tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/commuting-11456/articlesCommuting – The Conversation2023-11-06T20:03:07Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2165202023-11-06T20:03:07Z2023-11-06T20:03:07ZHow the pandemic permanently altered college towns<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-the-pandemic-permanently-altered-college-towns" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Universities are more than just halls of learning; they are vibrant ecosystems and often the beating heart of the towns they reside in. Their reach goes beyond academia and plays a significant role in shaping the local economies of <a href="https://downloads.esri.com/esri_content_doc/dbl/us/tapestry/segment66.pdf">North American college towns</a>. </p>
<p>However, the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21319997/coronavirus-college-reopening-small-businesses">affected college towns profoundly</a>. In doing so, the pandemic highlighted the complex relationship between universities and their host communities.</p>
<p>College towns <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/30033889">can be classified into two distinct types</a> in North America. The first category includes towns with a strong academic ethos. In these cities, universities are the lifeblood flowing through their communities. Examples of this group include <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-ithaca-new-york-is-the-best-college-town-in-america-2013-11">Ithaca, N.Y.</a>; <a href="https://livability.com/best-places/10-best-college-towns/manhattan-ks/">Manhattan, Kan.</a>; and <a href="https://www.thewhig.com/2013/11/21/kingston-in-bbcs-top-5-university-towns">Kingston, Ont.</a>.</p>
<p>The second category features academic powerhouses nestled within capitals or major cities. These universities are essential components of the broader social, cultural and economic landscape, rather than being the defining feature. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-08/america-s-biggest-college-towns">Boston</a>; <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-los-angeles">Los Angeles</a>; <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-toronto">Toronto</a>; and <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-montreal">Montréal</a> are examples of this group. These cities combine vibrant academic atmospheres with big-city life, and they <a href="https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2023">consistently rank among the top choices for students to live</a>.</p>
<h2>Pre-pandemic college towns</h2>
<p>Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the constant influx of students, faculty, families and alumni in college towns created a consistent economic rhythm. Local businesses, ranging from cozy cafés to quaint bookstores to major retailers, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-college-towns-are-key-to-success-2022-8">thrived on the foot traffic from college students</a>.</p>
<p>But the pandemic changed all this. <a href="https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/993099/">Our recent study</a> conducted an analysis of foot traffic data from universities situated in 38 small and midsize cities in the U.S., along with 157 Walmart and Target stores in these towns, from 2018 to 2020. </p>
<p>Our findings indicate a positive correlation between university foot traffic and store visits. Stores that were closer to universities benefited more from this relationship. In addition, stores in college towns that offered a wider range of commuting options, especially eco-friendly ones like public transit and biking, saw even greater advantages from their proximity to universities.</p>
<p>These findings emphasize the importance of improving accessibility for retailers looking to make the most of university foot traffic. Such measures not only bolster local business, but also highlight the wider environmental and communal benefits of adopting sustainable practices.</p>
<h2>Post-pandemic college towns</h2>
<p>The pandemic had an <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/26/how-coronavirus-changed-college-for-over-14-million-students.html">immediate and devastating impact on college towns</a>. <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/06_16_2021.asp">Universities closed campuses, shifted to remote learning and cancelled in-person events</a>, causing these lively communities to become shadows of their former selves. </p>
<p>The economic repercussions were severe. Without a steady stream of visitors, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-21/what-the-pandemic-is-doing-to-college-towns">local businesses experienced a sharp decline in revenue</a>. Those located farther from the university faced even greater challenges, as the increased distance resulted in less in-store visits. </p>
<p>However, our research revealed that a broad range of commuting options continued to have a positive effect on the connection between university visits and store visits. In fact, this effect actually intensified.</p>
<p>Businesses, despite being hit hard by the disruptions, <a href="https://business.fiu.edu/academics/graduate/insights/posts/why-retailers-will-bounce-back-to-a-new-reality-after-the-pandemic.html">refused to succumb without a fight and began to adapt and innovate</a>. They embraced online sales, hosted virtual events and provided contactless deliveries.</p>
<p>Universities also showcased remarkable resilience and innovation. They transitioned to remote and hybrid teaching and virtual tours and events. They also supported students and local businesses through external partnerships, <a href="https://news.nd.edu/news/robot-food-delivery-launches-at-the-university-of-notre-dame/">as evidenced by initiatives like campus robot food delivery programs</a>.</p>
<p>These adaptations did more than just address immediate challenges — they also revealed untapped innovation potential, redefined the relationship between education and local businesses, and fundamentally transformed the nature of connectivity and interactivity in college towns. </p>
<h2>Thriving, not surviving</h2>
<p>The pandemic, despite its chaos, shed light on the importance of university visits in driving local economies. It also underscored the need for local businesses to tailor consumer experiences to the post-pandemic landscape by integrating physical and digital experiences. This encompasses everything from <a href="https://universitybusiness.com/the-future-of-campus-retail/">self-service technology</a> to <a href="https://news.utexas.edu/2023/01/24/ut-austin-campus-named-as-newest-h-e-b-delivery-hub/%22%22">express delivery services</a>.</p>
<p>Local governments and universities must play a crucial role in post-pandemic economic recovery by improving <a href="https://www.excal.on.ca/news/2023/09/29/york-university-awarded-the-first-best-university-for-commuters-in-canada/">public transit systems and bike-sharing programs</a>. A deeper collaboration between these entities is vital for boosting student enrolments and reinvigorating local economic activity. This should go beyond improving marketing and campus amenities and work on <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2019/08/government-of-canada-making-post-secondary-education-more-accessible-and-affordable.html">making higher education more accessible and affordable</a>.</p>
<p>These initiatives are not just about recovery; they are a commitment to a more resilient future. The economic vitality of college towns is tied to the ebb and flow of university life. While the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of this relationship, it also revealed a path forward characterized by adaptability, innovation and an unyielding sense of community. </p>
<p>By embracing a future that blends the physical with the digital, and tradition with innovation, college towns are not just surviving; they are redefining what it means to thrive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216520/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The COVID-19 pandemic affected college towns profoundly and highlighted the complex relationship between universities and their host communities.Xiaodan Pan, Associate Professor, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityIsaac Elking, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, University of Houston-DowntownJohn-Patrick Paraskevas, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2113922023-09-13T15:53:13Z2023-09-13T15:53:13ZRemote work marks the path to a greener future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545066/original/file-20230828-179828-jpbkwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C3%2C2382%2C1444&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/es/fotos/z3htkdHUh5w">Kristin Wilson/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is more to working from home than skipping the traffic and getting to wear pyjamas all day. In fact, for a lot of people it’s becoming the new normal. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/remote-work-statistics/#sources_section">According to a recent report</a>, 12.7% of full-time employees in the US are now working from home, with another 28.2% enjoying a mix of home and office work. This shift is far from temporary – it’s expected <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/397751/returning-office-current-preferred-future-state-remote-work.aspx">to nearly triple</a> compared to what it was before the pandemic. </p>
<p>But what does all this mean for our cities and our planet? It’s not just about changing how our cities look and feel; it could be a big step toward a cleaner, more eco-friendly future. Want to know what doing Zoom calls in your living room (or wherever you like to work) means for the Earth? Let’s look at how this trend is affecting our planet, and how it can make changes for the better.</p>
<h2>Reduction in commuting</h2>
<p>Since the pandemic lockdowns, people all over the world have been working from home more, saving <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/1/607">fuel by not driving to work every day</a>. At the height of the pandemic, long distance travel also took a big hit, as activities such as commercial flights <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/apr/03/how-is-the-coronavirus-affecting-global-air-traffic">dropped by half compared to before</a>. This 50% cut in global travel and commercial flights was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/23/coronavirus-pandemic-leading-to-huge-drop-in-air-pollution">massively beneficial for the environment</a>.</p>
<p>Evidently, by using less fuel, fewer greenhouse gases are released into the air. That means less smog and pollution, leading to cleaner air for all of us to breathe. The lockdown, when the change was sudden and extreme, showed how strong the impact of limited travel can be. However, it amounted to little more than giving the Earth a short break, as the effects <a href="https://www.un.org/en/desa/no-pandemic-did-not-help-climate-action">did not last long enough to have a meaningful impact on climate change</a>.</p>
<p>Rush hour traffic jams are another, much maligned part of many people’s lives, and working from home helps with that, too. Less traffic means fewer car engines running and polluting the air we breathe. This means that towns and cities become less crowded, and the air in them is cleaner.</p>
<p>However, an obvious issue such as traffic has ramifications that illustrate how profound and complex this issue is: with fewer people driving, roads and public transportation do not wear out as quickly. That means less work fixing them and fewer natural resources used to make those repairs, or to build new roads. The environmental impact of this is huge, and perhaps not obvious at first glance.</p>
<p>Remote work is not just changing work; it is changing the way we live and the way we think about our planet.</p>
<h2>Energy Consumption</h2>
<p>Do you ever wonder about how much energy we use when working from home? This is not an easy question to answer. Of course, staying at home might push your energy bills up because of extra heating or cooling and using your computer more. <a href="https://www.iea.org/commentaries/working-from-home-can-save-energy-and-reduce-emissions-but-how-much">Studies have shown an increase of anything from 7 to 23%</a>. But there is another side to this story.</p>
<p>Think about big office buildings with all their lights, air conditioning, and machines. These workplaces use a lot of power, and with more people working from home, many of these buildings are using less energy, especially during the busiest times of the day.</p>
<p>Also, working from home gives people more control over how they use energy. This means they can choose to install solar panels or energy-saving appliances, or that they are simply more careful about turning off lights and devices when they are not in use. Combined with offices using less power, this could really help to cut down on overall energy use and, as a consequence, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-and-the-environment.php">pollution</a>.</p>
<p>Working from home is changing how we think about energy. It has the potential to help us all connect our daily lives, as individuals and as a society, to the bigger picture of taking care of our planet.</p>
<h2>Urban Planning and Sustainability</h2>
<p>Remote work also allows us to reshape <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/1/607">our cities and towns</a>. Imagine how the way we build and plan communities might change if people were able to work where they live. It is leading to a new way of thinking about where we live, as people move away from crowded city centres and spread out more evenly.</p>
<p>This means that towns, suburbs, and even rural areas need to get ready for new ways of living. They have to plan for things like where people will live, where they can catch a bus or train, and where they can enjoy some <a href="https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/eco-friendly-benefits-of-remote-work/">fresh air in parks</a>. And this all has to be done in a way that is carefully planned and has a limited environmental impact.</p>
<p>Working from home can also help us to can do more in our own neighbourhoods. If we can work, shop, and socialise with friends nearby, it means that our community bonds can become closer and stronger.</p>
<p>Remote work is opening the door to new ideas for how we build our communities, with a focus on being smart and sustainable. It provides a chance to build places to live that are more in tune with the way we want to live our lives. </p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>The impact of working from home goes far beyond just escaping the classroom or office; it is having a massive impact on our planet. It is changing how our cities and towns look and feel, making them more friendly to the environment.</p>
<p>But there is a catch: we have to be smart. We need to find creative solutions and really commit to living and working in a way that helps our planet. That means thinking carefully about how we use energy, how we get around, and how we build our homes and communities.</p>
<p>So the question now is: how are we going to make the most of this chance to make the world a better place?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211392/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patryk Makowski no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.</span></em></p>Working from home is more than avoiding traffic; it’s reshaping cities and saving the planet. Discover how this trend impacts your world.Patryk Makowski, PhD Candidate, Technological University of the ShannonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2069212023-07-26T12:15:57Z2023-07-26T12:15:57ZTo reclaim downtowns from traffic, require developers to offer strategies for cutting car use<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539081/original/file-20230724-15-y16i04.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5326%2C3468&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Parking consumes 20% or more of prime locations in many U.S. downtowns.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/downtown-parking-structure-is-viewed-on-may-20-in-austin-news-photo/1399453450">George Rose/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The U.S. has a <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780230102194/carjackedthecultureoftheautomobileanditseffectonourlives">car-centric culture</a> that is inseparable from the way its communities are built. One striking example is the presence of parking lots and garages. Across the country, parking takes up an estimated <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akm7ik-H_7U">30% of space in cities</a>. Nationwide, there are eight parking spots for every car. </p>
<p>The dominance of parking has <a href="https://vimeo.com/97196446">devastated once-vibrant downtowns</a> by turning large areas into uninviting paved spaces that contribute to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/reduce-urban-heat-island-effect">urban heating</a> and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/urbanization-and-stormwater-runoff">stormwater runoff</a>. It has <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2016.1205647">driven up housing costs</a>, since developers pass on the cost of providing parking to tenants and homebuyers. And it has perpetuated people’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.3141/2543-19">reliance on driving</a> by making walking, biking and public transit far less attractive, even for the shortest trips. </p>
<p>Why, then, does the U.S. have so much of it? </p>
<p>For decades, cities have required developers to provide a set number of parking spaces for their tenants or customers. And while many people still rely on parking, the amount required is typically <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0965-8564(99)00007-5">far more than most buildings need</a>.</p>
<p>Columbus, Ohio, pioneered this strategy 100 years ago, and by the middle of the 20th century minimum parking requirements were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0144164032000080485">the norm nationwide</a>. The thinking was straightforward: As driving became more common, buildings without enough parking would clog up the streets and wreak havoc on surrounding communities. </p>
<p>Today, however, more urban planners and policymakers acknowledge that this policy is <a href="https://www.planning.org/planning/2022/spring/a-business-case-for-dropping-parking-minimums/">narrowly focused and shortsighted</a>. As a data scientist who studies urban transportation, I focused my <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZLNCPe4AAAAJ">earliest research</a> on this topic, and it shaped how I think about cities and towns today. </p>
<p>It’s encouraging to see cities rethinking minimum parking requirements – but while this is an important reform, urban leaders can do even more to loosen parking’s grip on our downtowns.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IgA4FJWIjI8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">From the 1970s through the early 2000s, ample downtown parking was widely viewed as essential for urban growth.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Eliminating parking requirements</h2>
<p>Despite research and guidance from the <a href="https://iteparkgen.org/">Institute of Transportation Engineers</a>, it is extremely <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0965-8564(99)00007-5">difficult to predict parking demand</a>, especially in downtown areas. As a result, for years many cities set the highest possible targets. This led to excess parking that is <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/5/3/034001">vastly underused</a>, even in areas with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3141/2537-19">perceived shortages</a>. </p>
<p>In 2017, Buffalo, New York, became the first large U.S. city to eliminate its minimum parking requirement as part of its first <a href="https://www.buffalogreencode.com/">major overhaul of zoning laws</a> in more than 60 years. This shift has <a href="https://theconversation.com/parking-reform-could-reenergize-downtowns-heres-what-happened-when-buffalo-changed-its-zoning-rules-159683">breathed new life into downtown Buffalo</a> by spurring redevelopment of vacant lots and storefronts. Researchers estimate that more than two-thirds of newly built homes there <a href="https://www.sightline.org/2023/04/13/parking-reform-legalized-most-of-the-new-homes-in-buffalo-and-seattle/">would have been illegal before the policy change</a> because they would not have met the earlier standards.</p>
<p>In the same year, Hartford, Connecticut, followed Buffalo’s lead and eliminated mandatory parking minimums citywide. Communities including <a href="https://www.naiop.org/research-and-publications/magazine/2023/Summer-2023/development-ownership/as-more-cities-eliminate-parking-minimums-what-happens-next/">Minneapolis; Raleigh, North Carolina; and San Jose, California</a>, have since taken similar steps.</p>
<p>Tony Jordan, president of the nonprofit <a href="https://parkingreform.org/">Parking Reform Network</a>, has argued that once cities stop mandating specific levels of private parking, leaders need to be more thoughtful about how they <a href="https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2022/11/22/what-comes-next-after-abolishing-parking-mandates">manage public curbside parking and spend the revenues</a> that it generates. Some communities have implemented <a href="https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/maximum-parking-allowances/">maximum parking allowances</a> to ensure that developers and their investors don’t add to the glut.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map with areas used for parking colored" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539087/original/file-20230724-23-iwcwot.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Tampa, Fla., 30% of the city’s central business district is devoted to parking (shown in red). As of July 2023, the city had not implemented parking reforms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://parkingreform.org/resources/parking-lot-map/">Parking Reform Network</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reducing reliance on cars</h2>
<p>Parking mandates aren’t the only lever that city officials can use to make their downtowns less car-centric. Some local governments are now asking developers to help reduce overall traffic levels by investing in improvements like sidewalks, bike storage and transit passes. </p>
<p>This approach is typically called <a href="https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/plan4ops/trans_demand.htm">transportation demand management</a>, or modern mitigation. It still leverages private investment to serve the public good but without a singular focus on parking.</p>
<p>And unlike parking requirements, this strategy helps connect buildings to their surrounding communities. As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=KSv7KvMAAAAJ&hl=en">urban planning scholar Kristina Currans</a> explained to me in an interview, traditional parking requirements ask developers to fend for themselves. In contrast, transportation demand management policies require them to consider the surrounding context, integrate their projects into it and help cities function more efficiently. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graphic showing that traditional development consumes more land to accommodate drivers, while transportation demand management reduces the need for parking and space for cars." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539169/original/file-20230725-25-dvfcwg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Traditional development leads to more parking and more traffic, which consumes more space, while transportation demand management encourages less traffic and has a smaller footprint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/initiatives/transportation-demand-management">City of Madison, adapted by Chris McCahill</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This approach dates back at least to 1998, when Cambridge, Massachusetts, introduced a policy requiring developers to produce a transportation demand management plan <a href="https://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/transportation/fordevelopers/ptdm">whenever they add new parking</a>. That policy has now outlived the city’s minimum parking requirements, which Cambridge <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/10/25/cambridge-parking/">eliminated for all residential uses</a> in 2022.</p>
<p>Newer policies tend to incorporate point systems or calculators that link different strategies directly to their potential impact on car use. These tools are common in cities across California, where state law now requires city planners to evaluate <a href="https://www.sb743.org/">how much new car use each new development will generate</a> and take steps to limit the impact. Policies such as charging users directly for parking spots or offering employees cash in exchange for giving up their spot are <a href="https://doi.org/10.17226/23415">among the most effective</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman enters metal enclosure to lock her bicycle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539088/original/file-20230724-17-igz132.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Denver offers 10 Bike-n-Ride shelters where commuters can store bikes and connect to the city’s mass transit system. Users access the shelters with key cards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rtd-denver.com/rider-info/bike-n-ride">Denver Regional Transportation District</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Lessons from Madison</h2>
<p>The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s <a href="https://ssti.us/">State Smart Transportation Initiative</a>, which I direct, along with UW’s <a href="https://mayorsinnovation.org/">Mayors Innovation Project</a>, has outlined policies like these in <a href="https://ssti.us/modernizing-mitigation/">a guide</a> based on our earlier work with the city of Los Angeles. We recently collaborated on <a href="https://www.cityofmadison.com/transportation/initiatives/transportation-demand-management">a new transportation demand management program</a> in Madison.</p>
<p>This program initially faced some <a href="https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/less-parking-fewer-cars-madison-city-council-to-weigh-traffic-rules-for-new-developments/article_f95271dc-7303-5b3c-b1b5-1a1f12871a21.html">pushback from developers</a>, but their input ultimately made it better. It passed the city’s Common Council unanimously in December 2022.</p>
<p>For their projects to be approved, developers now must earn a certain number of traffic mitigation points based on how large their project is and how many parking stalls they propose to include with it. For example, providing information to visitors and tenants about different travel options earns one point; providing secure bike storage earns two points; offering on-site child care earns four points; and charging market-rate parking fees is worth 10 points. Scaling back planned parking can reduce the number of points they need to earn in the first place.</p>
<p>While parking is no longer required in many parts of Madison, this new policy adds a layer of accountability to ensure that developers provide access to multiple transportation options in environmentally responsible ways. As urban leaders look for meaningful opportunities to <a href="https://www.surveyofmayors.com/files/2023/01/2022-Menino-Survey-Climate-Report.pdf">reduce their cities’ contributions to climate change</a>, we may soon see other cities following suit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206921/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris McCahill is the managing director of the State Smart Transportation Initative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is affiliated with Smart Growth America, the Wisconsin chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Parking Reform Network. He also serves on the Transportation Commission and the Plan Commission for the City of Madison.</span></em></p>US cities are starting to reform laws that required developers to provide minimum amounts of parking. But there’s more they can do to loosen the auto’s grip on downtowns.Chris McCahill, Managing Director, State Smart Transportation Initiative, University of Wisconsin-MadisonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2040642023-05-04T11:54:42Z2023-05-04T11:54:42ZWorking in an office can harm your health – depending on where it is and the length of your commute<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524062/original/file-20230503-18-w5cqfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C0%2C6862%2C4591&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Commuting more than five hours per week had a number of negative consequences.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-october-21st-2018-random-1218721432">Tania Volosianko/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the past year, a growing number of companies have asked employees to return to the office either full- or part-time after years of pandemic-induced remote working. While this is a good thing when it comes to being able to socialise with your colleagues, it may have some negative effects on your health – depending on how long your commute is. </p>
<p>Our research project, completed in late 2022, found that a <a href="https://www.su.se/english/research/research-projects/home-and-workplace-do-their-locations-matter-for-health-behaviours">lengthy commute</a> to work is associated with being less physically active, being overweight, and having sleep problems. And, depending on <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.21-00365">where your office is located</a>, you may also be more likely to drink in excess. </p>
<p>To conduct our research, we obtained data from the <a href="https://www.su.se/forskning/forskningsprojekt/slosh?open-collapse-boxes=research-project-members">Swedish Longitudinal Survey of Health</a>, using waves conducted between 2012 and 2018. We looked at responses from approximately 13,000 participants aged 16-64 on a range of topics – including their lifestyle (for example, how often they exercised, if they drank or smoke, and their weight), their occupation, how stressed they were about work, and whether they had any pre-existing health conditions. </p>
<p>We also looked at the distance between a participant’s home and their workplace, and the socioeconomic status of these areas, to understand how these factors affected the lifestyle habits. We used repeated surveys, which allowed us to compare each study participant’s responses at two different points in time.</p>
<p>We found that commutes of more than 3km increased the likelihood of being physically inactive and overweight, and of having <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743521002346?via%3Dihub">poor sleep</a>. People who worked more than 40 hours and commuted more than five hours each week were more likely to be physically inactive and experience sleep problems, compared with times when they only <a href="https://oem.bmj.com/content/77/2/77">commuted one-to-five hours a week</a>. This may be due to having little time to exercise, or through stress making it difficult to sleep.</p>
<p>Our analyses also showed that participants were more likely to have harmful drinking habits – such as feeling they needed to cut down, or drinking first-thing in the morning either to steady their nerves or cope with a hangover – when their workplace was in a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/abm/article/55/8/779/6134532?login=true">high socioeconomic status area</a>. We also found that when a person’s workplace was <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.21-00365">located near a bar</a>, they were more likely to have harmful drinking habits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of young men in business attire enjoy after work beers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524065/original/file-20230503-26-v7mq38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Harmful drinking habits were more common in participants whose office was near a bar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/funny-conversation-four-businessmen-while-sit-1574483467">Pavle Bugarski/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These results were true even when we took into account various factors that may have affected them – such as a person’s age, their history of chronic diseases, whether they had any mental health conditions (such as depression), and their occupation.</p>
<h2>Where to work</h2>
<p>While it’s clear from our results that where you work can have a big effect on many aspects of your health, we weren’t able to define a perfect commuting distance or office location based on our findings.</p>
<p>But, in terms of physical activity levels, we were able to show that participants who commuted 3km or less appeared to be more physically active. This could be because this distance made it easier to commute by bicycle or foot to work – or because a shorter commute gave participants time before and after work to exercise. </p>
<p>But the results were not as clear when it comes to weight, sleep, and drinking habits. Thus, it will be important to investigate these factors, alongside whether our results are similar for people living in different regions of the world, since our study was only conducted on people in Sweden.</p>
<p>And although our research project uncovered these links between a person’s workplace and certain health habits, we didn’t look at all the reasons that might explain these relationships. It will be important for future studies to further investigate why these links exist.</p>
<h2>Things you can do</h2>
<p>Our findings highlight just how great an effect the location of your workplace can have on your lifestyle and health. These may be important to bear in mind the next time you’re thinking of changing jobs or moving.</p>
<p>They also show how important it is to plan and develop cities that take various aspects of residential life into account. For example, if people can commute more easily using public transport or by cycling, wheeling or walking, they may find it easier to be physically active and maintain a healthy weight. Limiting access to alcohol both near home and work may also reduce alcohol consumption and the health issues associated with harmful drinking. </p>
<p>But while a lengthy commute can have negative health consequences, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still many things you can do to ensure it doesn’t affect your health too much.</p>
<p>Using <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/active-travel-england">active travel</a> where possible is one way to get more physical activity into your day. This may also have the knock-on effect of helping you <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/188/4/785/5301286?login=true">maintain a healthy weight</a> alongside being <a href="https://www.un.org/en/actnow/transport">environmentally friendly</a>. And, if you’re someone who likes to go drinking with colleagues after work, consider sometimes opting for mocktails instead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204064/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jaana Halonen receives funding from The Strategic Research Council (Finland), and Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas).
This project "Home and workplace – do their locations matter for health behaviours?" was funded by Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Auriba Raza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our long-term research project found commutes over 3km were associated with a greater likelihood of being overweight.Jaana Halonen, Research Fellow in Public Health, Stockholm UniversityAuriba Raza, Research in Epidemiology, Stockholm UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2008232023-03-12T01:48:52Z2023-03-12T01:48:52ZForget the conspiracies, 15-minute cities will free us to improve our mental health and wellbeing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514595/original/file-20230310-24-w8o94i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C172%2C4616%2C3061&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The idea of the 15-minute city, according to its originator <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/carlos_moreno_the_15_minute_city?language=en">Carlos Moreno</a>, is that people are no more than a 15-minute walk or bike ride away from all the services they need to live, learn and thrive. </p>
<p>The idea is appealing in its simplicity: it puts people and the environment at the centre of urban planning. It involves building new urban centres and restructuring existing ones to ensure the services people need for work, food, health, education, culture and leisure are all close by – a walk or bike ride from home. Key elements are: the proximity of necessities; local participation and decision-making; community solidarity and connection; and green and sustainable urban living.</p>
<p>This re-imagining of local living is quickly going global. Its proponents are many and growing, and the idea is being applied on <a href="https://www.c40.org/what-we-do/scaling-up-climate-action/urban-planning/">big city stages</a>. Most notably, the 15-minute city was a feature of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s successful re-election <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/07/paris-mayor-unveils-15-minute-city-plan-in-re-election-campaign">campaign</a> in 2020.</p>
<p>The United Nations has hailed the 15-minute city as a means by which cities can <a href="https://unfccc.int/blog/the-15-minute-city">emerge from COVID</a>, as well as reduce the damaging dependence on cars. The potential to promote mental health and wellbeing is significant. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/were-at-a-fork-in-the-road-do-we-choose-neighbourhoods-to-live-work-and-play-in-138949">We're at a fork in the road: do we choose neighbourhoods to live, work and play in?</a>
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<h2>Enter the conspiracists</h2>
<p>In 2023, though, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-27/the-15-minute-city-conspiracy/102015446">conspiracy theories</a> and <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/wild-15minute-city-conspiracy-explodes/news-story/c176cadfbb4ec055829fb5686dce0418">protests</a> have threatened to drown out the discussion of such positives.</p>
<p>How did that happen? By finding itself sitting at the centre of debates about COVID living, climate change and car-centric societies, the 15-minute city has become a focal point of attention for those who imagine more sinister motives are at work. Conspiracists have spouted misdirected fears of the forced loss of cars, the creation of locked urban zones people cannot leave, and government surveillance and control. </p>
<p>These notions were even <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk//Commons/2023-02-09/debates/306A686A-9B53-42BE-9367-C12AB4771504/BusinessOfTheHouse#contribution-94431A3F-FEB8-4A2C-B979-1EE81B5F1FFF">raised recently</a> in the UK parliament. Conservative MP Nick Fletcher called the 15-minute city an “international socialist concept” that “will cost us our personal freedom”.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/15-minute-cities-how-to-separate-the-reality-from-the-conspiracy-theory-200111">15-minute cities: how to separate the reality from the conspiracy theory</a>
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<h2>A chance to improve mental health and wellbeing</h2>
<p>In fact, personal and community freedom, by way of giving people back meaningful time currently lost to commuting and other travel, is exactly what Moreno and proponents of 15-minute cities are focused on. In their drive to grow, cities tend to push people, the environment and their health to the periphery. Through their sprawl, Moreno argues, cities take away freedom by taking time and disconnecting their inhabitants from services and each other. </p>
<p>Importantly, these effects increase the risks to people’s mental health. Moreno wants us to move away from fracturing our living into “inhuman bigness”, and towards planning that focuses on what access to services, local connection and community means for the wellbeing of people and communities. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-the-idea-of-20-minute-neighbourhoods-so-why-isnt-it-top-of-the-agenda-131193">People love the idea of 20-minute neighbourhoods. So why isn't it top of the agenda?</a>
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<p>This is why the 15-minute city presents a great opportunity for better mental health. Long commuting times and the stressors of traffic congestion, road conditions and punctuality are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214367X22000151">linked</a> to declines in subjective measures of mental health and wellbeing for workers. The benefits of reducing these stressors could be immediate. </p>
<p>Physical activities like walking and cycling are also widely understood to benefit mental health, as does exposure to natural, green spaces. Creating local spaces for leisure and play is vital for children and parents alike. </p>
<p>But, deeper than that, we need cities and urban spaces purposefully designed to promote mental health in ways that are <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/world-mental-health-report">globally recognised</a> as impactful and essential. This process involves improving a range of social and environmental factors for individuals and community.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="children riding bikes and people picnicking and walking in a park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Easy access to a local park improves individuals’ health and community wellbeing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-4-australians-is-lonely-quality-green-spaces-in-our-cities-offer-a-solution-188007">1 in 4 Australians is lonely. Quality green spaces in our cities offer a solution</a>
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<h2>COVID sharpened the focus on wellbeing</h2>
<p>Lessons learned from COVID lockdowns have sharpened global understanding of the mental health crises and harm done to people’s wellbeing by loneliness, social isolation and disconnectedness. These conditions damage the wellbeing of communities too, by fostering stigma and promoting exclusion. </p>
<p>We need to move quickly towards ways of living that promote connection, inclusion and healthy communities and environments. We can achieve these goals through participation, local decision-making and sustainable ecologies. </p>
<p>Imagine cities with accessible housing, work and education. Imagine cities with mental health service where the focus is on inclusion, participation, connection and equitable access. Where health workers and essential services are local and available, with minimal obstacles. Imagine mental health service that is threaded through the community in meaningful, impactful ways – where every square metre is considered for its potential to improve health and wellbeing. </p>
<p>Mental health, wellbeing and recovery require social connection, inclusion and accessible health services. These are, without doubt, key factors in achieving better mental health. And the 15-minute city could be the template for its delivery.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/greening-the-greyfields-how-to-renew-our-suburbs-for-more-liveable-net-zero-cities-187261">Greening the greyfields: how to renew our suburbs for more liveable, net-zero cities</a>
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</em>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200823/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A big reason the idea is gaining momentum globally is that the benefits for the health of individuals, communities and the environment are clear and almost immediate.Christopher Patterson, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, University of WollongongLance Barrie, Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1990522023-03-02T13:25:16Z2023-03-02T13:25:16ZWhy the humble city bus is the key to improving US public transit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512930/original/file-20230301-18-707tmn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C10%2C3629%2C2730&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Indianapolis debuted a bus rapid transit system with 60-foot articulated electric buses in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/IndyGo_Red_Line_BRT.jpg">Momoneymoproblemz/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Public transit in the U.S. is in a sorry state – <a href="https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/transit-infrastructure/">aging, underfunded and losing riders</a>, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many proposed solutions focus on new technologies, like <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/21/why-the-first-autonomous-vehicles-winners-wont-be-in-your-driveway.html">self-driving cars</a> and <a href="https://www.thezebra.com/resources/driving/future-transportation/">flying taxis</a>. But as a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1I-ZPh8AAAAJ&hl=en">researcher in urban policy and planning</a>, I see more near-term promise in a mode that’s been around for a century: the city bus. </p>
<p>Today, buses in many parts of the U.S. are old and don’t run often enough or serve all the places where people need to go. But this doesn’t reflect the bus’s true capability. Instead, as I see it, it’s the result of cities, states and federal leaders failing to subsidize a quality public service. </p>
<p>As I show in <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo191431990.html#anchor-awards">my new book</a>, “The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight,” few U.S. politicians have focused on bus riders’ experiences over the past half-century. And many executives have lavished precious federal capital dollars on building new <a href="https://www.metrostlouis.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OP220484-MetroLink-System-Map.pdf">light</a>, <a href="https://www.metrostlouis.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OP220484-MetroLink-System-Map.pdf">rapid</a> and commuter rail lines, in hope of attracting suburban riders back to city centers and mass transit. </p>
<p>This was never a great strategy to begin with, and the pandemic-era flight of knowledge workers to home offices and hybrid schedules has left little to show for decades of rail-centric efforts. Meanwhile, countries in Europe and Latin America have out-innovated the U.S. in providing quality bus service. </p>
<p>But it doesn’t have to be this way. Many U.S. cities are coming around to the idea that buses are the future of public transit and are working to make that vision real. And the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in 2021 is providing <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/president-biden-and-us-department-transportation-announce-409-million-70">billions of dollars</a> for new buses and related facilities.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ZDZtBRTyeI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The car-centered U.S. transportation system has impoverished public transit and left many people’s transit needs unmet.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Buses as disruptors</h2>
<p>A century ago, motorized buses were the technological wonder of their day. Rolling fast on tires over newly paved streets, buses upended urban rail transit by freeing riders from aging, crowded, screeching streetcars. In 1922, American buses carried 404 million passengers; by 1930, they were carrying 2.5 billion yearly. </p>
<p>At that time, transit lines were mostly privately owned. But this model was failing as riders became car drivers, new zoning laws prioritized car-friendly single-family housing and government regulators battled transit companies over fares and taxes. </p>
<p>Transit executives trying to eke out a profit saw buses as a way to reduce spending on track maintenance and labor costs for “two man” operated streetcars. City leaders and planners also embraced buses, which helped them justify removing streetcar tracks to make streets more navigable for cars. From the 1920s through the 1960s, nearly all U.S. streetcar lines were replaced with buses powered by either internal combustion engines or electric overhead wires. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two red double-decker buses pass each other along Whitehall in central London." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512943/original/file-20230301-1565-c5g4xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">London’s signature red buses cover the entire city, with 24-hour service on many lines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/red-double-decker-buses-pass-along-whitehall-on-11th-july-news-photo/1241871118">Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This wasn’t just a U.S. trend. Toronto massively extended bus service across a vast metropolitan area between <a href="https://transittoronto.ca/archives/maps/guide1954f.gif">1954</a> and <a href="https://transittoronto.ca/archives/maps/ttc-system-map-19740330.png">1974</a>, using buses to feed suburban riders to a new subway system and a few remaining streetcar lines. By 1952, London’s managers had replaced streetcars with the city’s signature fleet of double-decker buses, which complemented its legendary Underground service. </p>
<p>Across Europe, cities relied on buses to support and complement their modernizing tram or subway networks. Political leaders provided deep subsidies to deliver better bus and rail service. </p>
<h2>The auto-centric US path</h2>
<p>In the U.S., however, federal investments in the same time frame focused on building a national highway system to serve private automobiles. Lacking tax subsidies, bus networks could not compete with cheap cars and government-funded highways. Aging buses and infrequent service became the default postwar reality – and those buses had to travel on local streets crowded with private cars. </p>
<p>Between 1945 and 1960, U.S. transit companies and agencies typically lost half or more of their riders as white Americans moved to urban fringes or suburbs and became car commuters. Bus service remained concentrated in older, central-city neighborhoods, serving a disproportionately nonwhite, low-income ridership. </p>
<p>Many public systems had to cut bus service year after year to balance their books. Only a few cities that were willing to provide significant operating subsidies, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35ea36ZfMPE">San Francisco</a> and Boston, were able to maintain better bus networks and some trolleybuses. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AwKv3_WwD4o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Los Angeles once had a high-quality public transit system, centered on streetcars.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>New, better buses</h2>
<p>Today, there’s renewed interest in improving bus service in the U.S., inspired by innovations around the globe. The Brazilian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJR9uCSyGKM">city of Curitiba</a>, which is well known for its innovations in urban planning, set a model in the 1970s when it adopted <a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/bus-rapid-transit">bus rapid transit</a> – buses that run in dedicated lanes, with streamlined boarding systems and priority at traffic signals. </p>
<p>Curitiba helped popularize <a href="https://www.busworldlatinamerica.org/en/news/30-years-have-passed-appearance-bi-articulated-buses">bi-articulated buses</a>, which are extra-long with flexible connectors that let the buses bend around corners. These buses, which can carry large numbers of passengers, now are in wide use in Europe, Latin America and Asia. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A green bus with several segments connected by flexible panels." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512960/original/file-20230301-26-bbgohx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A bi-articulated bus in Metz, France.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi-articulated_bus#/media/File:Van_Hool_ExquiCity_24_METTIS_n%C2%B01315_P+R_Woippy.jpg">Florian Fèvre/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cities across the globe, led by London, have also aggressively expanded contactless payment systems, which speed up the boarding process. Advanced bus systems and new technologies like these flourish in regions where politicians strongly support transit as a public service. </p>
<p>In my view, buses are the most likely option for substantially expanding public transit ridership in the U.S. Millions of Americans need affordable public mobility for work, study, recreation and shopping. Car ownership is a <a href="https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/111535-automobile-dependency-unequal-burden">financial burden </a> that can be as serious for low-income families as the shortage of affordable housing. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2022/08/annual-cost-of-new-car-ownership-crosses-10k-mark/">average yearly cost</a> for U.S. households to own and operate a new car reached US$10,728 in 2022. Nor are used cars the bargain they once were. <a href="https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/research/when-will-car-prices-drop">Used car prices are high</a>, financing is often subprime and older vehicles require expensive maintenance. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1630948021495119872"}"></div></p>
<p>Rapidly extending bus networks would be the speediest and most economical way to serve these families and grow transit ridership in the sprawling landscape of American metros. U.S. roads and highways are already maintained by the government, eliminating the need to build and maintain expensive rail lines. </p>
<p>There are promising domestic models even amid the pandemic ridership crisis. In the past two decades, Seattle’s <a href="https://mass.streetsblog.org/2019/11/25/five-lessons-from-seattles-successful-crusade-against-driving/">Sound Transit</a> has upgraded its bus network, aligning these improvements with increased residential density, low fares and a carefully considered light rail expansion. <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-s-Van-Ness-BRT-created-a-ridership-boom-17556984.php">San Francisco</a> and <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/routes/14th-street.shtml">New York</a> have developed exclusive bus lanes that move riders along popular routes at higher speeds. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7031287651110379521/">Indianapolis</a> is expanding an effective bus rapid transit system. Many cities, including <a href="https://www.cpr.org/2022/07/26/rtd-new-bus-network/">Denver</a> and <a href="https://www.mbta.com/projects/better-bus-project">Boston</a>, are investing in “better bus” upgrades that emphasize frequent service, easy transfers and better geographic coverage.</p>
<p>Innovations like these will only succeed long term with sufficient subsidies to maintain innovative services at reliable levels. The history of bus transit is littered with pilot programs that were abandoned on cost grounds just as they were gaining popularity. As I see it, buses don’t need to be faster or more convenient than cars to attract and retain riders – but they need to be, and can be, much better transit options than they are today.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199052/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas Dagen Bloom does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>High-quality bus service is the fastest route to rapid, comprehensive public transit in the United States. This country was once a leader in bus transit, and with adequate funding, it could be again.Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Hunter CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1957992023-02-02T13:21:40Z2023-02-02T13:21:40ZA journey from work to home is about more than just getting there – the psychological benefits of commuting that remote work doesn’t provide<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507176/original/file-20230130-8935-wa2bhg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=504%2C0%2C4615%2C3631&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Commuting can create a ‘liminal space.’</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/traffic-jam-from-the-drivers-perspective-royalty-free-image/1285694174?phrase=person%20driving%20traffic%20gridlock">mikroman6/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For most American workers who commute, the trip to and from the office takes nearly one full hour a day – <a href="https://data.census.gov/table?q=Commuting&tid=ACSST1Y2021.S0801">26 minutes each way</a> on average, with 7.7% of workers spending two hours or more on the road.</p>
<p>Many people think of commuting as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01441640701559484">chore and a waste of time</a>. However, during the remote work surge resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/23/realestate/can-i-actually-be-missing-the-commute.html">several journalists curiously noted</a> that people were – could it be? – <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/admit-it-you-miss-your-commute/619007/">missing their commutes</a>. One woman told The Washington Post that even though she was working from home, she regularly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/dc-commute-coronavirus/2020/12/30/98b5b540-4494-11eb-b0e4-0f182923a025_story.html">sat in her car in the driveway</a> at the end of the workday in an attempt to carve out some personal time and mark the transition from work to nonwork roles. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kNOgBsYAAAAJ&hl=en">management</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=K04MvpgAAAAJ">scholars</a> who study the interface between peoples’ work and personal lives, we sought to understand what it was that people missed when their commutes suddenly disappeared. </p>
<p>In our recently published conceptual study, we argue that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/20413866221131394">commutes are a source of “liminal space”</a> – a time free of both home and work roles that provides an opportunity to recover from work and mentally switch gears to home. </p>
<p>During the shift to remote work, many people lost this built-in support for these important daily processes. Without the ability to mentally shift gears, <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.3363315">people experience role blurring, which can lead to stress</a>. Without mentally disengaging from work, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1924">people can experience burnout</a>.</p>
<p>We believe the loss of this space helps explain why many people missed their commutes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Businesswoman reading a book while traveling on a commuter train" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C5751%2C3811&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502170/original/file-20221220-16-vx5m3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of the more surprising discoveries during the pandemic has been that many people who switched to remote work actually missed their commutes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businesswoman-reading-book-in-train-royalty-free-image/540244181?phrase=commuter&adppopup=true">Hinterhaus Productions/Stone via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Commutes and liminal space</h2>
<p>In our study, we wanted to learn whether the commute provides that time and space, and what the effects are when it becomes unavailable. </p>
<p>We reviewed research on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199803)19:2%3C147::AID-JOB830%3E3.0.CO;2-Y">commuting</a>, <a href="https://doi-org.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/10.2307/259305">role transitions</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.3.204">work recovery</a> to develop a model of a typical American worker’s commute liminal space. We focused our research on two cognitive processes: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019462">psychological detachment from the work role</a> – mentally disengaging from the demands of work – and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1924">psychological recovery from work</a> – rebuilding stores of mental energy used up during work.</p>
<p>Based on our review, we developed a model which shows that the liminal space created in the commute created opportunities for detachment and recovery. </p>
<p>However, we also found that day-to-day variations may affect whether this liminal space is accessible for detachment and recovery. For instance, train commuters must devote attention to selecting their route, monitoring arrivals or departures and ensuring they get off at the right stop, whereas car commuters must devote consistent attention to driving.</p>
<p>We found that, on the one hand, more attention to the act of commuting means less attention that could otherwise be put toward relaxing recovery activities like listening to music and podcasts. On the other hand, longer commutes might give people more time to detach and recover.</p>
<p>In an unpublished <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2020.17098abstract">follow-up study</a> we conducted ourselves, we examined a week of commutes of 80 university employees to test our conceptual model. The employees completed morning and evening surveys asking about the characteristics of their commutes, whether they “shut off” from work and relaxed during the commute and whether they felt emotionally exhausted when they got home. </p>
<p>Most of the workers in this study reported using the commute’s liminal space to both mentally transition from work to home roles and to start psychologically recovering from the demands of the workday. Our study also confirms that day-to-day variations in commutes predict the ability to do so. </p>
<p>We found that on days with longer-than-average commutes, people reported higher levels of psychological detachment from work and were more relaxed during the commute. However, on days when commutes were more stressful than usual, they reported less psychological detachment from work and less relaxation during the commute.</p>
<h2>Creating liminal space</h2>
<p>Our findings suggest that remote workers may benefit from creating their own form of commute to provide liminal space for recovery and transition – such as a 15-minute walk to mark the beginning and end of the workday. </p>
<p>Our preliminary findings align with related research suggesting that those who have returned to the workplace might benefit from seeking to use their commute to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2534">relax as much as possible</a>. </p>
<p>To help enhance work detachment and relaxation during the commute, commuters could try to avoid <a href="https://doi.org/10/gg68x9">ruminating about the workday</a> and instead focus on personally fulfilling uses of the commute time, such as listening to music or podcasts, or calling a friend. Other forms of commuting such as public transit or carpooling may also provide opportunities to socialize. </p>
<p>Our data shows that commute stress detracts from detachment and relaxation during the commute more than a shorter or longer commute. So some people may find it worth their time to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010366321778">take the “scenic route” home</a> in order to avoid tense driving situations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195799/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It turns out that there are some benefits to all the time we spend commuting.Matthew Piszczek, Assistant Professor of Management, Wayne State UniversityKristie McAlpine, Assistant Professor of Management, Rutgers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1890712022-10-10T19:02:11Z2022-10-10T19:02:11ZCOVID skewed journey-to-work census data. Here’s how city planners can make the best of it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485505/original/file-20220920-23-6hjg0w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C3008%2C1981&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian cities are slowly recovering from the COVID pandemic. Travel across cities is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. <a href="https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/">Google Mobility</a> show only a <a href="https://www.gstatic.com/covid19/mobility/2022-10-02_AU_Victoria_Mobility_Report_en-GB.pdf">14% drop</a> in travel to work across Victoria and <a href="https://www.gstatic.com/covid19/mobility/2022-10-02_AU_New_South_Wales_Mobility_Report_en-GB.pdf">12% drop</a> across New South Wales compared to pre-COVID results.</p>
<p>However, the disruption of COVID will reverberate through transport planning for years to come. The 2021 census – when people were asked about how they got to work – coincided with COVID lockdowns in our two biggest cities. The distortion of commuting patterns at that time creates problems for anyone who wishes to use these data. </p>
<p>Data on where people work, how they get to work and how far they travel represent a <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/census/about-census/australian-census#:%7E:text=It%20helps%20us%20understand%20what,of%20things%2C%20big%20and%20small.">powerful tool</a> for transport planners and policymakers. Transport has a critical influence on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-we-create-liveable-cities-first-we-must-work-out-the-key-ingredients-50898">liveability of cities</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140520300748">health</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-50540-0_11">sustainability and quality of life</a>. </p>
<p>So what can we do about these COVID-skewed transport data? In this article we propose some ideas to ensure the census results remain useful for city planning.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1412734995144208387"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why do the census responses matter?</h2>
<p>The Australian Bureau of Statistics runs the census and has collected transport method and workplace data <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/census/about-census/history-census">every five years since 1976</a>. In 2016, it improved these data to include <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001%7E2016%7EMain%20Features%7EFeature%20Article:%20Journey%20to%20Work%20in%20Australia%7E40">distance travelled to work and commuting method</a>. </p>
<p>In that year, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001%7E2016%7EMain%20Features%7EFeature%20Article:%20Journey%20to%20Work%20in%20Australia%7E40">9.2 million commuters</a> travelled an average distance of 16.5km to work. Of these people, 79% used a private vehicle, 14% took public transport and 5.2% cycled or walked. A further 500,000 people worked at home and 1 million employed persons did not go to work on census day.</p>
<p>The level of detail the census provides isn’t available with other methods. This is why the journey-to-work questions are so important. </p>
<h2>But many of us were in lockdown in 2021</h2>
<p>On census night, Australia’s two biggest cities, Melbourne and Sydney, <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/resources/ecec-covid19-timeline">were in lockdown</a>, as were large regional cities across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland (and the lockdown in Brisbane had <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-08/queensland-coronavirus-cases-lockdown-update/100359358">ended only two days before</a>). People <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/census/guide-census-data/census-dictionary/2021/variables-topic/transport/method-travel-work-mtwp">were asked</a>: “How did the person get to work on Tuesday 10 August 2021?” </p>
<p>Planners and researchers are expecting some unusual results because of the lockdowns. We don’t know if people recorded their workplace as if the lockdown wasn’t in place, or treated their home as their workplace. While a higher-than-expected number of “worked at home” responses might signal the latter, we can’t know for certain. </p>
<p>The 2021 census data won’t provide a reliable record of “normal” commuting patterns, nor an accurate record of commuting changes over time. It’s <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/more-than-a-third-of-australians-will-hunt-for-a-new-job-if-they-can-t-work-from-home-20220918-p5bixx.html">not even clear</a> if <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/taking-the-pulse-of-the-nation-2022/wave-48-49">work attendance</a> and commuting patterns will ever return to their pre-COVID state. </p>
<h2>What can we do about the census data?</h2>
<p>So the big question is how can decision-makers usefully work with the data to correct for the distortion of COVID lockdowns? We offer the following suggestions.</p>
<h4>Look at cities that weren’t in lockdown</h4>
<p>One option is to use the broad transport patterns from the least-locked-down parts of Australia, such as Adelaide or Perth. We can use their results and changes in transport mode over time to help estimate the results across other cities.</p>
<h4>Link to previous census results</h4>
<p>Another option would be to look at previous census results on journey to work for cities and try to match or predict what would have been expected in 2021 for different transport modes and distances. A benefit of this model is that previous results are available at local neighbourhood level and bring in the local influences of transport types and distances. </p>
<p>Another idea would be to look at the occupations that people list on their census forms, then match occupation types to transport modes used in previous census results. </p>
<h4>Match to household travel survey data</h4>
<p>Transport departments collect household-level travel data across a number of cities including <a href="https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/data-and-research/passenger-travel/surveys/household-travel-survey-hts">Sydney</a> and <a href="https://transport.vic.gov.au/about/data-and-research/vista">Melbourne</a> to understand how far people travel and what transport modes they use. These surveys could be used to model area-based differences in journey-to-work patterns based on more up-to-date commuting results than older census data. </p>
<h4>Investigate other travel datasets</h4>
<p>The use of big data has come a long way since 2016. Today we have a number of other public and private travel data sets that could be used. These include Google Mobility results, traffic light counts, road sensors and Myki/Opal/go card travel data. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman walks through barrier gates at a train station" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485504/original/file-20220920-26-l4elwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Travel card readers capture a lot of information about commuters’ daily use of public transport.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">haireena/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These data sets could be linked or modelled with census results to get a better estimate of results in locked-down areas. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/household-impacts-covid-19-survey/latest-release">Quarterly</a> and <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/covid-19-tracker">annual</a> COVID surveys could also help to understand how transport has changed throughout the pandemic. </p>
<h4>Assess against other government data</h4>
<p>Data linkage is another area that the Australian Bureau of Statistics has been working over the years. An example is the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/about/data-services/data-integration/integrated-data/multi-agency-data-integration-project-madip">Multi-Agency Data Integration Project</a>, which has been designed to help gain further insights from census data. The Australian Tax Office holds employment and work-related vehicle claims that might also be helpful to identify transport modes and travel demands by area. </p>
<p>Strict privacy rules apply to these data, but government agencies working together could lead to better commuting data for cities affected by lockdowns in 2021. </p>
<p>All these options have strengths and weaknesses. None is as good as the complete set of census data unaffected by lockdowns. However, they are worth considering when 2021 journey-to-work results are <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/census/2021-census-data-release-plans/2021-census-product-release-guide#2021-data-release">released</a> on October 12. </p>
<p>Transport planners and researchers are ingenious. They will likely find ways to correct for the above problems to assess and understand transport patterns across Australian cities. Now is the time for discussion and ideas about these issues and the unusual census results to ensure transport planning is based on data that are both sound and up-to-date.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189071/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Davern receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and funded by RMIT University as a Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Both receives funding from an NHMRC-UKRI (APP1192788) research grant.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>RMIT University receives funding from a range of research and industry organisations for projects on which Jago Dodson works. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tiebei (Terry) Li does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>City planning needs up-to-date data on where people work, how they get to work and how far they travel. Normally the census provides that, but this time round our biggest cities were in lockdown.Melanie Davern, Associate Professor, Director Australian Urban Observatory, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityAlan Both, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityJago Dodson, Professor of Urban Policy and Director, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityTiebei (Terry) Li, Senior Research Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1738192022-01-28T13:28:59Z2022-01-28T13:28:59ZDriverless cars won’t be good for the environment if they lead to more auto use<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442036/original/file-20220121-15-vbuwo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C16%2C5431%2C3615&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Self-driving cars could lead to increased traffic and pollution if they spur more travel by car.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/electric-car-concept-running-on-the-road-royalty-free-image/1331123162">Witthaya Prasongsin via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For years, self-driving car technology has remained tantalizingly just beyond the horizon. <a href="https://www.autoblog.com/2019/04/22/elon-musk-tesla-driverless-taxis-self-driving-chip/">Bold predictions notwithstanding</a>, fully automated vehicles still haven’t appeared in showrooms. But the technology appears poised for a leap forward in 2022. </p>
<p>Companies including <a href="https://insideevs.com/news/553659/mercedes-level3-autonomous-driving-2022/">Mercedes-Benz</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/wheels/features/bmw-7-series-level-3-autonomy/">BMW</a> and <a href="https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/self-driving-cars/">Honda</a> are bringing so-called Level 3 AVs to market that will let drivers take their hands off the wheel under specific conditions, and virtually every major auto manufacturer is testing self-driving systems. </p>
<p>Automated vehicles hold tremendous promise. Cars that <a href="https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/levels-of-autonomous-driving-explained">handle most or all of the driving tasks</a> could be safer than human drivers, operate more efficiently and open up new opportunities for seniors, people with disabilities and others who can’t drive themselves. But while attention has understandably <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-tempe-fatality-self-driving-car-developers-must-engage-with-public-now-or-risk-rejection-93681">focused on safety</a>, the potential environmental impacts of automated vehicles have largely taken a back seat.</p>
<p>We study <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1LqIMYwAAAAJ&hl=en">automated vehicle technologies</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=8Xi0fvEAAAAJ&hl=en">how consumers are likely to use them</a>. In two recent studies, our research teams found two creative ways to assess the real-life impacts that automated vehicles could have on the environment. </p>
<p>By analyzing drivers’ use of partially automated vehicles and simulating the expected impact of future driverless vehicles, we found that both automated vehicle types will encourage a lot more driving. This will increase transportation-related pollution and traffic congestion, unless regulators take steps to make car travel less appealing.</p>
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<h2>More miles, more carbon emissions</h2>
<p>Research has previously suggested that automated vehicles could cause people to drive more than they currently do, leading to <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9g12v6r0">more congestion, energy consumption and pollution</a>. Riding in a car as a passenger is much less stressful than driving, so people might be willing to sit through longer trips and battle more traffic if they can relax and do other things during the journey. The promise of a relaxed, comfortable commute to work could even make some people move farther away from their workplaces and accelerate suburban sprawl trends.</p>
<p>People would also have the ability to send their cars on “zero-occupancy” trips, or errands without passengers. For example, if you don’t want to pay for parking downtown, at some point you may be able to send your car back home while you’re at work and summon it when you need it. Convenient, but also twice the driving.</p>
<p>This could be a big problem. The transportation sector is already <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions">the leading contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions</a>. States like California with aggressive plans to combat climate change have recognized that <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/carb-2017-scoping-plan-identified-vmt-reductions-and-relationship-state-climate">reducing the number of vehicles miles that people travel</a> is a critical strategy. What if automated vehicle technology makes it harder to achieve these goals?</p>
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<h2>The real-world environmental impacts of automated cars</h2>
<p>While we and other researchers have <a href="https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/emission-impacts-connected-and-automated-vehicle-deployment-california">predicted these outcomes through modeling</a>, no one has been able to verify them because fully automated vehicles aren’t commercially available yet. We found two innovative ways to use currently available technologies to study the real-world impacts of automated vehicles.</p>
<p>In a study published in mid-2021, we surveyed 940 <a href="https://doi.org/10.7922/G2XK8CVB">people who drive partially automated vehicles</a>. Systems like <a href="https://www.tesla.com/en_AE/support/autopilot-and-full-self-driving-capability">Tesla’s Autopilot</a> can assist with driving tasks and reduce the burden of driving, although to a lesser degree than fully automated vehicles will. </p>
<p>We found that drivers who used Autopilot drove an average of <a href="https://itspubs.ucdavis.edu/publication_detail.php?id=3408">nearly 5,000 more miles per year than those who didn’t</a>. In interviews with 36 drivers of partially automated vehicles, they generally said they were more willing to sit in traffic and took more long-distance trips, all because of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.102884">increased comfort and reduced stress</a> provided by semi-automated systems.</p>
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<p>In a separate study conducted in late 2019 and early 2020, we simulated the function of a fully automated vehicle by providing 43 households in Sacramento, California, with a chauffeur service to take over the family driving duties and tracking how they used it. These households <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211052543">increased their vehicle miles traveled by 60%</a> over their pre-chauffeur travel, and dramatically reduced their use of transit, bicycling and walking. More than half of the increase in vehicle travel involved sending chauffeurs on zero-occupancy trips without a household member in the car.</p>
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<h2>Limiting pollution from automated car use</h2>
<p>These findings show that automated vehicles will encourage a lot more driving in the future and that partially automated vehicles are doing so now. Is there any way to reap its benefits without making climate change, air quality, and congestion worse? </p>
<p>Requiring future automated vehicles to use zero-emission technology, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB500">as California is doing</a>, can be a big help. But until the U.S. develops a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/08/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-catalyzing-americas-clean-energy-economy-through-federal-sustainability/">100% carbon-free electricity system</a>, even electric cars will produce some upstream emissions from power generation. And all car travel causes <a href="https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/what-california-gains-reducing-car-dependence">other harmful impacts</a>, such as water and air pollution from brake and tire wear, collisions with wildlife and traffic congestion.</p>
<p>To prevent an explosion in driving and associated harms, regulators and communities need to send signals that driving isn’t free. They could do this by putting a price on car travel – particularly on zero-occupancy trips. </p>
<p>The main policies that have this effect today are <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=10&t=5">federal and state fuel taxes</a>, which currently average around 49 cents per gallon for gasoline and 55 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. But the impact of fuel taxes on drivers’ behavior will decline with the adoption and spread of electric vehicles. This means that the transportation sector will need to develop new funding mechanisms for ongoing costs like maintaining roads. </p>
<p>In place of fuel taxes, state and federal governments could adopt user fees or charges for the number of vehicle miles that drivers travel. Correctly pricing the cost of private vehicle travel could encourage travelers to consider cheaper and more efficient modes, such as public transit, walking and bicycling.</p>
<p>These fees could be adjusted based on location – for example, charging more to drive into dense city centers – or other factors such as time of day, traffic congestion levels, vehicle occupancy and vehicle type. Modern communication technologies can enable such policies by tracking where and when cars are on the roads.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A car approaches an overhead billboard displaying time of day and prices for cars and trucks to enter the regulated zone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442063/original/file-20220122-19-bku97e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Singapore uses electronic road pricing to reduce congestion and regulate traffic flow in the city. The cost to enter the restricted zone varies with location and timing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/singapore-electronic-road-pricing-royalty-free-image/1005214292">Calvin Chan Wai Meng via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another option would be to promote shared fleets of automated vehicles rather than privately owned ones. We envision these as commercial companies, similar to Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing providers. Having a car available when needed could make it possible to forgo car ownership and could serve travel demand much more efficiently by essentially acting as on-demand transit. These networks could also help riders reach fixed-route public transportation services that operate on main transportation corridors.</p>
<p>All of these policies will be most effective if they are adopted now, before automated vehicles are widespread. A transportation future that is automated, electric and shared could be environmentally sustainable – but in our view, it’s unlikely to evolve that way on its own.</p>
<p>[<em>Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=science&source=inline-science-understand">Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173819/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Giovanni Circella receives funding from the California Air Resources Board, the Southern California Association of Governments, the Bay Area Rapid Transit, the BMW Group, Ford, and the US Department of Transportation and the California Department of Transportation through the National Center for Sustainable Transportation. He directs the 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program at the University of California, Davis, which is funded through a consortium of research sponsors (<a href="https://3rev.ucdavis.edu/researchsponsors">https://3rev.ucdavis.edu/researchsponsors</a>), including some of the automakers mentioned in this article. He is the Chair of the AEP35 Standing Committee of the Transportation Research Board and an elected member of the International Association for Travel Behaviour Research (IATBR). He is also affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is a senior research engineer in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Hardman receives funding from the California Air Resources Board, the California Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation.</span></em></p>Studies show that when people can ride in a car without having to operate it, they increase their car use. That could increase traffic and pollution, unless government puts a price on car travel.Giovanni Circella, Director, 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program, University of California, DavisScott Hardman, Professional Researcher, Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center, University of California, DavisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1642122021-07-26T12:35:04Z2021-07-26T12:35:04ZTelecommuting can reduce congestion, but might create other traffic problems<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411277/original/file-20210714-15-14aw01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The likelihood of commuting during both peak periods was slightly lower for telecommuters than for workers who commuted to work.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock) </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Telecommuting has the potential to reduce traffic congestion, but other factors, such as increasing the distance between home and work or adding new trips, can contribute to producing more congestion.</p>
<p>Studies conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that telecommuting can help reduce traffic congestion by decreasing the number of vehicles on roads at peak hours and the amount of time commuters spend on roads. For example, a 2004 study in Waterloo, Ont., showed that <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44321117">telecommuting could potentially reduce traffic congestion without affecting other household activities</a>, such as errands, children’s activities or social outings.</p>
<p>Yet the potential impacts of telecommuting on travel and congestion are difficult to assess. This is because teleworking may also have some adverse effects, notably those associated with living further from the workplace.</p>
<p>As researchers in transportation and sustainability, we are interested in the impacts of telecommuting on travel. One of our recent studies showed that <a href="https://cirano.qc.ca/en/summaries/2018RP-05">the likelihood of driving during rush-hour periods was slightly lower for telecommuters than it was for those who commuted to work</a>.</p>
<p>The impact of telecommuting on reducing congestion is not very noticeable because some telecommuters reorganized their activities, which led to additional trips during peak periods. Also, telecommuting was not widely practised prior to the pandemic, making it difficult to see how it contributes to reducing traffic congestion. </p>
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À lire aussi :
<a href="https://theconversation.com/le-teletravail-aura-t-il-des-effets-benefiques-sur-lenvironnement-148061">Le télétravail aura-t-il des effets bénéfiques sur l’environnement ?</a>
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<h2>Three times as many telecommuters</h2>
<p>In Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the percentage of employees that telecommute to <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00026-eng.htm">39.1 per cent in March 2020</a> from <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210312/dq210312a-eng.htm">13 per cent in 2019</a>.</p>
<p>At the same time, <a href="https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/traffic-index/">decreases in traffic congestion have been observed around the world, according to TomTom</a>, a navigation and route planning system that collects data from the 600 million drivers who use it. In all cities across Canada, there was a significant reduction in traffic congestion in the first week of March 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, and levels continued to fall throughout the year. The lowest point was reached in the second week of April in 2020.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Data collected by TomTom navigation system" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408010/original/file-20210623-4659-clruvv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There was a significant reduction in traffic congestion levels in the first week of March 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(TomTom)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While telecommuting has the potential to reduce car travel and decrease congestion during peak periods, it would be a mistake to draw conclusions based on its growth during the pandemic.</p>
<h2>Behavioural changes</h2>
<p>At the height of the pandemic, people were less inclined to travel by public transit because they worried about increasing their risk of infection. As a result many opted to travel by car instead.</p>
<p>The drop in ridership in Montréal, for example, has been so significant that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/pandemic-public-transit-montreal-loss-1.5666607">the regional transport authority doesn’t expect passenger numbers to rebound until 2032</a>. These forecasts place the transit agency in a difficult financial situation that will lead to service reductions and fare increases.</p>
<p>Other measures taken during the height of the pandemic — lockdowns, curfews, travel restrictions — also contributed to a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road. On the other hand, according to the “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/traffic-why-its-getting-worse-what-government-can-do/">principle of triple convergence</a>” (less traffic, new roads or larger roads), this decrease in traffic during the pandemic most likely persuaded some individuals to use or return to the roads. Those who used for public transit before the pandemic to avoid traffic congestion may have started using their vehicles again.</p>
<p>In addition, while telecommuting is likely to be more common in the future than it was before the pandemic — <a href="https://www.bdc.ca/en/about/mediaroom/news-releases/remote-work-here-stay-bdc-study">55 per cent of employees</a> say they’d prefer to continue working remotely — there is every reason to believe that it will also become less common than it is at the moment.</p>
<p>Telecommuting is likely to be used primarily as an occasional supplement to commuting. It is much less likely to become a complete substitute for commuting. According to Statistics Canada, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2021001/article/00012-eng.htm">41 per cent of workers would prefer to work about half their hours at home</a>.</p>
<p>Some prefer to return to the workplace full time, while others prefer to stay home full time. Splitting time between these two locations, however, is a popular option.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="graphic showing telework preferences" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411693/original/file-20210716-13-19fyn5e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In a February 2021 survey, 80 per cent of new telecommuters said they would prefer to work at least half their hours from home once the pandemic is over.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2021001/article/00012-eng.htm">(Statistics Canada)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The adverse effects of telecommuting</h2>
<p>The evaluation of telecommuting’s true impact in reducing car travel should only be done after the pandemic, as initially people’s behaviour was altered by fears of infection.</p>
<p>Telecommuting could improve certain aspects of transportation, but one must be vigilant about three potentially adverse effects.</p>
<p>First, putting an end to commuting could lead to an increase in motorists who previously avoided commuting during those times.</p>
<p>Second, a telecommuter might have fewer trips to the workplace but make other trips instead, making the <a href="https://cirano.qc.ca/en/summaries/2019RP-07">overall balance of trips less than, equal to or even greater than</a> that of a commuter. Also, the trips not taken by the telecommuter could free up a vehicle for use by other members of the household.</p>
<p>Third, by reducing or eliminating work-related travel through telecommuting, workers may be able to live further away from their workplace. They may choose their location based on other factors, such as a preference for nature, quality of life or a larger home, which could lead to “telesprawl.” Although such effects <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadians-leaving-big-cities-in-record-numbers-statistics-canada-1.5270161">have been observed</a>, the full extent of the phenomenon is not yet known.</p>
<p>While telecommuting may be an attractive tool for reducing traffic congestion, its potential benefits could be erased because of the behavioural changes it brings about in the medium and long term. The number of telecommuters, adjustment of work schedules, household relocations and a return to public transit will determine the extent of any reduction in travel and congestion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164212/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ugo Lachapelle has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on this theme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Georges A. Tanguay ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>The potential benefits of telecommuting could quickly be erased because of the behavioural changes it brings about in the medium and long term.Georges A. Tanguay, Professeur au département d'études urbaines et touristiques, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Ugo Lachapelle, Professeur au département d'études urbaines et touristiques, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1622362021-06-21T12:21:25Z2021-06-21T12:21:25ZAs urban life resumes, can US cities avert gridlock?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407086/original/file-20210617-15-1jy2mcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=58%2C0%2C6479%2C4248&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's back: Rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles on June 15, 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/los-angeles-californiajune-15-2021traffic-has-returned-to-news-photo/1233490475">Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Traffic is so ubiquitous in U.S. cities that until recently, imagining urban life without it meant <a href="https://archive.curbed.com/2020/1/29/21112477/car-free-in-america">looking to other nations for examples</a>. Then, in 2020, COVID-19 closures and lockdowns took drivers off the roads. The thought experiment became real. </p>
<p>The main impacts are clear. First, public transit ridership plummeted by 80%, leaving mainly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242476">lower-income workers in jobs declared essential</a> riding buses, subways and commuter trains.</p>
<p>Second, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/coronavirus-has-shown-us-a-world-without-traffic-can-we-sustain-it/">private vehicular traffic declined</a> by more than 50% in most metro areas, and by more than 75% in some tech-oriented cities such as San Francisco, where more people could work from home. With less traffic, cities became quieter, less polluted. People could hear birdsong for the first time. Air quality improved. Skies were clearer. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, however, <a href="https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813115">traffic accidents did not lessen</a>. Though fewer people were driving, average speed levels increased with emptier roads. Distracted driving also increased, with more drivers <a href="https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/study-32-of-drivers-admit-texting-emailing-while-driving/">texting, emailing</a> and <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191204005623/en/Holiday-Drivers-Unable-to-Resist-Shopping-While-Driving-Says-New-Root-Report">shopping</a> while behind the wheel. Overconfidence, speed and distraction led to an increase in accidents.</p>
<p>Third, quiet roads provided an opportunity to reimagine and create less car-centric cities. From Boston to Los Angeles, <a href="https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/somerville-journal/2021/06/09/somervilles-street-cafes-stay-for-now/7544689002/">street eateries blossomed</a>. Diners, pedestrians and cyclists <a href="https://theconversation.com/city-dwellers-gained-more-access-to-public-spaces-during-the-pandemic-can-they-keep-it-155016">reclaimed outdoor spaces</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and child ride bikes past a street closure sign." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oakland, California, closed 74 miles of streets in the spring of 2020 to give people safe spaces to get outdoors and exercise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakCaliforniaClosures/9b811b7262214271ab6fe8399fd3fa54/photo">AP Photo/Jeff Chiu</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As states lift pandemic restrictions and workers debate <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004862350/-why-do-we-have-to-go-back-to-the-office-employees-are-divided-about-returning">whether to return to office settings</a>, will these trends continue? As a scholar who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oMPNYhQAAAAJ&hl=en">researches cities</a>, I expect the following key factors to shape what post-pandemic traffic looks like. </p>
<h2>Public transit in crisis</h2>
<p>Public transportation finances <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22168191/public-transit-funding-future-covid">took a big hit</a> during the pandemic as ridership shrank. Many cities responded by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/nyregion/mass-transit-service-cuts-covid.html">reducing bus and train service, eliminating routes and laying off employees</a>. Whether urban public transportation can recover over the longer term is a critical question. </p>
<p>So far, surveys suggest that more affluent riders are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4040050">less willing to return</a>, especially if they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100216">work productively from home</a>.
There is still a lingering sense that public transportation, and indeed all ride-sharing, is riskier than walking, cycling or personal auto travel.</p>
<p>Any longer-term declines in the quality of public transportation will be disproportionately shouldered by lower-income workers, who have less choice and will be forced to navigate more expensive, less reliable services. The ripple effects on <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-17/where-pandemic-cuts-to-subways-and-buses-persist">access to employment opportunities</a>, commuting times and general quality of life could be severe, adding yet another layer to mounting inequality in U.S. society. </p>
<p>Public transportation already was <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-u-s-unwilling-to-pay-for-good-public-transportation-56788">chronically underfunded</a> in the U.S. before 2020, and the pandemic only added to these fiscal woes. However, the scale of the current crisis may be changing attitudes, especially at the federal level. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Subway car with two riders." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Passengers on a Metro train in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/PublicTransitsFuture/31c13ab7955b4b8782872a94e4108f0f/photo">AP Photo/Patrick Semansky</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Public transportation received a <a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/cares-act">fiscal boost</a> from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, that Congress passed in March 2020. And President Joe Biden has proposed US$85 billion for <a href="https://theconversation.com/pandemic-stricken-mass-transit-would-get-85-billion-in-biden-stimulus-plan-a-down-payment-on-reviving-american-cities-158589">capital investments in public transit</a> in his infrastructure plan.</p>
<p>The details of potential investments are still taking shape, and much depends on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/us/politics/infrastructure-biden-senate.html">congressional negotiations</a>. But although the traditional American road and car mentality remains strong, the pandemic may have finally made clear that urban public transportation has a vital social and economic role in making cities fairer, as well as more efficient. </p>
<h2>Traffic is rebounding</h2>
<p>The increase in walking and bicycling during the pandemic was good news for many reasons. With less surface traffic, cities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/22/upshot/coronavirus-quiet-city-noise.html">became quieter</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006853117">less polluted</a>. People could hear birds singing in many places for the first time and walk on streets free from busy traffic.</p>
<p>Cities traditionally plagued with gridlock, such as Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., all saw <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/covid-traffic-congestion/2021/03/08/92fcd2e8-8029-11eb-81db-b02f0398f49a_story.html">less congested roads</a>. But it’s not clear whether this will be a lasting change or a short-term response. </p>
<p>By mid-June 2020, while many states and cities were still under COVID-19 restrictions, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/us-traffic-has-rebounded-to-about-90-percent-of-pre-pandemic-levels-analysts-say/2020/06/19/5f498cce-b190-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html">traffic had rebounded</a> across the country to almost 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Washington, D.C., was at 70% of its normal level, New York City was at 82%, and Los Angeles was at 85%. Now, as vaccines and the end of pandemic controls make people freer to move around, many cities are quickly returning to prior traffic levels. </p>
<p>Somewhat counterintuitively, having more cars on the road could actually improve safety. With more traffic, average speed may decline to safer levels. </p>
<p><iframe id="uV8Xz" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/uV8Xz/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>However, distracted driving could offset this trend. We live in an <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-value-of-unplugging-in-the-age-of-distraction-43572">age of distraction</a>, where many people feel it is OK to drive while texting and tweeting. As traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels, cities and states will need to refocus attention on measures such as restricting cellphone use in cars.</p>
<h2>Making city streets more people-friendly</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most encouraging traffic-related news is that many cities are forging ahead with plans to reduce car travel and make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. </p>
<p>The pandemic offered a unique opportunity to reimagine the city as a place where drivers had to share space with others. This also was a trend that predated COVID-19 but accelerated in 2020 when streets were relatively empty. </p>
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<p>Many cities are now implementing initiatives like free public transportation, protected bike lanes, bike-sharing initiatives, congestion pricing, regular street closures, priority bus lanes, quiet streets and reduced traffic speeds. These cities include <a href="https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/boston-pilots-free-public-transit-MBTA-equitable-covid-recovery/597584/">Boston</a>, <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/future_projects_andconcepts/news/2021/may/cdot-announces-the-return-of-shared-streets-for-summer-2021-with.html">Chicago</a>, <a href="https://ladot.lacity.org/coronavirus/apply-slow-street-your-neighborhood%20New%20York">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="https://www.saferstreetsny.org">New York</a>, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-will-permanently-close-20-miles-of-residential-streets-to-most-vehicle-traffic/">Seattle</a>, <a href="https://walksf.org/2021/03/04/groups-across-san-francisco-demand-action-for-safe-streets/">San Francisco</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/11/dc-roads-transportation-budget/">Washington, D.C.</a> </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CQOJ9m6F3A7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>But there are competing interests and political counterpressures. One <a href="https://www.surveyofmayors.com/reports/menino-survey-of-mayors-2020-covid-report.pdf">survey of mayors</a> found that many endorsed changes to street space, but relatively few were planning to make them permanent. City leaders realize that powerful economic interests want consumers and workers to have downtown access by private car. </p>
<p>The coming months could well be a key pivotal point. The pandemic gave Americans a tantalizing glimpse of what less car-oriented cities would look like. The pandemic saw the reclamation of urban streets for public use, the emergence of a less car-centric city and the reimagining of a safer, slower, quieter city with streets shared among a variety of users. But many interests want a quick return to the status quo. </p>
<p>The outcome will depend on how effectively urban dwellers and advocacy groups make their case for <a href="https://apps.bostonglobe.com/opinion/graphics/2021/03/superblocks/">more people-centered city streets</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162236/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Rennie Short does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pandemic offered a tantalizing look at city life with fewer cars in the picture. But with traffic rebounding, there’s limited time to lock in policies that make streets more people-friendly.John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1621832021-06-08T20:06:30Z2021-06-08T20:06:30ZTowards the 30-minute city — how Australians’ commutes compare with cities overseas<p>The ease of reaching urban amenities underpins city life. We led a global research team that compared access to jobs in 117 cities across the globe, including eight capital cities in Australia, and examined strategies that might improve transport in our cities. The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00020-2">newly published research</a> finds access to jobs increases with population and that our two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, compare favourably with similarly sized cities overseas.</p>
<p>Transport infrastructure and land use patterns form the backbone of a city. It’s the reason so many people choose to live and work with other people in cities – despite the noise, congestion and negatives of city life – because they can easily reach a variety of destinations. Towards this objective, many planning agencies set themselves a “30-minute city” goal, which is behind many planning decisions.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="heat map showing number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes across Greater Sydney" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404975/original/file-20210608-136167-cap00p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heat map showing access to jobs across Greater Sydney. Red denotes more jobs and green fewer jobs within 30 minutes’ travel time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/access-across-australia-mapping-30-minute-cities-how-do-our-capitals-compare-117498">Access across Australia: mapping 30-minute cities, how do our capitals compare?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What did the study find?</h2>
<p>The ease of reaching destinations can be measured by the number of jobs reachable within 30 minutes. Job locations offer both employment opportunities and amenities; restaurants, schools, hospitals, shopping centres and so on are also job clusters. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00020-2">research</a> measured how many jobs were accessible within 30 minutes (travelling one way) for four different modes of transport – cars, public transport, cycling and walking. The 117 cities studied are in 16 countries on six continents. The research finds cities really differ in the convenience of transport, but also finds significant similarities between cities from the same country. </p>
<p>Australian and Canadian cities have poorer car access than US, European and Chinese cities. They have better public transport, walking and cycling access than US cities, but access via these modes is generally not as good as in Europe and China.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-city-workers-average-commute-has-blown-out-to-66-minutes-a-day-how-does-yours-compare-120598">Australian city workers' average commute has blown out to 66 minutes a day. How does yours compare?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Cities in the United States have reasonable car access, but lag behind globally in public transport, walking and cycling access. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing numbers of jobs accessible within 30 minutes' cycling plotted against population for global cities." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=696&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=696&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405235/original/file-20210609-23-sztbig.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=696&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes’ cycling plotted against population for global cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00020-2">Urban Access Across the Globe 2021</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Chinese and European cities, compact development combined with an intensive network produces the highest access globally across all modes of transport. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes’ walking plotted against population for global cities." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=693&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=693&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405238/original/file-20210609-17-17b0500.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=693&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes’ walking plotted against population for global cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00020-2">Urban Access Across the Globe 2021</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One surprising finding is the middling car access in US cities. Despite the reputation of US cities being built around the car, urban sprawl has made it difficult to reach destinations even by car. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing numbers of jobs accessible within 30 minutes' drive by car plotted against population for global cities." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405231/original/file-20210609-23-1gnc78a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=691&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes by car plotted against population for global cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00020-2">Urban Access Across the Globe 2021</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This sprawl also exposes the Achilles heel in mass transit and non-motorised modes. Immense spatial separation makes for worse access by public transport and active modes of transport such as cycling and walking. US cities have the largest disparity between public transport and car travel.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes by public transport plotted against population for global cities." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=694&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=694&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405230/original/file-20210609-23-10ue63m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=694&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes by public transport plotted against population for global cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00020-2">Urban Access Across the Globe 2021</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This research also finds access to jobs increases with city population, so reaching a greater number of desired destinations would be easier for people in larger cities than in smaller cities. So, despite traffic congestion, larger cities are still more efficient in connecting people with places they want to go. </p>
<p>However, this benefit has diminishing returns. Doubling the metropolitan population results in less than a doubling of access to jobs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-close-is-sydney-to-the-vision-of-creating-three-30-minute-cities-115847">How close is Sydney to the vision of creating three 30-minute cities?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What are the lessons for Australian cities?</h2>
<p>The moral of the story is that we don’t need to choose between the US-style sprawling development and European-style compact cities. We can and should have the benefits of both development patterns. We need both density and a well-developed transport network for better access. </p>
<p>Massive road building alone can improve access by car to only a limited extent. The problem is that investments in road infrastructure are often accompanied by lower-density development. That makes it harder for people who walk, bike or use public transport to reach increasingly separated places.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-changes-in-how-we-live-could-derail-the-dream-of-the-30-minute-city-110287">Three changes in how we live could derail the dream of the 30-minute city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In cities that do have compact land-use patterns, access to jobs remain high across all modes of transport, including cars. So, despite congestion, it is still easier to reach desired destinations in these compact cities. Roads are not race tracks, and high-speed roadways connecting nobody with nowhere are not better than lower-speed paths connecting people and places. </p>
<p>The Australian government is investing <a href="https://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/">A$110 billion</a> over the next ten years in transport infrastructure. This will have significant implications for the future of our cities. If we want our cities to continue to be vibrant, liveable and accessible by all modes of transport, we will need to keep our cities compact and invest more in public transport, walking and biking.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-the-idea-of-20-minute-neighbourhoods-so-why-isnt-it-top-of-the-agenda-131193">People love the idea of 20-minute neighbourhoods. So why isn't it top of the agenda?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162183/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Levinson has received grants as a Professor at the University of Sydney, including funding from the iMOVE CRC. He has also received funding from the World Bank. He is on the Board of WalkSydney. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hao Wu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A global study of 117 cities finds Australian capitals have fairly poor access by car. Public transport, cycling and walking access is better than in the US, but not as good as in Europe and China.Hao Wu, PhD Candidate, School of Civil Engineering, University of SydneyDavid Levinson, Professor of Transport, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1528872021-01-10T19:12:37Z2021-01-10T19:12:37ZThe commuter’s paradox: there’s something to gain in the space between home and work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377701/original/file-20210108-15-1ys3omg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5000%2C3330&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many of us, one of the upsides of 2020 was being freed from the grind of the daily commute. </p>
<p>For the <a href="https://theconversation.com/teleworkability-in-australia-41-of-full-time-and-35-of-part-time-jobs-can-be-done-from-home-140723">40% of the workforce able to “telecommute</a>”, COVID-19 social distancing measures saved us an average of <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-city-workers-average-commute-has-blown-out-to-66-minutes-a-day-how-does-yours-compare-120598">about an hour a day</a> – and much more for those of us living in the outer suburbs of cities.</p>
<p>Studies show <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257%2F089533006776526030&source=post_page">the morning commute</a> is the least favourite part of the day, and the commute home the third-least favourite (working is the second-least favourite). </p>
<p>Congestion, crowding and unpredictability increase stress and dissatisfaction. The longer it takes, and the more we have to do in the company of others, the more <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2019.1649317">we dislike it</a>. </p>
<p>But it’s also possible to miss aspects of that enforced time between work and home. For all its downsides, the daily commute does have some positives, acting as both a starter button and circuit breaker to differentiate work from home life. </p>
<p>As life returns to “normal” and employers ask us to return to the workplace, thinking consciously about those benefits can help make the most of your commute.</p>
<h2>A commuting constant</h2>
<p>Though we think of commuting as a modern phenomenon, spending time getting to and from work is as old as humanity. Hunting and gathering (going back 200,000 years), farming (about 10,000 years), and living in cities (about 5,000 years) all involved leaving and returning home. These routines seem to have ingrained in us an idea of acceptable travel times. </p>
<p>In 1994 an Italian physicist, Cesare Marchetti, wrote a paper, <a href="https://www.cesaremarchetti.org/archive/electronic/basic_instincts.pdf">Anthropological Invariants in Travel Behaviour</a>, on the “quintessential unity of travelling instincts around the world, above culture, race and religion”. </p>
<p>Drawing on the work of Israeli transport analyst Yacov Zahavi, Marchetti proposed humans had always been willing to spend about an hour a day travelling from and to home. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377704/original/file-20210108-15-16sa26t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This diagram from Cesare Marchetti’s 1994 paper illustrates how increases in travel speeds increased city sizes while keeping average travel times relatively constant.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.cesaremarchetti.org/archive/electronic/basic_instincts.pdf">Cesare Marchetti</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>This idea of commuting time being 30 minutes each way has become known as Marchetti’s Constant. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1010366321778">In a 2001 paper</a>, travel researchers Lothlorien Redmond and Patricia Mokhtarian found most people’s ideal commute time was, in fact, less – an average of 16 minutes – but their results also confirmed the dislike of any commute longer than 35 minutes.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Ideal versus actual travel times, according to research by Lothlorien Redmond & Patricia Mokhtarian." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377707/original/file-20210108-15-axoll6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ideal versus actual travel times, according to research by Lothlorien Redmond & Patricia Mokhtarian.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/defying-the-one-hour-rule-for-city-travel-traffic-modelling-drives-policy-madness-53099">Defying the 'one-hour rule' for city travel, traffic modelling drives policy madness</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A psychological buffer</h2>
<p>The longer the commute times, the more <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25195346?seq=1">stressed and dissatisfied</a> we feel.</p>
<p>Yet without time between home and work, there’s also a downside. As Marchetti wrote: “Even people in prison for a life sentence, having nothing to do and nowhere to go, walk around for one hour a day, in the open.”</p>
<p>Commuting can be a ritual that helps us psychologically separate home life and work – switching off from personal concerns in the morning, and then detaching from work worries in the evening. A huge body of research over the past four decades show this “<a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6d7e/066e2560942e54b68126cde36981e0a4ec9b.pdf">psychological distance</a>” is crucial to well-being.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-by-2020-here-are-5-ways-to-recover-and-feel-more-rested-throughout-2021-152608">Exhausted by 2020? Here are 5 ways to recover and feel more rested throughout 2021</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Research also shows that switching from our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/036168430903300303">home to work “identities”</a> carries cognitive demands.
A buffer between the two can help make this transition. </p>
<p>It is possible to achieve this psychological distancing without a commute, of course – by going for a morning walk and changing into work clothes – but the demands of both family and work responsibilities often mean we don’t make that time.</p>
<h2>Making the most of your commute</h2>
<p>So we shouldn’t necessarily spurn the return to the daily commute. Yes, there are downsides, but being conscious of the psychological benefits enables you to maximise its benefits.</p>
<p>Rather than thinking of it as dead time, think of it as “me” time.</p>
<p>In the morning, use your commute to plan your day. Research has found <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/orsc.2020.1370">this increases satisfaction at work</a> and makes longer commutes more palatable. Maintaining <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/05/reclaim-your-commute?utm_source=zapier.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zapier">small routines</a> on the way has also been found to help.</p>
<p>In the evening, use the time to unwind with pleasurable activities such as reading, playing mobile games, calling a friend or family member, listening to music or a podcast. These are activities you won’t necessarily have time for once you get home.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-shows-working-from-home-the-best-way-to-beat-congestion-148926">COVID shows working from home the best way to beat congestion</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Doing nothing is good too. Many of us have little time for idle thoughts. Here’s a chance to let your mind wander. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711352/">Free thought time</a> helps to solve problems and inspire creativity. </p>
<p>And, of course, switch to walking or cycling if you can. Along with the “alone” time it gives you, physical activity is strongly associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214367X17301527?casa_token=5Ip4F4cfTp4AAAAA:9KlCbm2Xwl_MrN5eJEhWQm5OSISOCMCr8uXw6BfnHZu4jaM3ZivUvnIEj162HmgUlgQ3KyEzrw">higher overall happiness</a>. </p>
<p>You can’t necessarily control the amount of time you spend commuting, but you can control what you get out of it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152887/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meg Elkins has previously received funding from the City of Melbourne</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Hoffmann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Most of us dislike commuting. But there are ways to make it a more positive experience.Meg Elkins, Senior Lecturer with School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, RMIT UniversityRobert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics and Chair of Behavioural Business Lab, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1522772021-01-04T20:12:57Z2021-01-04T20:12:57ZHow the pandemic will shape the workplace trends of 2021<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376463/original/file-20201222-49513-1lquu42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Remote working became the new normal in 2020. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/teleworking-business-teamwork-professional-workers-connecting-1695249982">Elenabsl/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The economist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Maynard-Keynes">John Maynard Keynes</a> predicted in 1930 that the amount we work would gradually shrink to as little as <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-59072-8_25">15 hours a week</a> as technology made us more productive. Not only did this not happen, but we also began to spend extra time away from home due to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2020/aug/24/the-commute-completely-transformed-britain-is-it-over-for-ever">commuting</a> and suburban living patterns, which we often forget are recent historical inventions. </p>
<p>However, 2020 has changed all that. In my new history of <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/global-remote-work-revolution-future-work-dave-cook/e/10.1201/9781003094937-10?context=ubx&refId=36c634a8-a1cc-449d-99d5-96cc0fd96d0e">remote work during COVID-19</a>, I marvel at how much it has shaken up our lives and how much we took for granted. My research also points to a number of trends that will help shape working life in 2021.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY NARA" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376456/original/file-20201222-17-lnf109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Commuting is a relatively new trend.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HOLLYWOOD_FREEWAY_-_NARA_-_542684.jpg#/media/File:HOLLYWOOD_FREEWAY_-_NARA_-_542684.jpg">Gene Daniels.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Over “in time for Christmas”</h2>
<p>At the start of 2020 remote work was a gradually rising long-term trend. Only <a href="https://s29814.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/MBO-SOI-2019.pdf">12% of workers</a> in the US worked remotely full time, <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/coronavirusandhomeworkingintheuklabourmarket/2019">6% in the UK</a>. Naturally the world was unprepared for mass remote work.</p>
<p>But COVID-19 instantly proved remote work was possible for many people. Workplace institutions and norms toppled like dominos. The office, in-person meetings and the daily commute fell first. Then the nine to five schedule, vacations and private home lives were threatened. Countries even started issuing <a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-work-visas-will-shape-the-future-of-work-travel-and-citizenship-145078">remote work visas</a> to encourage people to spend lockdown working in their territory.</p>
<p>As old norms vanished, a rapid procession of novel technologies marched uninvited into our homes. We had to master Zoom meeting etiquette, compassionate email practices, navigate surveillance, juggle caring responsibilities. The list goes on. </p>
<p>In the face of grim statistics - the UN predicted <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061322">195 million</a> job losses – only the tone deaf complained about working from home. Nonetheless, COVID-19 created the <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/global-remote-work-revolution-future-work-dave-cook/e/10.1201/9781003094937-10?context=ubx&refId=36c634a8-a1cc-449d-99d5-96cc0fd96d0e">biggest remote work experiment in human history</a>.</p>
<p>In July, UK prime minister Boris Johnson – with Edwardian optimism - daydreamed a sense of normality would return “in time for Christmas”. Fast forward through summer to lockdown 2.0 and the fantasy of a 12-week experiment faded into sepia tinged memories. One interviewee joked: “I really thought we’d be back in the office by July, what fools we were!”</p>
<h2>Are you disciplined?</h2>
<p>Silicon Valley companies <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/03/10/google-tells-more-than-100000-employees-to-work-from-home-due-to-coronavirus/">Google</a>, <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebook-apple-google-and-twitter-ask-staff-to-work-remotely-due-to-coronavirus-heres-the-bad-news-for-the-rest-of-america-2020-03-08?link=MW_latest_news">Apple and Twitter</a> were among the first to announce employees could work from home. Ahead of the curve, they were well practised. Predictably, they already had a fancy term for it: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_workforce">distributed working</a>. In 2021 concepts such as distributed and hybrid working will proliferate.</p>
<p>Most were less prepared than Silicon Valley. In March, I <a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-working-the-new-normal-for-many-but-it-comes-with-hidden-risks-new-research-133989">published</a> findings from a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40558-020-00172-4">four-year research study tracking remote workers</a>. I warned, to be a successful remote worker deep reserves of self-discipline were required, otherwise burnout followed. </p>
<p>We understand this now. But I spent the first lockdown patiently explaining to news outlets why working from home was so hard. When I suggested returning to the office might be considered a luxury - because it helped people structure their days - a news presenter laughed. For good or ill, conversations about disciplined routines will intensify in 2021.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-working-the-new-normal-for-many-but-it-comes-with-hidden-risks-new-research-133989">Remote working: the new normal for many, but it comes with hidden risks – new research</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>By May 2020 many reported experiencing <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/eworklife-developing-effective-strategies-for-remote-working-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/">Zoom fatigue</a>. I naively predicted Zoom use <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-workplace-trends-will-shape-life-after-lockdown-138077">would subside</a>. </p>
<p>I’d have been right if we’d returned to the office. Instead necessity dictated we up our Zoom game – even if they were <a href="https://theconversation.com/finding-endless-video-calls-exhausting-youre-not-alone-137936">draining</a>. Zoom simultaneously saved and ruined working from home, and it’s not going <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-say-goodbye-to-zoom-yet-most-people-want-to-get-back-to-the-office-but-not-for-the-full-week-151057">away</a> anytime soon.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young woman working at a laptop massages her temples." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376407/original/file-20201222-15-xo2rue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Zoom calls are draining but we need them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-asian-teacher-stressed-out-massages-1861276414">Michael D Edwards/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The commuting paradox</h2>
<p>Remote workers, grateful to still have jobs, also reported a gnawing sense of survivors’ guilt. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-23/working-from-home-in-covid-era-means-three-more-hours-on-the-job">Overwork</a> was one way of expressing this guilt. Many felt working extra hours might secure their job. </p>
<p>In April 2020, I joined other academics researching work-life balance on a project called <a href="https://www.eworklife.co.uk">eWorkLife</a>. The <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/eworklife-developing-effective-strategies-for-remote-working-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/">research data</a> revealed increases in working hours when it wasn’t obvious when the working day ended. Especially with no obvious signal to end the working day.</p>
<p>In my four-year remote study, I had noticed a strange pattern. Participants initially said “escaping the commute” was a key benefit of remote working. Yet months later these same workers started recreating <a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-working-the-new-normal-for-many-but-it-comes-with-hidden-risks-new-research-133989">mini commutes</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.eworklife.co.uk">eWorkLife</a> project uncovered similar findings. People wanted to create “a clear division between work and home”. Study lead Prof Anna Cox urged people to do <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/londoners-pretend-commute-coronavirus-lockdown-protect-health-b73341.html">pretend commutes</a> so they could maintain a work-life balance. In 2021 work-life balance must become recognised as a public health issue and the <a href="https://www.eworklife.co.uk">eWorkLife</a> project is <a href="https://www.eworklife.co.uk/parliamentary-evidence-living-online-the-long-term-impact-on-wellbeing/">urging policymakers to act</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Scrabble tiles spell out linked words 'life', 'work', 'balance', 'family' and 'career'." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376458/original/file-20201222-17-7gqnvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The concept of work life balance is here to stay.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/concept-harmony-balance-between-work-family-537784684">Khakimullin Aleksandr/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The right to disconnect</h2>
<p>What’s happened to the time previously lost to commuting? Many are <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/12/where-did-the-commute-time-go">using it</a> to catch up on admin and email. This taps into a worrying trend. </p>
<p>Pre-pandemic warnings about an encroaching <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444818820073">24/7 work culture</a> were intensifying. Social scientists argued that contemporary workers were being turned into <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0893318918811080">worker-smartphone hybrids</a>. In 2016, French workers were even given the legal <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38479439">right to disconnect</a> from work emails outside working hours. </p>
<p>A hopeful wish-list for 2021 includes continued increases in <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/half-of-millennial-employees-have-spoken-out-about-employer-actions-on-hot-button-issues-300857881.html">workplace activism</a> and for companies and governments to reveal their remote working policies. Twitter and 17 other companies have already <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/354872">announced</a> employees can work remotely indefinitely. At least <a href="https://www.cfo.com/workplace-issues/2020/11/remote-work-policies-still-in-development-survey/">60%</a> of US companies still haven’t shared their remote working policies with their employees. Remote workers tell me until bosses reveal their post-pandemic policies - planning for their future is impossible. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-work-visas-will-shape-the-future-of-work-travel-and-citizenship-145078">Remote-work visas will shape the future of work, travel and citizenship</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The late activist <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/sep/06/david-graeber-obituary">David Graeber</a> described the failure to achieve Keynes’s 15-hour work week as a missed opportunity, “<a href="https://www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs/">a scar across our collective soul</a>”. COVID-19 may have started conversations about alternative futures where work and leisure are better balanced. </p>
<p>But it won’t come easily. And we will have to fight for it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152277/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dave Cook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The sudden shift to remote work in 2020 has paved the way for a new type of workspace in the future.Dave Cook, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1503802020-12-02T19:08:38Z2020-12-02T19:08:38ZWhy Australian cities need post-COVID vision, not free parking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371054/original/file-20201124-17-1frvx4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C3%2C1116%2C836&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1271139167691366401/photo/1">Brent Toderian/Twitter</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many Australian cities have fallen back on offering free car parking to attract visitors back to the CBD after the pandemic. In contrast, cities around the world are basing their recovery strategies on bold and evidence-based urban transformations. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-covid-all-but-killed-the-australian-cbd-147848">How COVID all but killed the Australian CBD</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In August, Adelaide City councillors voted for <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-12/adelaide-to-hold-drivers-month-to-boost-retail-amid-coronavirus/12549148">incentives for people to drive and park within the CBD</a>, including a controversial “driver’s month” promotion. In Perth, <a href="https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/zempilas-free-parking-plan-to-cost-perth-ratepayers-hundreds-of-thousands-20201103-p56b3q.html">free parking in the CBD</a> during the holidays is expected to cost A$700,000. </p>
<p>In Victoria, the state hit hardest by the pandemic, the City of Geelong has announced <a href="https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/covid19/article/item/8d7d0f8fc065b64.aspx">a range of free CBD parking policies</a> estimated to cost several million dollars. Melbourne City Council has endorsed <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/lost-opportunity-melbourne-considers-slashing-cost-of-parking-as-part-of-car-led-recovery-20201116-p56exx.html">free on-street parking</a> via a voucher system estimated to cost $1.6 million in lost revenue. It’s also seeking to reduce the state-based congestion levy on off-street parking by 25%. </p>
<p>The move to increase car traffic into the central city is perhaps most surprising in the case of Melbourne. Planners have called it a “<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/a-1960s-solution-planners-slam-city-council-s-push-for-free-parking-20201123-p56h49.html">1960s solution</a>” and a “<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/lost-opportunity-melbourne-considers-slashing-cost-of-parking-as-part-of-car-led-recovery-20201116-p56exx.html">lost opportunity</a>”. Free parking and other incentives for car travel <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1296926489045172224">are at odds</a> with the city’s recent <a href="https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/transportstrategy">Transport Strategy 2030</a>, which seeks to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport.</p>
<h2>Parking incentives don’t work</h2>
<p>These car-led approaches to a hoped-for economic recovery were <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/924/16397/NOV20%20CCL%20AGENDA%20ITEM%206.8.pdf">rushed out ahead of new evidence and modelling</a>. This approach also goes against <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-elephant-in-the-planning-scheme-how-cities-still-work-around-the-dominance-of-parking-space-87098">decades</a> of <a href="https://theconversation.com/empty-car-parks-everywhere-but-nowhere-to-park-how-cities-can-do-better-99031">available</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-our-cities-do-about-sprawl-congestion-and-pollution-tip-scrap-car-parking-118393">evidence</a> on the detrimental impacts of conventional urban parking policies in Australia and internationally. </p>
<p>Free parking – pursued and mandated in many cities since the mid-20th century – has a nasty habit of building in unnecessary car use through narrowly targeted subsidies to car users, which directly undermine other transport modes. Parking researcher Liz Taylor <a href="https://www.foreground.com.au/planning-policy/street-fight-car-parks-covid-19-and-the-future-of-urban-retail-part-1/">recently</a> <a href="https://www.foreground.com.au/planning-policy/petrol-powered-planning/">explained</a> the historical myths and troubled relationships between retail and parking we risk perpetuating. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-elephant-in-the-planning-scheme-how-cities-still-work-around-the-dominance-of-parking-space-87098">The elephant in the planning scheme: how cities still work around the dominance of parking space</a>
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</p>
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<h2>COVID has changed cities, and we must adjust</h2>
<p>Cheap parking has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-07/warrnambool-free-parking-plan-attracts-overstayers/12426236">poor prospects</a> for attracting enough visitors to offset the changes the pandemic has brought to Australian CBDs. CBDs rely heavily on daily office workers – who are now largely working from home – and on large residential populations, including international students and tourists to whom borders are now closed. </p>
<p>In Melbourne, daily journeys into the city are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/far-from-normal-cbd-businesses-cling-to-customers-as-office-workers-stay-away-20201112-p56dw2.html">down 90%. Only 8% of office towers are occupied</a>. </p>
<p>Even so, car traffic is now at <a href="https://www-theage-com-au.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/politics/victoria/as-busy-as-bourke-street-push-for-cbd-recovery-gathers-pace-20201112-p56dwa.html">roughly 90%</a> of its pre-COVID levels. Cars are already back, but that does not translate to people in CBDs – and road capacity means the city <a href="https://www.openforum.com.au/melbournes-covid-car-crunch/">can’t manage many more cars</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing use of cars, public transport and walking in Melbourne from January to the end of November" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372440/original/file-20201202-15-1dvr3lp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Apple mobility data for Melbourne show car travel is back to almost pre-pandemic levels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">Apple Mobility Trends</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similarly, Australian CBD retail landscapes have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-covid-all-but-killed-the-australian-cbd-147848">drastically altered</a>. Experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-are-the-future-of-post-covid-retail-148802">predict many lasting changes</a>, including retail “localism” in the suburbs. </p>
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<p>
<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-are-the-future-of-post-covid-retail-148802">The suburbs are the future of post-COVID retail</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Parking hasn’t played any role in these changes. Instead, major economic shifts and political decisions have forced and enabled changes in work and lifestyle. </p>
<p>Many CBD workers simply <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-18/coronavirus-working-from-home-impact-on-australian-cities/12435248">won’t have to come back</a>. CBDs previously didn’t need to be pleasant to be full of people – many were forced to be there. That has changed, and so the city must change too – from a destination of default to a destination of choice.</p>
<h2>The adjustment can create better cities</h2>
<p>Encouraging cars back into the hearts of cities isn’t just a bad recovery strategy. It could be a huge missed opportunity to create more attractive, high-amenity cities. </p>
<p>Around the world, many cities are welcoming the chance to use parking and streets differently, <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-has-proved-working-from-home-is-the-best-policy-to-beat-congestion-148926">farewelling the daily car commute</a> to embrace something better.</p>
<p>In Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/10/20/paris-mayor-anne-hidalgo-to-make-good-on-pledge-to-remove-half-of-citys-car-parking-spaces/?sh=49932fa916ec">visionary “15-minute city” plan</a> aims to replace 60,000 surface parking spaces with green pedestrianised streets, safe dedicated cycling networks and “children streets” near schools. The plan actively turns away from car dominance. </p>
<p>Barcelona’s mayor has announced <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-11/barcelona-s-new-car-free-superblock-will-be-big">a massive green revamp</a> of the central city. Its already successful Superblock model, based on large-scale pedestrianisation, will be super-sized. Intersections and parking are being turned into parks and plazas. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/superblocks-are-transforming-barcelona-they-might-work-in-australian-cities-too-123354">Superblocks are transforming Barcelona. They might work in Australian cities too</a>
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</em>
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<hr>
<p>London is creating <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-28/how-london-s-low-traffic-streets-keep-cars-at-bay">hundreds of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs)</a>, as is <a href="https://citymonitor.ai/transport/in-one-of-europes-most-car-dependent-cities-lockdown-offers-a-chance-to-rethink-the-road">car-dependent Brussels</a>. LTNs are based on transforming streets with quality cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, closing some streets to car traffic and otherwise instituting low speeds. <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/oslo-pedestrianisation">Oslo’s “Vision Zero” strategy</a> demonstrates the power of these measures to transform cities.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1330986824727224323"}"></div></p>
<p>As these cities are finding, street reclamation projects can succeed quickly, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/16/i-got-it-wrong-since-the-changes-its-become-more-vibrant-life-in-an-ltn">local businesses</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/16/claim-low-traffic-schemes-only-benefit-better-off-debunked-in-new-study">neighbourhoods of all income levels</a> benefit. However, leaders need to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/16/the-guardian-view-on-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-streets-ahead">“hold their nerve”</a> through the complex period of change.</p>
<h2>New ways of seeing cities</h2>
<p>Australian cities are changing with COVID too. Melbourne in particular has been forced to radically rethink streets as public space at a metropolitan scale. Through innovative co-operation between retailers and local councils, <a href="https://melbourneparklets.ushahidi.io/views/map">hundreds of parklets</a> have emerged across the city.</p>
<p>These spaces offer sensible, creative and exciting ways for people to re-embrace dining out after lockdown. The <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/gertrude-street-locals-don-t-want-council-to-call-time-on-garden-party-20201117-p56fb3.html">enthusiastic reception</a> is already causing many retailers to forget about parking and call for permanent changes. </p>
<p>The City of Melbourne has issued 1,300 outdoor dining permits and transformed 200 on-street parking spaces. This raises the the question of whether free parking is the best use of its precious public space and funds. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Diners sit within a green parklet on Lygon Street in Melbourne, having fun on reclaimed street space." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371045/original/file-20201124-17-km8fmg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A parklet on reclaimed street space on Lygon Street, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Liz Taylor (own photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While systematic study of parking is often scarce, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837718309797">far</a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-value-of-cycling-rapid-evidence-review-of-the-economic-benefits-of-cycling">stronger</a> <a href="https://vtpi.org/walkability.pdf">evidence</a> supports the economic value of space for active transport, green space and outdoor dining. Our future cities can be places where people “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/02/dining/outdoor-dining-nyc.html">will see the street belongs to them</a>”. </p>
<p>Street space can feel like the exclusive (and hostile) realm of cars, but it is simply public land that is currently (mis)allocated to cars. Perceptions are beginning to change, allowing city residents to reimagine what streets might offer beyond moving and storing cars.</p>
<p>The race is on to invite people back to our cities. But a return to streets full of cars, narrow sidewalks crowded with pedestrians, and parking problems that never go away simply isn’t much of an invitation. </p>
<p>When urbanist Brent Toderian asked people to post <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1168055558068301824">photos showing #TheBeautyofCities</a>, the hundreds of submissions featured green streets full of people walking, cycling and having fun, not car parking and traffic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150380/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Clements receives funding from the Henry Halloran Trust, and has previously received an Australian Postgraduate Award from the Australian Government. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Taylor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, the Henry Halloran Trust, iMove and ITS Australia, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the City of Melbourne. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thami receives funding from the European Commission and the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Instead of free parking, our post-COVID CBDs need a big vision to become attractive destinations that aren’t car-friendly at the expense of being people-friendly.Rebecca Clements, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of SydneyElizabeth Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning & Design, Monash UniversityThami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1489262020-11-15T18:52:14Z2020-11-15T18:52:14ZCOVID shows working from home the best way to beat congestion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368951/original/file-20201111-19-ma041d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C36%2C6016%2C3971&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/car-jamming-traffic-jam-1109250887">249 Anurak/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As almost anyone who wastes countless hours stuck in traffic would agree, there’s little more frustrating for workers than starting or ending the day with an overly long commute. But, while we might not like it, more of us are doing it. In 2019, the average daily commute time for Australian metro workers was <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-city-workers-average-commute-has-blown-out-to-66-minutes-a-day-how-does-yours-compare-120598">66 minutes</a>. Then COVID happened.</p>
<p>Although the pandemic has forced change without choice on almost all of us, there have been some positive unintended consequences. Commuting times are one winner, particularly in larger cities. The increase in working from home turns out to be the best policy lever the transport sector has ever pulled for reducing traffic congestion in our cities. </p>
<iframe title="How avoiding the commute is making us happier" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/74h3d-f25c07?from=pb6admin&download=1&version=1&auto=0&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Helvetica&skin=1&pfauth=&btn-skin=107"></iframe>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-city-workers-average-commute-has-blown-out-to-66-minutes-a-day-how-does-yours-compare-120598">Australian city workers' average commute has blown out to 66 minutes a day. How does yours compare?</a>
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<p>We began looking at the impacts of the increase in working from home on our roads and public transport from March to September. We found a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.08.004">10-15% drop in peak-period congestion</a>. That’s similar to traffic during school holidays. </p>
<iframe title="Profile of work days and working from home by state" aria-label="chart" id="datawrapper-chart-AJyqT" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/AJyqT/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<iframe title="Profile of work days and working from home by occupation" aria-label="chart" id="datawrapper-chart-1TxZe" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1TxZe/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>COVID-19, it turns out, has done something that nobody in government has been able to achieve – cutting road congestion almost overnight. </p>
<h2>For commuters, time is money</h2>
<p>It’s possible to <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/15314/VTTScar%20Ho%20Mulley%20Shiftan%20Hensher%2028%20Jan%202016.pdf;jsessionid=3A5FEA2C6F7698B4A2FA63FCE2FA5E5B?sequence=2">calculate how much these kinds of shifts are worth</a> to us as a society. If we weren’t stuck in traffic, what else might we do with that time? And just how much is it worth to us? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Women looking at watch while stuck in traffic" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368952/original/file-20201111-21-2bxzmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">All that time spent stuck in traffic has a cost.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Syda Productions/Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>The Greater Sydney metropolitan area, covering Newcastle to Wollongong, is a good example. From late May 2020, commuting times declined as working from home boomed. We calculate this cut total commuting time costs by 54%, from A$10.5 billion a year to A$5.58 billion. </p>
<p>Naturally, commuters want to know the impact on their own metaphorical hip pockets. In Greater Sydney, we calculate the average annual reduction in time costs per car commuter was A$2,312 as at May 2020. That’s equivalent to A$48.16 per week, or A$9.63 per weekday. </p>
<p>For the public transport commuter, the “time cost” of being stuck in traffic is higher as their commute is often longer. Their time saving is worth A$5,203 per person, an equivalent of A$108.39 per week or A$21.68 per weekday. </p>
<p>It’s all money that could be better spent elsewhere, especially in the current economic environment. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing percentage of work days working from home by occupation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368948/original/file-20201111-16-gcsivk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<h2>Transport planning priorities will change</h2>
<p>Congestion shows us working from home is changing more than the workplace: it could have profound implications for road investment and transport policy. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.07.00">Our data</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.08.004">show</a> the increase in working from home is spread evenly across the five weekdays. This is important, since infrastructure and service capacity are typically determined by peak demand. If demand can be flattened, as the data suggest it can be, then the implications for transport planning priorities will be significant.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-more-of-us-work-from-home-after-coronavirus-well-need-to-rethink-city-planning-136261">If more of us work from home after coronavirus we'll need to rethink city planning</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Of course, now that full-time working from home is easing for many, we don’t expect this level of benefit to be sustained. But we believe we’ll still be left with a significant improvement on pre-COVID congestion. Early signs, including from our surveys in September, suggest many people in certain occupations are <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-management-resistance-overcome-working-from-home-may-be-here-to-stay-144850">likely to work from home</a> one to two days a week in the future, with full employer support.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing percentage of work days working from home by occupation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368947/original/file-20201111-22-1j9g4ca.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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</figure>
<p>But to really capture the benefits of this welcome shift on our roads, we need governments to play a role. They need to publicly support working from home as a way of reducing pressure on transport networks, especially in our big cities. </p>
<p>2020 has proven traffic congestion can be reduced without building more roads. What’s more, doing so brings other benefits: in addition to myriad environmental benefits, our increased ability to work from home will open up new opportunities for revitalising suburbia. These adjustments align well with the concept of the 20- or 30-minute city, a strategy many Australian city planners are grappling with.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-the-idea-of-20-minute-neighbourhoods-so-why-isnt-it-top-of-the-agenda-131193">People love the idea of 20-minute neighbourhoods. So why isn't it top of the agenda?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Is there a downside to fewer commutes?</h2>
<p>As more of us spend fewer days commuting, there are risks. For example, we might move more permanently to using private cars for commuting (even once COVID safety issues subside). </p>
<p>If we commute for only three or four days a week, rather than five, we may be more tolerant of the costs associated with driving, such as parking fees and tolls. Even congestion itself may bother us less. </p>
<p>If this occurs, we may have to find other ways to contain this increase in car use if we want to keep those shorter commutes. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cars-rule-as-coronavirus-shakes-up-travel-trends-in-our-cities-142175">Cars rule as coronavirus shakes up travel trends in our cities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Strategies to limit car use in peak periods</h2>
<p>One option is road-pricing reform – a user-pays system. One <a href="https://imovecrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Bibliography-Tackling-road-congestion-David-A-Hensher.pdf">well-researched</a> user charge is to replace vehicle registration charges (in part or in full) with a distance-based charge (cents/km) during periods of heavy congestion – for example, peak periods in cities. </p>
<p>What makes this option appealing is the ability to set charges at a level that leaves most people no worse off financially (the hip-pocket test), while at the same time reducing peak-period car use to improve travel times. We <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-013-9473-6">estimate</a> 5-7c/km would be the right price. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-charts-on-why-congestion-charging-is-fairer-than-you-might-think-124894">Three charts on: why congestion charging is fairer than you might think</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-013-9473-6">Surveys show</a> over 70% of commuters could switch to other times of the day and still use their cars if keen to avoid the distance-based charge. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-013-9473-6">Our modelling</a> suggests this would deliver an 8% improvement in travel times. That’s equivalent to school holiday periods and the shift we’ve seen from the increase in working from home. </p>
<p>It is likely this shift would only increase in a world where working from home means people can work more flexibly.</p>
<p>An alternative strategy to keep congestion low, even if our love for private car travel increases, centres on incentives – rewards similar to those used by supermarkets or airlines. </p>
<p>Why not create incentives like loyalty points for drivers willing to switch to off-peak car use or to public transport? Drivers’ decisions could be tracked via GPS, and resulting reward points converted to cash payments or discounts on travel and other non-transport-related purchases.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-recovery-public-transport-is-key-to-avoid-repeating-old-and-unsustainable-mistakes-138415">Coronavirus recovery: public transport is key to avoid repeating old and unsustainable mistakes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qDNDox3oPhU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Travel post-COVID-19: alternative views from leading academics.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aUr3Y5E0x4w?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Travel post-COVID-19: Q&A session.</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148926/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Hensher receives funding from ARC and CRC (iMOVE).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Beck receives funding from CRC iMove.</span></em></p>COVID led to commuting time savings worth over $2,000 a year for each driver and $5,000 per public transport user. But as workplaces reopen, we may need road user charges to keep traffic flowing.David Hensher, Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, University of SydneyMatthew Beck, Associate Professor in Infrastructure Management, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1488022020-11-01T19:06:48Z2020-11-01T19:06:48ZThe suburbs are the future of post-COVID retail<p>The COVID-19 pandemic delivered a <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-covid-all-but-killed-the-australian-cbd-147848">body blow to CBD retailers</a>, but it’s just the latest of their challenges in recent years. They were already under pressure from <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-03/coronavirus-recession-in-australia-six-graphs-explain/12624250">cautious consumer spending</a>, intense <a href="https://business.nab.com.au/nab-online-retail-sales-index-august-2020-42815/">competition from online retailing</a> and the growth of suburban “<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi16pTj99XsAhUGzDgGHToVAVYQFjAAegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.colliers.com.au%2Fdownload-research%3FitemId%3Dd1c91b17-abd7-4b03-a1d5-90874a6f38fd&usg=AOvVaw3V4dCHIa1neOszR03MtIPY">mega-centres</a>”.</p>
<p>Now, declining commuter foot traffic and an increase in people <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-07/working-from-home-coronavirus-big-productivity-increase/12628764">working from home</a> present new challenges for CBD retailers. Lockdowns, changing work practices and the need for social distancing have left some of Australia’s largest city centres at times resembling <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/gallery/2020/sep/12/melbournes-curfew-descends-and-vibrant-city-becomes-ghost-town-in-pictures">ghost towns</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-covid-all-but-killed-the-australian-cbd-147848">How COVID all but killed the Australian CBD</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Even as <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-premier-77">restrictions lift</a> and CBDs reopen, it will not be business as normal.</p>
<h2>Stores will shrink</h2>
<p>Retailers that depend heavily on discretionary spending, for items such as <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/retail/clothing-industry-in-decline-as-conscious-consumers-cut-back-20191014-p530ex">clothing, footwear and accessories</a>, have been hit particularly hard.</p>
<p>The latest <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/retail-and-wholesale-trade/retail-trade-australia/latest-release">Australian Bureau of Statistics figures</a> show clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing fell 10.5% in August 2020, in seasonally adjusted terms. Department stores were down 8.9%.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Chart showing changes in retail turnover" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366559/original/file-20201029-19-182olai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/retail-and-wholesale-trade/retail-trade-australia/latest-release">Retail Trade, Australia, ABS</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, despite an average decline in spending of -0.2% <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/au/industry/clothing-retailing/407/">between 2015 and 2020</a>, research by <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/asia-pacific/retail-ghost-town">McKinsey in 2019</a> found clothing and footwear retailers increased their selling space by almost 2%.</p>
<p>Clothing, footwear and <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/david-jones-retailer-flags-footprint-cut-possible-store-closures/news-story/48bce9366f4729595bcbf6ca52e8f5f0">department store retailers</a> are now expected to “right-size” their selling space. McKinsey <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/asia-pacific/retail-ghost-town">predicts</a> a floor-space reduction of more than 10% between now and 2024.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/retail-wont-snap-back-3-reasons-why-covid-has-changed-the-way-we-shop-perhaps-forever-140628">Retail won't snap back. 3 reasons why COVID has changed the way we shop, perhaps forever</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>CBD-based department stores have fared worse than those in the suburbs. The <a href="http://investor.myer.com.au/FormBuilder/_Resource/_module/dGngnzELxUikQxL5gb1cgA/file/MYR_FY2020_Results_Presentation.pdf">Myer Annual Report 2020</a>, for example, highlights the impact of COVID restrictions on CBD store sales. Despite reopening all stores (except Melbourne) by <a href="https://insideretail.com.au/news/myer-to-reopen-all-stores-next-week-202005">May 27</a>, CBD store sales fell 33%, whereas suburban store sales contracted by only 9%, in the final seven weeks of the financial year. Myer <a href="http://investor.myer.com.au/FormBuilder/_Resource/_module/dGngnzELxUikQxL5gb1cgA/file/MYR_FY2020_Results_Presentation.pdf">reports</a>: “Low foot traffic in CBDs expected to continue for the foreseeable future.” </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing Myer online, CBD and other sales" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366566/original/file-20201029-15-1y70p76.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Myer annual report shows a rise in online sales, a large fall in CBD store sales and smaller fall in other store sales compared to the same period a year earlier.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://investor.myer.com.au/FormBuilder/_Resource/_module/dGngnzELxUikQxL5gb1cgA/file/MYR_FY2020_Results_Presentation.pdf">Myer annual report 2020</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Online shopping is surging</h2>
<p>As COVID shut down cities, Australian shoppers moved online in increasing numbers. The <a href="https://business.nab.com.au/nab-online-retail-sales-index-august-2020-42815/">NAB Online Sales Index</a> estimates Australian consumers spent around $39.2 billion in the 12 months to August 2020. Online shopping now accounts for 11.5% of total retail sales in Australia. </p>
<p>Research from <a href="https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/inside-australian-online-shopping-update-sep2020.pdf">Australia Post</a> shows over 8.1 million households shopped online between March and August this year —
900,000 of them for the first time. In cities around Australia, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-11/shopping-centres-feel-the-pinch-as-retail-moves-online/12651046">foot traffic has become web traffic</a>.</p>
<p>We can clearly see the impacts of this on physical retailers. A number of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australia-retail-collapse-2020-1">major retail chains</a> have closed, including Toys ‘R’ Us, Roger David, Esprit, Ed Harry, TopShop and GAP over the past few years.</p>
<h2>CBD workers shift away from commuting</h2>
<p>As an increasing share of people work from home and fewer commute to city centres, the long-term future of CBD retailing looks bleak because of the fall in demand.</p>
<p>This shift in behaviour is likely to be substantial, as transport expert David Hensher recently <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/09/28/australians-want-to-work-from-home-more-post-covid.html">observed</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The evidence reinforces the fact that as we move through and beyond the COVID-19 period, we can expect commuting activity to decline by an average of 25-30% as both employers and employees see value in a work-from-home plan.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The ongoing health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the required physical distancing measures will force many firms to <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/productivity-gains-from-teleworking-in-the-post-covid-19-era-a5d52e99/">introduce telework</a> (working from home) on a large scale. </p>
<p>In Australia, it has been estimated <a href="https://theconversation.com/teleworkability-in-australia-41-of-full-time-and-35-of-part-time-jobs-can-be-done-from-home-140723">39% of all jobs in Australia</a> — 41%of full-time and almost 35% of part-time – can be done from home.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fancy-an-e-change-how-people-are-escaping-city-congestion-and-living-costs-by-working-remotely-123165">Fancy an e-change? How people are escaping city congestion and living costs by working remotely</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>CBD retailing relies on workers and visitors who use public transport. An August 2020 <a href="https://www.transurban.com/content/dam/transurban-pdfs/03/Urban-Mobility-Trends-from-COVID-19.pdf">Transurban report</a> found 84% of daily train users (77% of bus users) in Melbourne said they had reduced their use. Many said they did not expect to return to daily use even after the pandemic. Similar numbers were reported in Sydney and Brisbane.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing current and expected public transport use" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366560/original/file-20201029-17-1u6lruv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.transurban.com/content/dam/transurban-pdfs/03/Urban-Mobility-Trends-from-COVID-19.pdf">Data: Urban Mobility Trends from COVID-19, Transurban</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>COVID restrictions and declining commuter traffic have also had big impacts on the food and beverage market. According to IBISWorld, Australian restaurant revenue has <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/au/industry/restaurants/2010/">fallen by 25%</a>, from almost A$20 billion in 2018-19 to just A$15 billion in 2019-20. <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/it-hasn-t-fallen-apart-yet-cafes-in-sydney-s-cbd-on-the-brink-of-disaster-20200320-p54cds.html">Cafe owners</a> are equally feeling the impact, with fewer commuters grabbing their morning coffee and fewer coffee meetings happening around town.</p>
<h2>Back to the future</h2>
<p>With both <a href="http://cbre.vo.llnwd.net/grgservices/secure/CBRE%20Australia%20Retail%20MarketView%20Snapshot%20Q3%202020.pdf?e=1603837660&h=07e3ae7021bad508b0f4675eaae9ad94">commercial and residential rents</a> remaining relatively stable outside CBD zones, and more people choosing to work from home, we can expect to see a growth in “<a href="https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/localism-is-forecast-to-be-a-major-post-pandemic-trend/43612">localism</a>”. </p>
<p>Shopping mall owners have <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/chadstone-set-for-685m-expansion-20191202-p53fyw.html">invested heavily</a> in refurbishing and increasing the floor space of their centres to provide retail, <a href="https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/living-centres-the-future-of-shopping-20190926-p52uzy">hospitality, entertainment, leisure and recreation</a> activities under one roof. Somewhat ironically, these refurbished malls have even <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/15/3999/pdf">appropriated design elements</a> of traditional high streets. </p>
<p>With many more people working from home during the pandemic there has been something of a retail inversion with more people <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/neighbourhood-malls-flourish-as-shoppers-stay-local-20200723-p55eto.html">shopping locally</a>. There are clear signs of a resurgence in local shopping villages and high street retailing. There even appears to be a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/spotlight-milk-bars-in-the-age-of-the-macchiato-and-smashed-avo-20190723-p529qs.html">corner store revival</a> of sorts. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-milk-and-bread-corner-store-revival-can-rebuild-neighbourhood-ties-121244">More than milk and bread: corner store revival can rebuild neighbourhood ties</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>CBD-based retail is at a crossroads, especially in Melbourne and Sydney. Despite restrictions being lifted, the data indicate CDBs may never return to the “bustling metropolises” they once were.</p>
<p>The precarious state of the national economy, government plans to reduce subsidy payments, more people working from home, shopping locally and online, all point to a <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2020/09/29/online-shopping-sales/">bumpy road ahead</a> for CBD retailers. </p>
<p>Major questions are being raised about the future character and function of the CBD and, ultimately, about the structure of Australian cities more broadly.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148802/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>CBD retailers were already struggling before the pandemic. The contrast in fortunes with suburban retail activity is stark, and there are good reasons to think the shift could be permanent.Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of TechnologyLouise Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of TasmaniaPaul J. Maginn, Associate Professor of Urban/Regional Planning, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448022020-10-11T18:58:47Z2020-10-11T18:58:47ZCOVID impacts demand a change of plan: funding a shift from commuting to living locally<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362370/original/file-20201008-22-3fh8sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4496%2C2993&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Conventional transport infrastructure planning has been based on wholesale commuting to and from the city centre.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sydney-central-train-station-many-railways-1078334270">Taras Vyshnya/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Long-term planning has delivered mass transit systems to cater for high-patronage, hub-and-spoke transport systems. Unfortunately, this has left many city residents <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-08/Australian%20Infrastructure%20Audit%202019%20-%205.%20Transport.pdf">without basic access to public transport services</a>. And we could never have planned for the impacts of COVID-19. </p>
<p>Our previous plans were based on the best available data at the time. Today, these plans must be critically reviewed using new data that properly represent the world and our transport needs as they are now.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-more-of-us-work-from-home-after-coronavirus-well-need-to-rethink-city-planning-136261">If more of us work from home after coronavirus we'll need to rethink city planning</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Important facts to keep in mind</h2>
<p><strong>1: Fewer people commute to work.</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-could-spark-a-revolution-in-working-from-home-are-we-ready-133070">work-from-home transition</a> is well under way. Our current transport networks (except for <a href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">roads</a>, which have rebounded to traffic equal to or above pre-pandemic levels in some cities) are operating far below previous levels, even allowing for social distancing. This may not be the best time to break ground on major infrastructure projects planned under previous assumptions of population and demand growth.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-management-resistance-overcome-working-from-home-may-be-here-to-stay-144850">With management resistance overcome, working from home may be here to stay</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>2: Disadvantaged populations lack access to opportunities.</strong></p>
<p>Public transport is key to enabling everyone in a population to be a productive member of society. Many disadvantaged groups cannot drive or afford car ownership. However, they also <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/outer-urban-public-transport-improving-accessibility-lower-density-areas">lack access to public transport</a>, particularly in the outer suburbs.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, coronavirus impacts will <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-coronavirus-will-deepen-the-inequality-of-our-suburbs-143432">hit the disadvantaged the hardest</a>. If we want everyone to be able to participate in the economic recovery, we need to promote basic levels of access regardless of an individual’s circumstance. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-coronavirus-will-deepen-the-inequality-of-our-suburbs-143432">Why coronavirus will deepen the inequality of our suburbs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>3: Population growth will not meet projections.</strong></p>
<p>Migration bans will greatly reduce short-term growth. Current projections show a population <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-4-million-less-than-projected-how-coronavirus-could-hit-australias-population-in-the-next-20-years-143544">up to 4% smaller in 2040</a> than it would have been in a non-COVID world. This will further decrease demand for urban transit services as well as demand across many sectors of our society. These trends are important because much of our planning is based around these population growth metrics.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-4-million-less-than-projected-how-coronavirus-could-hit-australias-population-in-the-next-20-years-143544">1.4 million less than projected: how coronavirus could hit Australia's population in the next 20 years</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>However, our suburbs still lack basic public transport services. If we want to increase patronage, we need to bring services to more people by improving coverage of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-need-to-give-up-on-crowded-cities-we-can-make-density-so-much-better-131304">sprawling, low-density cities</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/outer-urban-public-transport-improving-accessibility-lower-density-areas">Over 80% of the population</a> of our biggest cities live in the outer and middle suburbs, yet this massive majority have limited to no basic public transport service. Across our five largest cities, Infrastructure Australia <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/outer-urban-public-transport-improving-accessibility-lower-density-areas">reports</a>, “public transport disadvantage in outer suburbs is significant”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Populations living in inner, middle and outer suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353993/original/file-20200821-18-1ctpvl6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Estimated resident population by suburban classification, as count and proportion of city population.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/outer-urban-public-transport-improving-accessibility-lower-density-areas">Infrastructure Australia: Outer Urban Public Transport: Improving accessibility in lower-density areas</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Households’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/rapid-growth-is-widening-melbournes-social-and-economic-divide-117244">access to jobs and services gets much worse</a> with increasing distance from the city centre. Development of suburban and regional <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-mobility-as-a-service-maas-to-solve-our-transport-woes-some-things-need-to-change-105119">mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) offerings</a> could promote better access in these “harder to serve” areas.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/for-mobility-as-a-service-maas-to-solve-our-transport-woes-some-things-need-to-change-105119">For Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to solve our transport woes, some things need to change</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Moving the country forward</h2>
<p>Job creation will be an important aspect of economic recovery. Yet too often we look to large construction projects as the answer. There is plenty of other job-creating work to be done in our communities. </p>
<p>We could, for example, increase the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cycling-and-walking-can-help-drive-australias-recovery-but-not-with-less-than-2-of-transport-budgets-142176">miserly funding</a> for our piecemeal walking and cycling networks. </p>
<p>We could also <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-million-rides-and-counting-on-demand-services-bring-public-transport-to-the-suburbs-132355">expand on-demand services</a> to suburban and rural residents who lack basic public transport access. On-demand transit does not follow fixed routes or timetables. Riders book a trip for a cost similar to a bus fare. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Passenger waiting to board a Bridj on-demand bus service." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362371/original/file-20201008-14-1j0ilu4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bridj is one of the operators that is expanding on-demand services in Sydney and other cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/TakeBridj/photos/a.1412498639012150/2080642258864448/">Bridj Transit Systems/Facebook</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-million-rides-and-counting-on-demand-services-bring-public-transport-to-the-suburbs-132355">1 million rides and counting: on-demand services bring public transport to the suburbs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These options will <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-the-sums-bicycle-friendly-changes-are-good-business-58213">encourage local spending to support small businesses</a>. These are an important piece of our social fabric and improve <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-reminds-us-how-liveable-neighbourhoods-matter-for-our-well-being-135806">livability in our communities</a>. </p>
<h2>We need to look locally</h2>
<p>A focus on localised investment in the many neglected communities across the country will deliver major benefits. Money already committed to large projects that are under way represents sunk costs that may be too deep to renegotiate. However, future plans using public funds must be re-examined. </p>
<p>Investments should target disadvantaged groups and broaden access to transport networks, encouraging new potential users. For many, assistance in gaining access to the necessities of life will be invaluable during the coming economic recovery. Guaranteed access to groceries, medical services, work opportunities and <a href="https://theconversation.com/parks-and-green-spaces-are-important-for-our-mental-health-but-we-need-to-make-sure-that-everyone-can-benefit-142322">recreational activities</a> must not be reserved for the elite.</p>
<p>We need better localised public transport and we need it for the majority of citizens, not just those who live in the inner suburbs of our capital cities. Most regional populations lack even rudimentary public transport coverage at reasonable frequency. </p>
<p>Increasing services in these areas will create valuable jobs that will stick around, unlike large one-off construction projects. The money will stay local, going into the pockets of operators who live and work in their own community. </p>
<p>While our long-term planning is not to blame for our current situation, we need to develop for the future, not the past. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/westconnex-audit-offers-another-17b-lesson-in-how-not-to-fund-infrastructure-73206">financial costs</a> of building and maintaining our current infrastructure are not going away. However, we can no longer refuse to invest in many of our underserved communities. </p>
<p>It is time to ensure everyone, regardless of their income or where they grow up, has the basic services they need to be a productive member of society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144802/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Kaufman receives funding from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. He is also a member of the PedBikeTrans and AITPM industry associations and is completing his PhD research at the Griffith Cities Research Institute.</span></em></p>Coronavirus has changed population projections and behaviours across society. With fewer commuters we need to shift transport planning based on a hub-and-spoke network to focus on more local travel.Benjamin Kaufman, PhD Candidate, Cities Research Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1444092020-08-18T20:08:35Z2020-08-18T20:08:35ZMore urban sprawl while jobs cluster: working from home will reshape the nation<p>For most of us the experience of working from home this year has, on balance, been positive – enough that it may well become the norm after the COVID-19 crisis ends.</p>
<p>But modelling by Victoria University’s Centre of Policy Studies shows there will be costs alongside the personal benefits, with more urban sprawl, job flight to the biggest cities and greater <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-growing-skills-gap-between-jobs-in-australian-cities-and-the-regions-88477">economic disparities</a> between regions. </p>
<p>More than <a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/behavioural-change-survey">67% of 1,006 Australians</a> polled in April for an NBN-commissioned survey said they expected to work from home more after the coronavirus crisis ends. Many businesses <a href="https://www.frbatlanta.org/blogs/macroblog/2020/05/28/firms-expect-working-from-home-to-triple">are sold</a> on the concept too, with mounting evidence working from home <a href="https://theconversation.com/vital-signs-shorter-meetings-but-longer-days-how-covid-19-has-changed-the-way-we-work-143894">can boost productivity</a>.</p>
<p>Offices will not <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/productivity-pitfalls-working-home-age-covid-19">disappear</a> – personal interactions still provide crucial benefits – but working two, three or four days a week from home could be well become the norm in many occupations.</p>
<p>Our modelling of the effects of this has identified two key results.</p>
<p>First, workers commuting less often will be prepared to commute further. This will change patterns of housing demand and labour supply. In particular it will drive more urban sprawl and boost populations of communities within acceptable commuting distances.</p>
<p>Second, while the population will spread out, many jobs are likely to go in the opposite direction, as more organisations set up shop in central business districts. </p>
<h2>How we conducted our research</h2>
<p>To predict the effect of working from home on housing and jobs, we considered what jobs could most easily be done remotely. Of <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/7437179C7B7C1EEECA2575DF002DA5D8?opendocument">38 occupational groups</a> classified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, seven managerial, professional and clerical occupational groups stood out as having high work-from-home potential. These occupations accounted for 29% of the workforce at the last census (in 2016). </p>
<p><a href="https://www.copsmodels.com/elecpapr/g-306.htm">In our model</a>, where workers choose where to live and work takes into account wages and housing costs in different locations, and the time it takes to travel to work. The modelling assumes that in the seven “WFH occupations” distance from the office will become less important.</p>
<h2>Urban sprawl</h2>
<p>Our modelling indicates people in WFH occupations will be more likely to live further from city centres if their weekly commuting costs are lower. Other workers and retirees move closer to city centres, but the net effect is still to shift housing demand outward. Nationally, residential areas expand 3.6%. </p>
<p>In Sydney, there is an overall shift in population out of inner suburbs (for example Glebe) and middle suburbs (for example Strathfield) into outer suburban areas (such as Penrith) and towns of the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and the Southern Highlands. A similar outward shift of population is replicated on smaller scales in Newcastle and Wollongong.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Changes in residential population: Sydney" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353334/original/file-20200818-20-1t0fnp9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes in residential population: Sydney.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Lennox</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Similar results are obtained for Melbourne, Brisbane and other capital cities. In Melbourne, inner suburbs (for example Carlton) and middle suburbs (for example Glen Iris) lose population whereas populations rise in places like Werribee and Melton. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353329/original/file-20200818-24-128ou8b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes in residential population: Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Lennox</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>In Brisbane, fewer people live in inner suburbs like New Farm whereas more live in places like Greenbank or the Samford Valley. </p>
<p>The pattern is replicated in smaller cities, such as Geelong in Victoria and the Gold Coast in Queensland.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Changes in residential population: Brisbane" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353332/original/file-20200818-20-1jajama.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes in residential population: Brisbane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Lennox</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>It is a good thing if people can spend less time and money commuting, access cheaper housing, or enjoy more pleasant lifestyles outside of big cities. </p>
<p>But urban sprawl has costs that are too often discounted. </p>
<p>Providing infrastructure for typical greenfield housing developments is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26150800">relatively expensive</a>. On the urban fringes of our cities, exposure of people and property to fire and other natural hazards has often been <a href="https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/publications/biblio/bnh-7164">inadequately managed</a>. In many coastal regions, urbanisation is driving loss, degradation and fragmentation of ecosystems and decline of native <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/bt/bt18056">plants</a> and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0206958">wildlife</a> species. </p>
<p>Costs like these could outweigh the benefits of working from home unless governments can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07293682.2013.877508">deliver more sustainable forms of urban growth</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-coronavirus-must-not-stop-australia-creating-denser-cities-137487">Why coronavirus must not stop Australia creating denser cities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Unequal growth of cities</h2>
<p>The second key finding of the study is that more working from home will boost the growth of some cities but depress that of others. </p>
<p>There are advantages to businesses clustering together in central business districts. Working from home will increase their incentives to join the largest clusters in the largest cities. </p>
<p>Willingness to commute further will make these clusters accessible to even larger workforces. Lower demand for housing in inner-city areas will make real estate more affordable for commercial tenants. </p>
<p>The result is that jobs shift to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra and away from other cities, towns and rural areas.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-growing-skills-gap-between-jobs-in-australian-cities-and-the-regions-88477">The growing skills gap between jobs in Australian cities and the regions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Resident populations will be boosted in smaller cities and towns around these growth centres, but in the rest of Australia, cities and towns will be smaller than they otherwise would be. </p>
<p>With there already being <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-growing-skills-gap-between-jobs-in-australian-cities-and-the-regions-88477">significant economic disparities</a> between city and rural areas, and between different regions, these new trends pose a further challenge for policy makers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144409/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Lennox has received research funding from Infrastructure Victoria and from the NSW government. However, this study of working from home was not supported by external funding. All views expressed are the author's own. </span></em></p>Fewer weekly commutes means many will be willing to commute further. The effects on urban growth of working from home pose serious challenges.James Lennox, Senior Research Fellow, Centre of Policy Studies (CoPS), Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1421752020-07-20T19:51:14Z2020-07-20T19:51:14ZCars rule as coronavirus shakes up travel trends in our cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347826/original/file-20200716-21-1gu713s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4193%2C2785&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sydney-warringah-freeway-rush-hour-traffic-275530691">Taras Vyshnya/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As with other parts of the global economy, COVID-19 has led to rapid changes in transport trends. The chart below shows overall trends for driving, walking and public transport for Australia as of July 17. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348263/original/file-20200720-17-ogb9ap.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia-wide mobility trends for the six months from January to July 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/covid19/mobility">Apple Mobility Trends</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unfortunately, the current lockdown of metropolitan Melbourne, which is at odds with trends in Australia’s other biggest cities, is skewing the national average. These data, provided by <a href="https://www.apple.com/covid19/mobility">Apple Mobility Trends</a>, are available for many cities, regions and countries around the world. </p>
<p>Updated daily, the data provide a measure of trends in transport use since early January 2020. The chart below summarises the changes since then in driving, walking and public transport for Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=734&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=734&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348265/original/file-20200720-37-1eu4owt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=734&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/covid19/mobility">Data: Apple Mobility Trends</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With the exception of Melbourne, driving has recovered and is now noticeably above pre-pandemic levels.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-avoid-cars-clogging-our-cities-during-coronavirus-recovery-140744">How to avoid cars clogging our cities during coronavirus recovery</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Public transport use is still well below baseline levels. It is recovering – again except for Melbourne – but slowly. The exception is Adelaide where public transport is only slightly below the baseline.</p>
<p>Walking is doing better than public transport. Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth are slightly above the baseline, while Sydney is slightly below it. Melbourne is still down by about a half.</p>
<h2>How badly did lockdowns affect travel?</h2>
<p>The chart below shows the largest declines in driving, walking and public transport were recorded in the period April 4-11. Most of the lowest values coincided with Easter holidays. However, regardless of the holiday, this was the period when levels of transport use were lowest. </p>
<p>The declines are fairly consistent across the cities. For driving, the declines were around 70%. For walking, the declines ranged from 65% to 80%. Public transport recorded declines of 80-89%. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347564/original/file-20200715-27-1a3ppbf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/covid19/mobility">Data: Apple Mobility Trends</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The recovery in driving is due, in part, to it being seen as having a lower risk of COVID-19 infection. People <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/city-workers-walk-to-office-to-avoid-public-transport-20200712-p55bbx.html">see public transport as the least safe</a> because of the difficulties of social distancing on potentially crowded commutes. </p>
<p>A study in early March by an MIT economist <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-transportation-data-cities-traffic-mobility/">amplified these fears</a> by associating public transport in New York City with higher rates of COVID-19 infection. Unfortunately, the research had some <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-transportation-data-cities-traffic-mobility/">significant flaws</a>. Health experts have since indicated there is little evidence public transport has been the source of any COIVD-19 infections. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-recovery-public-transport-is-key-to-avoid-repeating-old-and-unsustainable-mistakes-138415">Coronavirus recovery: public transport is key to avoid repeating old and unsustainable mistakes</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Neverthess, public transport agencies are in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/us/coronavirus-public-transit.html?referringSource=articleShare">serious financial trouble</a>. In the US, experts are warning that, without large federal subsidies, public transport services are facing drastic cuts, which will impact where people live and work. Such shifts pose a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/us/coronavirus-public-transit.html?referringSource=articleShare">threat to the economic viability</a> of cities.</p>
<p>What is known about other transport modes? While comprehensive datasets are not available, evidence is emerging of the impacts on ride, bike and scooter sharing.</p>
<h2>Ride sharing</h2>
<p>As with all other transport modes, the pandemic has had big impacts on ride sharing. However some ride-sharing companies, like Uber, have diversified in recent years into areas such as food and freight delivery. These have provided much-needed <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcochiappetta/2020/03/25/uber-eats-demand-soars-due-to-covid-19-crisis/#5663a814580c">revenue</a> during the ride-sharing downturn. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200501005196/en/Global-Ride-Sharing-Market-Affects-COVID-19-2018">Market analysts are predicting</a> ride sharing will recover and continue to grow. This is due to need for personal mobility combined with <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization">increasing urbanisation</a> and <a href="https://investorplace.com/2019/04/4-charts-car-ownership-over/#:%7E:text=Car%20Ownership%20Rates%20Are%20Dropping%20for%20the%20First%20Time%20In%20Modern%20History&text=From%201960%20to%202010%2C%20the,9.1%25%20from%202010%20to%202015.">falling car ownership</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/billions-are-pouring-into-mobility-technology-will-the-transport-revolution-live-up-to-the-hype-131154">Billions are pouring into mobility technology – will the transport revolution live up to the hype?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Bike sharing</h2>
<p>Globally, transport officials are predicting a long-term surge in bicycle use. Cycling appears to be booming at the expense of public transport.</p>
<p>Beijing’s three largest bike share schemes reported a <a href="https://www.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/The-impact-of-Covid-on-Urban-Traffic-in-China.pdf">150% increase</a> in use in May. In New York City, volumes <a href="https://fortune.com/2020/06/15/bicycles-coronavirus-cities-lime-citi-bike/">grew by 67%</a>. Bike sales in the US almost <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/nyregion/bike-shortage-coronavirus.html">doubled in March</a>. </p>
<p>In response, many cities are providing more cycling infrastructure, with cities like <a href="https://www.uci.org/news/2020/pop-up-bike-lanes-a-rapidly-growing-transport-solution-prompted-by-coronavirus-pandemic">Berlin and Bogota</a> leading the way with “pop-up” bike lanes. New Zealand has become the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/04/13/new-zealand-first-country-to-fund-pop-up-bike-lanes-widened-sidewalks-during-lockdown/#8b4b57b546e1">first country</a> to fund so-called “tactical urbanism”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">We can't let coronavirus kill our cities. Here's how we can save urban life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Melbourne has announced <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/car-parks-out-footpaths-and-cycling-lanes-in-as-city-prepares-for-post-covid-commuters-20200507-p54qrp.html">12km of pop-up bike lanes</a> and is <a href="https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/melbourne-fast-tracks-40km-of-bike-lanes-5371">fast-tracking an extra 40km</a> of bike lanes over the next two years. Sydney has added <a href="https://www.governmentnews.com.au/sydney-gets-10km-of-pop-up-cycleways/">10km of pop-up cycleways</a>. Use of some Brisbane bikeways has <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/pop-up-bike-lanes-for-brisbane-too-slow-for-quiet-lockdown-period-20200717-p55czz.html">nearly doubled</a>, leading to criticism of delays in providing pop-up lanes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news/covid-19-news/covid-19-london-to-rapidly-expand-space-for-cycling-and-walking-post-lockdown.html">London</a> intends to rapidly expand both cycling and walking infrastructure in anticipation of a ten-fold increase in bicycle use and a five-fold increase in pedestrians. This complements a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/business/paris-bicycles-commute-coronavirus.html?searchResultPosition=1">£250 million</a> (A$448 million) UK government program to reallocate more space for cyclists.</p>
<p>Paris plans to add <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200505-paris-to-turn-more-streets-over-to-bicycles-as-covid-19-coronavirus-lockdown-lifts">50km of pop-up and permanent bikeways</a> in coming months. It’s also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/business/paris-bicycles-commute-coronavirus.html?searchResultPosition=1">offering</a> a €500 (A$818) subsidy to buy an electric bike and €50 to repair an existing bike. </p>
<p>Milan will add <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/21/milan-seeks-to-prevent-post-crisis-return-of-traffic-pollution">35km of bikeways</a> as part of its Strade Aperte Plan. The Italian government is providing a <a href="https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2020/05/21/italy-funds-recovery-by-bike/">70% subsidy capped at €500</a> for people to buy a new bicycle. </p>
<p>We will have to wait to see whether all this interest translates into longer-term mode change.</p>
<h2>E-scooters</h2>
<p>E-scooter use has declined, as has the value of e-scooter companies. Lime, one of the larger companies, was valued at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-07/uber-leads-170-million-investment-into-lime-electric-scooters">US$2.4 billion (A$3.4 billion) last year but is down to US$510 million</a>. Nevertheless, investor interest continues. Uber, Alphabet, GV and Bain and others put <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-07/uber-leads-170-million-investment-into-lime-electric-scooters">$US170 into Lime</a> in May. </p>
<p>In Europe, ride-sharing company Bolt plans to expand its e-scooter and e-bike services to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathankeane/2020/05/15/uber-and-bolt-are-betting-on-an-e-scooter-recovery-after-the-pandemic/#2d5103a57432">45 cities in Europe and Africa</a> this year. Another positive sign for this mode is that the UK, where e-scooters have not been street legal, has begun <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/06/19/e-scooter-trial-rolls-out-june-22-uk-riders-need-driving-licenses-wont-be-allowed-on-sidewalks/#52b6adb54153">trials of rental e-scooters</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/e-scooter-legalisation-what-you-need-to-know-141820">E-scooter legalisation: what you need to know</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It is still too early to predict the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on transport. What the data show is that driving has recovered and is even exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Current trends suggest active mobility – cycling, scooters and walking – may gain mode share. Whether public transport can recover is questionable, unless a vaccine becomes available.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142175/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Neil G Sipe receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Car use and cycling have soared to above pre-pandemic levels in our biggest cities (Melbourne is an obvious exception). Walking is not far behind, but public transport is being shunned.Neil G Sipe, Honorary Professor of Planning, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1428632020-07-20T12:52:08Z2020-07-20T12:52:08ZPeople are missing their daily commute in lockdown – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348365/original/file-20200720-31-1bjcogl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Commuting's not all bad.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/commuters-on-train-378600775">XiXinXing / Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a unique experiment in mass homeworking. It’s the first time since before the industrial revolution that most people are working in the same space that they live. While just 5% of the UK labour force <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/coronavirusandhomeworkingintheuklabourmarket/2019k">worked from home in 2019</a>, by April 2020 this <a href="https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/working-from-home-coroanvirus-pandemic-uk-remote-work-jobs-432251">suddenly hit nearly 50%</a>. </p>
<p>As lockdown begins to ease, the debate is shifting to how and when people will return to the office – if at all. A major obstacle seems to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/15/boris-johnson-urge-country-return-work-bank-governor-warns-long/">be fears of commuting</a>. The thought of getting on a crowded train in the middle of a pandemic doesn’t sound very appealing. And yet one of the intriguing findings from our <a href="http://www.workingathome.org.uk">new research project</a> into how people have coped with the experience of homeworking has been the number of people who say they miss their commute.</p>
<p>The average commute for someone working in London is <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/annual-commuting-time-21-hours-compared-decade-ago-finds-tuc">79 minutes a day</a> and can cost <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45174496">up to £5,256 a year</a>. For those outside the capital, the average commute is 59 minutes a day and, <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/media-centre/uk-commuters-will-spend-over-135000-by-the-time-they-retire">on average, £1,752 per year</a>. </p>
<p>As well as the fundamental sacrifices of money and time, there are other <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009174351630069X?casa_token=OK0U4xrSKr0AAAAA:eN1oE8Ol_qrLi3ktB2Dfp8hdc0UxDElGFE6iqYjUcP57513bO6tyoIgh9l1g9PtulTUVSiDJmyM">significant costs</a> to the daily commute. The damaging impact on the environment, with the increase in carbon emissions, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800916302579?casa_token=qx4kaNHMF-kAAAAA:cd6xADrhlSsQ9PQ28MB7i2Ww6LDddnG0EDY0i38qD_pMFw2btXnXfVHdxx2lSU_KcM6PUbBpngs">is indisputable</a>. Commuting is also bad for your health, with evidence of increased risk of <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/357/bmj.j1456.full.pdf">cardiovascular disease, cancer</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/186/6/659/3761030">damage to mental health</a>. </p>
<p>There is even evidence that it leads to higher incidences of divorce <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-05042-9_6">among those</a> that commute extensively (especially if the commuter is a man). <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009174351630069X?casa_token=Bpz2bDGyvXEAAAAA:gxqDLPYaXvzoWCWub8UEzlNIJeT94iuOQLRarajZ-Br0V4HB3awL6yBh6eMRKLo5_RoxXU_XtMw">Research shows</a> how commuting by train in particular extends the working day, as people tend to respond to emails and plan for upcoming meetings en route to the office.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Busy train platform during London commute." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348369/original/file-20200720-33-14mfmr9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nobody misses this.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-june-6-2019-large-1423659854">Alena Veasey / Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>‘Me time’</h2>
<p>The initial phase of our research involved interviewing more than 80 people across the UK who are new to working from home all the time. They have a wide range of roles, with a variety of life circumstances, and are from different socioeconomic groups. We anticipated that people would welcome with open arms the end of the daily commute. We were wrong.</p>
<p>The majority of our interviewees enjoyed the savings they made by not commuting and most admitted that they did not want to return to the office full time. There was an appreciation of staying in bed a little longer and the avoidance of busy trains and frequent delays. Yet, about half of them claimed they missed their daily commute. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-working-the-new-normal-for-many-but-it-comes-with-hidden-risks-new-research-133989">Remote working: the new normal for many, but it comes with hidden risks – new research</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When we asked what it was about the commute that they yearned for, the most common response was that the time they used to travel to work was the only time in the day that was “me time”. Examples included having time to listen to the radio, read a book or phone friends and family. Those that typically used the commute to read often grieved the absence of reading – despite lockdown theoretically giving people more time for this.</p>
<p>The daily commute is clearly more than just about “me time”. The time spent between home and work also provides a useful buffer that segments the day. It gives people time to mentally prepare for the day at work or to socialise with people they did not see in other contexts.</p>
<p>Those participants that were unable to create a buffer between work and home life were often those that were most dissatisfied with homeworking, since they were less able to separate work activities from home activities. For others, this buffer was successfully replaced with other, often solo, activities including walking, running, yoga or just sitting in the garden with a coffee and a book. </p>
<h2>Creating a buffer</h2>
<p>We are certainly not suggesting that a long commute to work is a life-enhancing activity, though <a href="https://theconversation.com/cycling-and-walking-to-work-lowers-risk-of-cancer-heart-disease-and-death-new-research-139075">active commuting</a> such as cycling or jogging into work may be a possible exception. But we do need to think about how a more permanent move to homeworking for many people may lead to unintended and negative consequences for their health. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Commuters cycling to work." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348363/original/file-20200720-23-yvange.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The active commuters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bicycle-commuters-on-their-way-work-294703349">shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The pros and cons of homeworking have been comprehensively reported. Advantages can include increased productivity and better work-life balance; possible disadvantages are the spillover of work <a href="https://theconversation.com/working-from-home-why-detachment-is-crucial-for-mental-health-135986">into all areas</a> of your life and social isolation. But while there is often discussion of home-based employees being tempted to access email <a href="https://theconversation.com/flexible-working-is-making-us-work-longer-64045">outside of working hours</a>, there has been no explicit discussion of how workers may be able avoid possible spillover issues by creating a time barrier between work and home that doesn’t actually mean commuting.</p>
<p>As yet, people are still adjusting to the new reality of homeworking and developing new routines. It may be that people miss commuting as a habit, despite the fact that it was not always a good one. </p>
<p>The fact that people developed strategies to cope and mitigate the time wasted on their commutes (reading, working, catching up with friends) suggests that they can probably think creatively about developing new buffer time before and after work. This buffer appears to be an important element of a healthy working day and is something for us all to think about – whether or not we return to the office any time soon.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142863/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abigail Marks receives funding from UKRI/ESRC under COVID-19 fund for the research mentioned in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lila Skountridaki receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council for the research mentioned in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oliver Mallett receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council for the research mentioned in this article. He is a member of the Scottish Green Party. He writes here in a personal capacity.</span></em></p>Research into working from home during the coronavirus pandemic shows how to get the benefits of commuting, while avoiding the downsides.Abigail Marks, Professor of Work and Employment, University of StirlingLila Skountridaki, Lecturer in Management, Work and Organisation, University of StirlingOliver Mallett, Associate Professor in Work and Employment, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1393842020-06-28T20:09:22Z2020-06-28T20:09:22ZJobs deficit drives army of daily commuters out of Western Sydney<p><em>This is the first of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/western-sydney-jobs-deficit-88804">three articles</a> based on newly released <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/cws/policy">research</a> on the impacts of a lack of local jobs on the rapidly growing Western Sydney region.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Western Sydney has a jobs problem. No other big regional economy in Australia fails in providing jobs for its residents more than this one. At the last census the Western Sydney jobs deficit – local jobs minus local workers – was <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/workers">222,000</a>. </p>
<p>If the region’s average rate of jobs growth for this century continues, this deficit will grow to 325,000 by 2036, an increase of over 30%. In our newly released <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/cws/policy">reports</a> on Western Sydney, we estimate an outflow from the region of 562,000 commuters as a consequence. Over 300,000 people already leave the region each day for work.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-the-people-cant-get-to-their-jobs-bring-the-jobs-to-the-people-57567">If the people can't get to their jobs, bring the jobs to the people</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Young professionals will have a growing presence in this long-distance, grinding, daily flow of workers. It’s an urban planning nightmare.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=766&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=766&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342580/original/file-20200618-41230-pmezx2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=766&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Centre for Western Sydney</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Fifty years ago, Western Sydney was one of Australia’s major industrial regions. In <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/2105.0">1971</a>, a belt of four local government areas – stretching from Bankstown, through Fairfield and Parramatta to Blacktown – was home to 104,000 manufacturing workers, more than one-third of the local workforce. By <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/workers">2016</a> the number of these workers had fallen by two-thirds to only 36,000, or 7.8% of local resident workers.</p>
<p>Yet, unlike many manufacturing regions across the developed world – where de-industrialisation has left <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/uneven-growth-tackling-city-decline">deep pools of displaced workers</a> – the region hasn’t ended up a rust belt. Western Sydney’s workforce has undergone a remarkable intergenerational reconstruction. </p>
<h2>Education fuels rise of professional class</h2>
<p>University education, in particular, is driving this. In <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/2105.0">1971</a>, only 3,900 degree-holders lived in the old industrial belt described above. By <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/Who-are-we">2016</a>, their number had surged to 198,000.</p>
<p>In the region as a whole, Western Sydney in 2016 was home to 353,000 adults with bachelor or higher degree qualifications. This was <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/Who-are-we">20.7%</a> of all people in the region aged 15 years plus, up from <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/Who-are-we">10.7%</a> in 2001. Clearly a transformative change in the region’s resident workers has been under way. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342650/original/file-20200618-41213-w1n2t7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=779&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=779&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342652/original/file-20200618-41213-1yzm6jp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=779&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=792&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=792&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342653/original/file-20200618-41213-6mdpkm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=792&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Click on charts to enlarge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Centre for Western Sydney. Data: National Economics (NIEIR), 2018</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>At the last census, <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/occupations">20%</a> of Western Sydney’s employed residents were professionals, amounting to 203,000 workers. That’s more than any other occupational group in the region.</p>
<p>We can also see the transformation of the Western Sydney workforce through its take-up of jobs in what has become known as “knowledge-based business services”. This term covers three industry groups: professional, scientific and technical services; financial and insurance services; and information, media and telecommunications.</p>
<p>Here the emergence of the Western Sydney workforce as the real deal is undeniable. Our calculation is that, for 2018, Western Sydney was home to more knowledge-based business services workers (162,000) than Brisbane (159,000) – east-coast Australia’s wonder child – and significantly more than either Perth or Adelaide.</p>
<p>Such is the pace of upskilling in Western Sydney, the growth from 2013-2018 of residents holding jobs in knowledge-based business services outpaced the growth of these job holders in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth combined. </p>
<p>Indeed, our report finds an emerging divide in Australia’s metropolitan economies. Greater Sydney, including Western Sydney, and Greater Melbourne are hurtling ahead as advanced knowledge economies. The other metropolitan regions are lagging.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342595/original/file-20200618-41248-1sdt6do.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Centre for Western Sydney. Data:National Economics (NIEIR), 2018</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>But 60% don’t work locally</h2>
<p>A key question, then, is whether there are enough jobs in Western Sydney for this growing number of professional and knowledge workers? The answer, clearly, is no. </p>
<p>At the 2016 census only <a href="https://profile.id.com.au/cws/journey-to-work">40.4%</a> of Western Sydney’s knowledge-based business services workers could find jobs in their home region. The remaining 59.6% are <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-the-people-cant-get-to-their-jobs-bring-the-jobs-to-the-people-57567">forced to commute to destinations beyond the region</a> to ply their 21st-century trades.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-city-workers-average-commute-has-blown-out-to-66-minutes-a-day-how-does-yours-compare-120598">Australian city workers' average commute has blown out to 66 minutes a day. How does yours compare?</a>
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<p>Western Sydney’s dependence on a population-growth economy has limited the growth of jobs for knowledge workers. The region’s strong jobs growth in recent years has come overwhelmingly from two sources. </p>
<p>Construction, especially residential construction, has generated a lot of jobs. </p>
<p>The other source of jobs is the industry sectors that have grown in direct proportion to population growth. These include health care and social assistance, education and training, retailing, and accommodation and food services. The region’s population growth has fuelled growth in these population-serving sectors.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342569/original/file-20200618-94078-zq4uz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Centre for Western Sydney</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<h2>Vulnerable in the downturn</h2>
<p>Obviously, this jobs growth has been welcome and is important for the region’s <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/the-everyday-economy/">day-to-day economy</a>. The problem is that the Western Sydney economy has failed to produce significant job growth in other sectors. This has left the population-driven sectors, including construction, as the main source of growth. </p>
<p>In the construction sector, however, bust follows every boom. The sector <a href="https://www.masterbuilders.com.au/Resources/Industry-Forecasts">entered a significant downturn in 2019</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and recession are likely to rein in Western Sydney’s record population growth rates. This will hit jobs in the population-serving sectors, including further job losses in construction.</p>
<p>So workforce transformation in Western Sydney is running ahead of the economic transformation needed to ensure a supply of suitable jobs in the region. </p>
<p>Western Sydney has grown to become something more than a suburban appendage to the Sydney metropolitan area. Yet its 1 million workers lack the diverse jobs base reasonably expected of a large advanced urban economy. </p>
<p>Little wonder Western Sydney’s reputation as a planning nightmare is growing.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The Centre for Western Sydney has released three reports on Western Sydney’s growing jobs deficit. You can read the reports <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/cws/policy">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139384/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phillip O'Neill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Education fuelled extraordinary growth in Western Sydney’s professional services workforce, but their jobs aren’t local. More than 300,000 commute to work outside the region.Phillip O'Neill, Director, Centre for Western Sydney, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1389492020-06-07T19:49:13Z2020-06-07T19:49:13ZWe’re at a fork in the road: do we choose neighbourhoods to live, work and play in?<p>Living, working and playing in the one neighbourhood has often been touted as the ideal outcome for well-planned cities. Yet this goal has been elusive. For most of us, our daily activities are segregated into one-dimensional precincts.</p>
<p>Every morning we emerge from our “cave” and travel to a fixed place of employment. Thus, we are beholden to transport planners to manage our daily commute.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-more-of-us-work-from-home-after-coronavirus-well-need-to-rethink-city-planning-136261">If more of us work from home after coronavirus we'll need to rethink city planning</a>
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<p>Then came COVID-19. Restrictions changed our behaviour – we adapted. </p>
<p>Those of us who could worked from home. We walked locally, shopped locally, exercised locally, “home-schooled” our children locally and bought take-away locally. For many, our neighbourhoods have become our new “world” where we live, work and play.</p>
<p>We are now at a crossroad. One choice is to circle back to where we came as restrictions are eased. The other is to explore the opportunities our new behaviours have created. </p>
<p>We are in a position to explore the intersections between these new behaviours and how we think about our local neighbourhoods. Can we reach that elusive nirvana of work, rest and play locally?</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-reminds-us-how-liveable-neighbourhoods-matter-for-our-well-being-135806">Coronavirus reminds us how liveable neighbourhoods matter for our well-being</a>
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<h2>Re-imaging our neighbourhoods</h2>
<p>Re-imagining our neighbourhoods is much more that enhancing the quality of the individual parts. We have an opportunity to strategically build on our behavioural adaptions to shift away from precincts based on simple one-dimensional land use. Just as many planners have been contemplating <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/autonomous-vehicles-1007">how autonomous vehicles might change our thinking</a> about transport planning, re-imagining our neighbourhoods requires us to think well beyond our new behaviours.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339044/original/file-20200602-95013-11wpi9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Many people who have set up home offices would love to continue working from home at least some of the time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-student-freelancer-working-home-on-1071472322">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Are there <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/i-feel-so-much-better-employees-ready-to-work-from-home-more-often-20200531-p54y33.html">long-term implications of working from home</a>? Will we change our perceptions of what activities we expect to see in our neighbourhood? What may influence our thoughts? </p>
<p>If we wish to move away from one-dimensional land-use precincts, we need to start at the home and consider where the boundaries between live, work and play lie. Some developers already <a href="https://www.metricon.com.au/home-truths/2020/march/how-to-create-the-perfect-home-office-setup">provide homes with a tailored home office</a> with a separate entrance. How could this evolve? Should we encourage it? </p>
<p>Such questions put into play planning regulations, but more importantly our expectations about the lifestyle of the place where we live. Many employment sectors are relatively benign in terms of nuisance impacts. Do we need to reconsider what activities are permissible as home-based businesses? And how many people can work at a home?</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/life-in-lockdown-has-shown-us-our-houses-need-to-work-harder-for-us-138307">Life in lockdown has shown us our houses need to work harder for us</a>
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<p>At the same time we can turn our attention to local centres and how they might evolve and grow. Interestingly, for Greater Sydney, the roughly 1,300 local centres account for close to <a href="https://www.greater.sydney/metropolis-of-three-cities/productivity/jobs-and-skills-city/investment-and-business-activity">18% of all the city’s jobs</a>, similar to that of the whole industrial sector. What placemaking and planning considerations require attention? </p>
<p>For both <a href="https://www.greater.sydney/metropolis-of-three-cities/productivity/jobs-and-skills-city/investment-and-business-activity">Sydney</a> and <a href="https://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/377117/Plan_Melbourne_2017_Outcome_5_PDF.pdf">Melbourne</a>, the metropolitan plans identify councils as having those responsibilities. Should support come from state government? The role of governments is to be an enabler. For state governments there are tangible benefits to justify transferring and reprioritising resources to accelerate change.</p>
<p>Can we then look one step further and consider if there are opportunities to decentralise activities to the neighbourhood level? This might include post-secondary education and health services, community and social services. Can we turn community nodes into vibrant mixed-use local centres?</p>
<h2>Making the shift from commuting</h2>
<p>Walking our local streets has reintroduced many people to the human scale of their neighbourhood. The interactions at this scale are in stark contrast to the utilitarian role of many local streets. Their layout seeks to move cars in and out of our neighbourhoods as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>Our desire to “get out” and walk has also directed many people to their local centre. How can we support this new walking and shopping behaviour? The broad societal benefits range from healthier communities to reduced pressure on the transport network.</p>
<p>Do we now have an opportunity to take a long-term view? Can we use today’s disruptions to start re-imagining the structure of our neighbourhoods? This might be a journey of incremental steps such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>developing a lattice of widened nature strips to restructure and re-orientate neighbourhoods to enhance local connectivity to where we work, rest and play and let us just safely walk <em>our</em> streets</p></li>
<li><p>creating “community corridors” by connecting existing local facilities and centres and strategically locating new activities</p></li>
<li><p>using the lattice together with the adaption of working from home as a catalyst to re-imagine the activities that can allow communities to live, work and play locally</p></li>
<li><p>enhancing local amenity and the human scale of neighbourhoods by expanding urban tree cover and <a href="https://www.victoriawalks.org.au/pocket_parks/">pocket parks</a>. Better street lighting might be an important enabler for a walking community, not just a minimum provision for those who may dare to walk.</p></li>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reclaiming-the-streets-we-all-can-have-a-say-in-the-new-normal-after-coronavirus-137703">Reclaiming the streets? We all can have a say in the 'new normal' after coronavirus</a>
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<h2>A new focus for planning</h2>
<p>For probably the first time in planning’s history, all in the community are acutely aware of the challenges we face. And we all see the opportunity to work together on a pathway to recovery.</p>
<p>Re-imagining our local neighbourhoods might also suggest a new way of thinking about how we plan our cities. Our behaviour response to COVID-19 is shifting the metropolitan planning spotlight from the macro to the micro – the local neighbourhood – and to the importance of applying as much thinking and resources to that area as to the dynamics of whole metropolitan area.</p>
<p>A collaborative approach to a re-imagined neighbourhood will allow local communities to be actively involved in shaping their own and our collective future. </p>
<p>The fork in the road is clear. Which path we take is in our hands.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-has-changed-our-sense-of-place-so-together-we-must-re-imagine-our-cities-137789">Coronavirus has changed our sense of place, so together we must re-imagine our cities</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138949/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Halvard Dalheim is affiliated with the Planning Institute Australia (PIA) and the Urban Land Institute Asia Pacific. </span></em></p>The change in our behaviour in response to COVID-19 has created an opportunity to build on this moment and transform our local neighbourhoods into vibrant mixed-use centres of activity.Halvard Dalheim, Practitioner in Residence, The Henry Halloran Trust, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1392222020-05-28T20:02:07Z2020-05-28T20:02:07ZFriday essay: missing the commute, the spaces between places and the podcast stories in our pockets<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338112/original/file-20200528-20219-go51ie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C6%2C4050%2C2708&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1494627344499-afd1027ee1f5?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=2849&q=80">Corey Agopian/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the not-so-distant past I commuted fairly hefty distances in a fairly garbage car. But you didn’t hear me complaining – I had an extensive library of podcasts (or “my stories” as I liked to call them) on my phone. </p>
<p>My ride was so basic it didn’t have a stereo that could connect to my phone, so my workaround was to place the phone in the little scooped-out area on the dash where the clock lived. I called it the “acoustic enhancement chamber” and it really did amplify the sound. Most people thought this was hilarious (and a little pathetic, I guess) but I didn’t mind. Podcasts are powerful narrative devices – they still work as transfixing storytellers in the lowest of tech situations. </p>
<p>We all like to fill our commutes with some sort of distraction – reading a book, making obnoxiously loud phone calls on the train, cramming in some work or study on our laptops, and of course consuming a bottomless ocean of media via our mobile devices – TV shows, movies, games, and “our stories”. During the COVID-19 lockdown, many will have missed the commute – a time just for getting there, a time when we’re between spaces and responsibilities. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-recovery-public-transport-is-key-to-avoid-repeating-old-and-unsustainable-mistakes-138415">Coronavirus recovery: public transport is key to avoid repeating old and unsustainable mistakes</a>
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<h2>Between Point A and Point B</h2>
<p>So whatever it is we do on our commute, and however we do it – walking, running, driving, cycling, flying, training, bussing, or whichever other way you get from Point A to Point B – it’s useful to consider the commute as a space of its own. </p>
<p>The “interstitial time” commuting creates is actually a Point C: what sociologists like Cecile Sandten have <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Re-Inventing-Postcolonial-Metropolis-Cross-Cultures/dp/900432285X">called</a> a “third place between home and work”. </p>
<p>While we may not think much about this interstitial time, what we choose to do in it affects us. It has <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444816660729">been suggested</a> by Shira Chess, who studied games and leisure styles, that “all of our lives are characterised by interstitial time, time that is not used for other purposes”. Geographer and academic David Bissell <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-everyday-commute-is-changing-who-we-are-100323">has underscored this</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>… the journey to and from work is a strange, liminal sphere of everyday life, fizzing with all manner of events and encounters that, for good or ill, make a difference to who we are.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The commute has been pondered by creative types, either as the main focus, or as a plot device. Philosopher Alain de Botton’s 2009 book <a href="https://www.alaindebotton.com/a-week-at-the-airport/">A Week At The Airport</a> saw him become Heathrow airport’s writer in residence, where he focused on the interstitial time we grudgingly endure at airports, exploring “the stories that inhabit this strange ‘non-place’ that we are usually eager to leave”. He was so into it that he was delighted when his plane was delayed, as it meant he could spend even more time in the departure lounge. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338117/original/file-20200528-143715-17gv0yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Interstitial space may seem crowded but it affords private moments.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1554288057-e7cad9896f97?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=3073&q=80">Aditya Joshi/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Conversely, Jonathon Swan penned <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frustrated-Commuters-Companion-survival-desperate/dp/1785037471">The Frustrated Commuter’s Companion: A survival guide for the bored and desperate</a> in 2017, introducing readers to “seat etiquette” and “seat remorse” and underscoring the (often) solitary nature of commuting: “Whenever you see a fellow traveller with a copy [of his book], give them the secret sign of the commuter: ignore them completely”. </p>
<p>Plenty of films romanticise the usually peaceful interstitial nature of commuting, which can provide a handy contrast to the flip when things go wrong. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111257/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Speed</a> (1994) is about a normal commute gone mad, while Liam Neeson stars in 2018’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1590193/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Commuter</a>, which is about another commute that goes even <em>more</em> mad. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind</a> (2004) is a film that sees the leads meet for the first time (a couple of first times, actually) in a dreamy kind of limbo train commute. Finally, there’s 2016’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3631112/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Girl On The Train</a>, in which the main character fills her days with the commute because she’s lost her job but wants to keep up the pretence of going to work. </p>
<p>In Simon Webb’s 2016 book, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=xnO7DQAAQBAJ&pg=PP16&lpg=PP16&dq=Commuters+-+The+History+of+a+British+Way+Of+Life&source=bl&ots=2QxwITyGol&sig=ACfU3U2AFfw7ll7_wLZvi6qVQZjHQ_bodw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjrtWcntXpAhX66XMBHU9cATIQ6AEwBnoECBIQAQ#v=onepage&q=Commuters%20-%20The%20History%20of%20a%20British%20Way%20Of%20Life&f=false">Commuters: The History of a British Way Of Life</a>, he describes commuting as a “reassuring routine which spelled security and safety from the spectre of poverty” -– meaning in most cases, if we are commuting, we’re doing so because we have a job to commute to.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338095/original/file-20200527-20233-1o07uce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The daily commute goes horribly wrong in Speed (1994) - but also a little bit right for Sandra Bullock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg3NjA5NzcxNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjM3NjEzMDI@._V1_SX1777_CR0,0,1777,999_AL_.jpg">IMDB</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So when we’re not being blown up for going under 50 miles an hour, the commute can be a time for us to zone out, to reflect on the day ahead, or the one just finished – and to simply “be” in a personal zone that is neither work nor home. </p>
<p>Though a train or a plane might not seem like a private space, we make it one by staring into the middle distance, losing our present selves in thought or remembrance, or diving into our digital storytelling devices. In so doing, we can recapture a shred of our own personal space, even if we are shoulder-to-shoulder with others. </p>
<p>What I, and many others, choose to do during the commute is listen to podcasts. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-everyday-commute-is-changing-who-we-are-100323">How the everyday commute is changing who we are</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Listen up</h2>
<p>Podcasts (a <em>portmanteau</em> that combines “iPod” with “broadcast”) are essentially episodic media delivered via a subscription feed to our devices and consumed anytime we like. These travelling companions have introduced me to a diverse cast of players: from great thinkers, to creepy killers, to kindly givers of wildly inappropriate advice.</p>
<p>Podcasts can be extremely short like (<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sean-croxton/the-quote-of-the-day-show">Quote Of The Day</a>) or the literally titled <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/anchor-podcasts/the-shortest-podcast-ever">The Shortest Podcast Ever</a> with the curiously opaque description: “It’s brief. It’s not much. It’s a small amount”. They can be stupendously long like <a href="https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/">Hardcore History</a> with episodes regularly running over five hours in duration – and even those are mostly single episodes in multi-part narratives. </p>
<p>They can be studiously factual (the New York Times podcast <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-new-york-times/the-daily-10">The Daily</a> is the news, updated daily – but with an oft-maddening Trump focus), or deliciously speculative (<a href="https://www.parcast.com/conspiracy">Conspiracy Theories</a> is exactly what it sounds like, but is sharply researched, with sceptical hosts). </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hZdl2FFp0eA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Strangers on a train meet for the first (and not first) time.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Podcast can be about grisly crimes (Australia’s <a href="https://casefilepodcast.com/">Casefile</a> is one of the best in the inexhaustible true crime genre) or delightfully batty like <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/dear-joan-and-jericha-julia-davis-and-vicki-pepperdine/id1376577916">Dear Joan and Jericha</a>, in which hilariously filthy agony aunts deliver the worst advice possible.</p>
<p>They can track complicated long-game scams in <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/who-the-hell-is-hamish/id1451470931">Who the Hell is Hamish?</a> and <a href="https://wondery.com/shows/shrink-next-door/">The Shrink Next Door</a>, and lead you down rabbit holes, like the bizarre chapters of American history featured on <a href="https://www.dolloppodcast.com/podcast">The Dollop</a>. </p>
<p>Some, like <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dirty-john/id1272970334">Dirty John</a>, and <a href="https://www.lorepodcast.com/">Lore</a> have <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FP36HXJ">gone on</a> to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/with-dirty-john-and-the-forthcoming-serial-adaptation-podcasts-are-a-tv-thing-20190211-h1b3pj.html">become television series</a> to watch at home – but never forget you heard it first on the commute. </p>
<p>For me, podcasts are appealing because they offer delicious and varied escapes to suit your mood, and all in the palm of your hand. You don’t even need to give them your complete attention and still they wash over you. They take you to different places, introduce you to different lives, worlds and ideas. It’s learning without reading, exploration without effort.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338123/original/file-20200528-143677-ir2bzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Like learning without reading, podcasts can transport us.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1490476323407-63a2b2baa393?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=800&q=60">Henry Be/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>No commute, no podcasts?</h2>
<p>Lately, we have almost universally been doing little or no commuting. What happens to that in between space? And what about our listening habits? </p>
<p>Some research <a href="https://podnews.net/article/coronavirus-covid19-affecting-podcasting">shows a drop in podcast consumption</a>. At the beginning of the pandemic, podcast downloads fell 15-20% (COVID-19 content naturally saw a boom). Now that things are slowly easing and we are returning to our regular workspaces, <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/04/after-weeks-of-pandemic-driven-decline-podcast-listening-seems-to-be-inching-back-up/">podcast consumption is gradually rising again</a>. </p>
<p>It’s possible we have been consuming other forms of media at home as a replacement. Certainly, our Netflix binges have been a staple of Zoom discussions (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11823076/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Tiger King, anyone?</a>). </p>
<p>Perhaps we are so preoccupied with the practicalities of being stuck at home that we have not engaged with podcasts. Or maybe they’re simply better suited to the space in between work and home, where we’ve left domesticity behind but we aren’t quite ready to clock on. These are the times when we want to turn to the little stories in our pockets for one more private escape before the business of the day takes over, and our time and thoughts belong to someone else.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139222/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Malcolm Burt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Between home and work is a window of time and space where we can choose our distractions. Staring out the train window, scrolling the news or perhaps listening to podcasts. We miss it.Malcolm Burt, Amusement academic and disruptive media researcher, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1391452020-05-27T12:22:52Z2020-05-27T12:22:52ZPoor and black ‘invisible cyclists’ need to be part of post-pandemic transport planning too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337379/original/file-20200525-106819-m8xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=101%2C0%2C5097%2C3227&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A cyclist uses New York's bike-share program.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/person-wears-a-protective-face-mask-while-riding-a-bicycle-news-photo/1226132131?adppopup=true">Noam Galai/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As states and workplaces prepare to open up after the lockdown, many <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/05/14/nearly-half-of-nyc-plans-to-avoid-transit-post-lockdown-poll/">people are looking for alternatives</a> to public transit to get to work. </p>
<p>The National Association of City Transport Officials reports an “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/13/coronavirus-cycling-bikes-american-boom">explosion in cycling</a>” in many U.S. cities. Bike stores are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/nyregion/bike-shortage-coronavirus.html?auth=login-email&login=email">selling out</a>, and global supply chains are <a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/may/20/supply-falls-behind-as-americans-demand/">struggling to meet demand</a>. But the post-pandemic ride will be more bumpy for some.</p>
<p>Low-income and minority groups are often more reliant on <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Bicycle-Justice-and-Urban-Transformation-Biking-for-all/Golub-Hoffmann-Lugo-Sandoval/p/book/9780815359203">cheaper modes of travel such as cycling</a>. Back in 2013, <a href="https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/equity_report.pdf">the League of American Bicyclists reported</a> that “the fastest growth in bicycling is among the Hispanic, African American and Asian American populations.” Yet these groups may find cycling to work more problematic.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://as.tufts.edu/uep/people/faculty/julian-agyeman">professor of urban and environmental policy and planning</a>, I believe it critical that city planners, lawmakers and bike advocates fully understand how barriers to cycling faced by people living in poorer neighborhoods are interconnected. Design-related, <a href="https://theconversation.com/bike-friendly-cities-should-be-designed-for-everyone-not-just-for-wealthy-white-cyclists-109485">infrastructural</a> challenges, such as providing more bike lanes, or better still, <a href="https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/designing-ages-abilities-new/choosing-ages-abilities-bicycle-facility/">protected bike lanes</a> – paths separated from both road and sidewalk – are important. But the more fundamental barriers are political, cultural and economic in nature. Failure to acknowledge and act accordingly, risks compromising the ability of low-income and minority groups to enjoy the full benefits of cycling. </p>
<h2>Not reflected</h2>
<p>One crucial barrier relates to the increasingly used political concept of “recognition” – acknowledging and respecting another human, their status and rights. This is the foundation of the #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo movements. </p>
<p>Yet as urban planning scholar Aaron Golub and colleagues explain in “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Bicycle-Justice-and-Urban-Transformation-Biking-for-all/Golub-Hoffmann-Lugo-Sandoval/p/book/9780815359203">Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation: Biking for All?</a>” city planner counts of cyclists in any given area may provide data on usage, which guides decisions on where to install bike lanes, but seldom is the race, ethnicity or gender of the rider recorded. Furthermore, cycle counts typically take place in downtown areas, not in a city’s peripheral areas where, in large part due to <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/retrec/v60y2016icp14-24.html">gentrification and displacement</a>, many low-income and minority groups may be cycling. This results in cyclists in poorer areas being underreported in official data.</p>
<p>As bike lanes are put where urban planners demonstrate need, this skewing of data has real-world consequences. It is part of the reason why bike lanes are mockingly referred to as <a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803276789/">“white lanes”</a> by critics of gentrification - controversial and disputed <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/11/12/why-are-bike-lanes-such-heated-symbols-of-gentrification/">symbols of displacement</a>. </p>
<p>This, together with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-cycling-76256">whiteness</a> of the bike advocacy community, can act as a major barrier to people of color. In a 2019 study by <a href="https://tufts.app.box.com/s/t9gzbpbtkl0iz92a2xf4f5ppwvdeuii7">Tufts University</a> students for the Boston Cyclists Union, one interviewee said that people of color see cycling as “something that white people do” and that they are simply not represented in Boston’s biking culture, or many other U.S. cities. This poses as much a challenge as infrastructure because it speaks to deep-seated perceptions of who should, or should not, be cycling. Bluntly put, there is a population of cyclists of color in the U.S., who are largely unrecognized, underreported and unrepresented. </p>
<p>Bike advocates call them “<a href="https://bikeleague.org/content/rethinking-term-invisible-cyclist">invisible cyclists</a>.”</p>
<h2>Cycling while black</h2>
<p>Cyclists of color tend to miss the eye of city planners, but the same can’t be said of the law. Relations with the police can and do affect their daily spatial and cycling practices, governing where and how they ride. Of particular concern is the issue of racial profiling and harassment of cyclists. </p>
<p>A study of bike citations in <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-bike-citations-minorities-20180306-story.html">Chicago</a>, revealed that between Jan. 1 and Sept. 22 of 2017, 321 tickets were issued in the majority African American, low-income area of Austin, compared with five in the nearby white, wealthy neighborhood of Lincoln Park. Similarly, a 2015 investigation by the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/how-riding-your-bike-can-land-you-in-trouble-with-the-cops---if-youre-black/2225966/">Tampa Bay Times</a> found that 80% of the 2,504 bike citations issued by the Tampa Bay Police Department were issued to black bikers, despite black people making up just 25% of the city’s population. This phenomenon of “biking while black” not only affects those who may want to cycle to work but those whose job depends on cycling, like food <a href="https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3854&context=gc_etds">delivery workers</a>. </p>
<p>Physical safety concerns are often considered to be one of the most significant barriers to cycling. Here too the burden of injury and risk is wildly disproportionate. Latino cyclists face <a href="https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/equity_report.pdf">fatality rates</a> 23% higher than whites, and for African Americans, they are 30% higher. In these communities, some, or all of the following <a href="https://www.saferoutespartnership.org/sites/default/files/resource_files/at-the-intersection-of-active-transportation-and-equity.pdf">hazards</a> are more prevalent: higher vehicular traffic volumes, trucking routes, major arterial roads, intersections that are unsafe or impassable by foot or bike, and an overall lower level and quality of walking and cycling infrastructure. Contributing to such safety-related issues is the well-established, disproportionate exposure experienced by low-income and minority communities to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7458043_Asthma_and_air_pollution_in_the_Bronx_Methodological_and_data_considerations_in_using_GIS_for_environmental_justice_and_health_research">air pollution</a>.</p>
<h2>Pedal power</h2>
<p>The push to eliminate traffic fatalities, known to planners as “<a href="https://visionzeronetwork.org">Vision Zero</a>” is based on the five E’s: engineering, education, enforcement, engagement and evaluation. However, some cities, such as Austin, Texas, are now adding a sixth E: equity, in recognition of the fact that nearly a third of the <a href="https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Imagine_Austin/VisionZero/equity_V0confforweb.pdf">most dangerous road segments</a> are in areas where more than 25% of the population is black or Hispanic and nearly two-thirds of pedestrian fatalities occur in parts of Austin where more than 30% of residents are living in poverty.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, growing numbers of minority-organized bike groups such as <a href="https://www.blackgirlsdobike.com/home">Black Girls Do Bike</a> and for-profit bike businesses such as <a href="https://www.bikeandbrunchtours.com">Bike and Brunch Tours</a> are working to overcome barriers to cycling. Across the U.S., several advocacy organizations and bike share programs such as New Orleans’ <a href="https://bikeeasy.org">Bike Easy</a> and <a href="https://www.niceridemn.com">Nice Ride</a> in Minneapolis are making progress toward bike equity in their communities. Uniting these efforts are groups like <a href="http://www.untokening.org">Untokening</a>, a multiracial collective that centers the lived experiences of marginalized communities to address mobility justice and equity.</p>
<p>The primacy of recognition in overcoming barriers to minority cyclists cannot be overstated. As cities reimagine their <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/pandemic-opportunity-remake-cities/">streets</a> in a post-pandemic world, politicians, city planners and bike advocates could better recognize that cyclists have differing status, rights, needs and capabilities depending on their social and racial background. Representation is also critical. The <a href="https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/equity_report.pdf">huge growth in cyclists of color</a> is not mirrored in city decision making and bike advocacy circles. As part of any reimagining of how best people can move around their cities, people of color in lower income areas ravaged by the coronavirus could be placed front and center as we look for cheaper, more healthy ways for all to get to work. </p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139145/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian Agyeman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Low-income and minority groups are often reliant on cheaper modes of transport, but many find cycling to work problematic.Julian Agyeman, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.