize styles/colors/positions, and support arguments and charts with good sources. I also
plan to add a few YouTube videos, especially the history of transport networks in the US and
globally. I will do a narrated PowerPoint presentation.
Outline

1. Title slide
   a. The impact of transportation infrastructure on urban socioeconomic development

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i. Thesis question: How does transportation affect urbanization, and how does it
impact urban socioeconomic development?

2. Introduction slide
   a. List, define, and describe urban transportation networks and infrastructure
   i. Can briefly explain what urban infrastructure constitutes before listing the
   types of transportation networks found in cities
   b. Explain the role transit infrastructure plays in cities and in general
   i. Can describe the importance of urban transit networks, such as facilitating the
   distribution of goods/services, movement of people, and socioeconomic
   growth
3. History of mass urban transportation
   a. Talk about the onset of mass urban transportation networks. What were they?
   b. Talk about why these urban transportation networks emerged and their impact on
   urban populations
4. Relationship between urban transportation and socioeconomic and ecologic factors in
   urban centers
   a. Talk about how urban transportation is impacting the economy or urban centers and
   the socioeconomic welfare of urbanites
   b. Discuss how urban transportation is affecting or can affect the environment
5. Preferred transportation systems
   a. Discuss the most preferred and the best transportation infrastructure and networks in
   urban centers

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i. For example, talk about whether clean energy electric vehicles are better than
petroleum-powered cars
ii. Talk about transit methods that consume low fuel, have lower maintenance
costs, and are utilized to total capacity

b. Discuss why these transportation networks are preferred
i. Explain why these transportation modalities are chosen. Is it because of their
environmental sustainability or cost-effectiveness?

6. Relationship between public transportation, population density, and household
   expenditure
   a. Describe the existing correlation between public transportation, population density,
   and household expenditure.
   i. Explain how a city’s population is related to the number of passengers using
   public transport and household spending
7. Smart mobility in urban centers
   a. Discuss the emerging smart mobility options in cities and how they are shaping
   transportation
   i. Talk about how network telematics are providing opportunities for smart
   public transit
8. Cross-cultural
   a. Compare and contrast America’s urban transit infrastructure and the Chinese urban
   infrastructure
   b. Explain which is better and why?

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i. Talk about how and why the Chinese rail system is more advanced than
America’s

9. Policies
   a. Talk about the National Environmental Policy Act
   i. When and why was it enacted?
   ii. What impacts is this policy having making on urban transportation systems,
   including ecologically
10. Future trends
    a. Describe the technological trends that will shape urban transportation in the future
    i. Talk about technologies like hyperloop, underground roads, delivery drones,
    driverless cars, flying taxis, etc.
    ii. What impact will they have on the economic and social life of urbanites?
11. References
    a. List the references used

Overview

History:
My biggest challenge when writing this report was identifying the exact time urban
transportation started. The first urban centers appeared several thousand years ago in areas where
land was fertile; Mesopotamia (7500 BCE) was among these first prehistoric cities. However, I
found a few sources describing the onset of mass urban transportation in Europe and America.
For example, according to Rodrigue (2020), the history of the first urban mass transportation
modalities in European and North American cities can be traced back to 1890 and 1920. These

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mass transit systems improved accessibility and allowed towns to expand along the main
transportation lines. The growth of motorized transportation (cars and buses) occurred between
1920 and 1945.
Cross-Cultural:
The article I found for the cross-cultural part compares the transportation network in the
US and China. Journalist Harrison Jacobs of the Business Insider wrote the paper. Narrating his
experiences in American and Chinese cities, Jacobs argues that China’s public transit networks
are rapidly expanding and more technologically advanced than America’s. China has probably
the world’s largest high-speed rail network within and in-between cities; it is cheaper, more
extensive, and more convenient.
Policies:
US Congress has passed numerous environmental laws within the past century to regulate
urban transportation systems, from road construction to the motorized cars that run on these
transit networks. The 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of the significant
laws regulating urban transportation activities and projects; the policy requires that all transit
projects and initiatives pass a review process to evaluate their potential ecological impact. NEPA
compels all federal agencies to measure and assess the environmental effects of their proposed
initiatives/actions before making decisions. The law covers three main actions: (1) decision-
making on permit applications, (2) implementing federal land management actions, and (3)
building highways and other public facilities (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2022).
Future Trends:
Finally, technology is one possible future trend that might impact urban transportation
initiatives, programs, and planning. Technologies like hyperloop, underground roads, delivery

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drones, driverless cars, flying taxis, and magnetic levitation trains present great potential in
reducing congestion, transportation costs, pollution, and carbon footprint, among other benefits
(VOI, 2022).

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References

Ao, Y., & Næss, P. (2023). Travel behavior in smaller urban and rural areas. Transportation
Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 115, 103608.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2023.103608
Gurjar, J., Agarwal, P. K., & Jain, P. K. (2020). A comprehensive methodology for comparative
performance evaluation of public transport systems in urban areas. Transportation
Research Procedia, 48, 3508–3531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2020.08.100
Jacobs, H. (2018, Sep. 22). I spent 6 weeks in China – here are 5 things the country does
infinitely better than the US. Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/china-vs-united-
states-2018-9?r=US&IR=T
Mattson, J. (2020). Relationships between density, transit, and household expenditures in small
urban areas. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 8, 100260.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100260
Porru, S., Misso, F. E., Pani, F. E., & Repetto, C. (2020). Smart mobility and public transport:
Opportunities and challenges in rural and urban areas. Journal of Traffic and
Transportation Engineering (English Edition), 7(1), 88–97.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtte.2019.10.002
Pradhan, R. P., Arvin, M. B., & Nair, M. (2021). Urbanization, transportation infrastructure, ICT,
and economic growth: A temporal causal analysis. Cities, 115.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103213
Rodrigue, J. (2020). The geography of transport systems. New York, NY: Routledge.
https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter8/transportation-urban-form/evolution-
transport-urban-form/

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US Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). What is the National Environmental Policy Act?
https://www.epa.gov/nepa/what-national-environmental-policy-act
VOI. (2022). Future transportation that makes human lifeless. https://voi.id/en/mobil/238440