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Traditional transportation planning emphasized the direct economic benefits of transportation infrastructure. While there is a growing awareness of the environmental consequences, social impacts are frequently overlooked due to methodological complexities and political neglect. Although existing literature acknowledges the existence of transportation-related social exclusion, it primarily concentrates on quantifiable and immediate short-term social outcomes arising from improved accessibility and affordability, which facilitate place-to-place interactions and activities. There has been limited exploration of the more intricate and indirect societal impacts associated with transportation. This paper argues that new transportation infrastructure not only affects mobility and travel experiences but also has deeper social impacts on the sense of place. These effects may extend to broader benefits, including academic performance, by influencing place identity, attachment, and dependency, which in turn affect daily activities unrelated to travel. Our study focuses on a university student community (N = 323), a pivotal future workforce, and investigates how the introduction of a new metro line passing through the campus reduces commuting time, subsequently enhancing academic productivity. Employing structural equation modeling method, our analysis reveals that sense of place acts as a mediator between travel experience and student engagement under the influence of transportation mode choice. These findings may have broad applicability in identifying indirect social impacts of transportation infrastructure, thus providing insights for investment decisions. • Place-centered approach for assessing social impact of transport infrastructure. • Focus on a student community as non-working population but future workforce. • Investigate deeper/wider impact to/from sense of place on academic productivity. • Case study of a recent metro extension project, Shatin to Central Link, in Hong Kong. • Switching from bus to train enhances SoP and academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy is regarded as the new economy in the 21st century, and transportation infrastructure is the key driving force of traditional economic growth. However, there are still fewer studies on both. In this paper, 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region are studied from 2011 to 2020. Regression using the generalized spatial least squares method confirms the facilitating effect of transportation infrastructure on the digital economy. For every 1% rise in the construction level, the digital economy improves by 0.016. Among them, enhancing the attractiveness of the core industries of the digital economy for innovation, entrepreneurial activities, and investment is an important facilitating mechanism. Further, we find that transportation infrastructure's facilitating role is enhanced after crossing the threshold of digitalization. In addition, upgrading industrial structure (rationalization and advancement) strengthens this role. The above findings reveal the relationship between transportation infrastructure and the digital economy in China and provide a scientific basis for emerging economies to seek transportation planning policymaking and digital economy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing new roads and upgrading existing roads are two common approaches to address congestion caused by increasing traffic volumes. But they can also impact local communities if roads are built through neighborhoods or existing roads and intersections are widened and placed closer to nearby homes. In this paper, we estimate how local communities are impacted by these changes using data on housing prices near roads and roadway construction projects. We find that homes near major roads sell for less than homes further away, but that congestion-reducing road improvements only lead to small average increases in nearby home prices. Our results suggest that major roads in close proximity negatively impact housing prices by affecting neighborhood aesthetics, and this relationship is not contingent upon the level of traffic on the roads. Our results can help policymakers consider the external costs borne by local communities when conducting cost–benefit analyses of roadway expansions or improvements. • Homes near roadways face price penalty, regardless of traffic on the roadway. • Roadway construction increases home prices only slightly. • Co-located amenities likely mute effect of traffic on home prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local site characterization and regional tectonic environment are crucial when designing earthquake-resistant bridges. Insufficient understanding of these factors can lead to significant seismic damages and low resilience of bridge components. In this study, the seismic loss and resilience of bridges located in soft soil are examined based on proposed fragility functions at both the individual element and system levels. The effects of aging and construction quality are also taken into account to evaluate the seismic performance of bridges. The findings of this study revealed that bridges in soil class D are the most vulnerable in all seismic and structural integrity scenarios. Bridges with inadequate seismic design may not have the necessary flexibility to absorb and dissipate seismic energy. The findings of this study can also contribute to evaluating transportation network functionality and decision-making procedures within a designated framework for disaggregation in any earthquake scenario [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing frequency and severity of climate variability poses substantial challenges to the sustainability and reliability of transportation infrastructure worldwide. Transportation systems, vital to economic and social activities, are highly vulnerable to extreme weather, sea-level rise, and temperature fluctuations, which can disrupt their structural integrity, operational efficiency, and maintenance needs. The aim of this study is to explore the scholarly landscape concerning the effects of climate variability on transportation systems, analyzing 23 years of scientific publications to assess research trends. Utilizing bibliometric methods, this analysis synthesizes data from numerous scientific publications to identify key trends, research hotspots, influential authors, and collaborative networks within this domain. This study highlights the growing acknowledgment of climate variability as a crucial factor affecting the design, maintenance, and operational resilience of transportation infrastructure. Key findings indicate a notable increase in research over the last decade, with a strong focus on the effects of extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and temperature changes. The analysis also shows a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating perspectives from civil engineering, environmental science, and policy studies. This comprehensive overview serves as a foundational resource for researchers and policymakers, aiming to enhance the adaptive capacity of transportation systems to climate variability through informed decision-making and strategic planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the spatial spillover effects of transportation infrastructure on regional economic growth, utilizing panel data from 31 provincial-level administrative divisions in China from 2003 to 2022. Using the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and three distinct spatial weight matrices—0–1 adjacency, spatial economic–geographical nested, and GDP-based economic distance matrices—this study comprehensively analyzes the multifaceted impacts of transportation infrastructure. The results show that transportation infrastructure significantly promotes economic growth in both local and neighboring regions across all spatial weight matrices. The total effect is most pronounced in geographically proximate regions, with a coefficient of 7.845 (p < 0.01). Regions with similar economic development levels also show strong collaborative effects, with a coefficient of 2.074 (p < 0.01), although the marginal effect of transportation infrastructure diminishes. Furthermore, adjustments in industrial structure and innovation inputs demonstrate a short-term inhibitory effect on economic growth, highlighting the need for synchronized development of transportation infrastructure alongside industrial and innovation policies. This study incorporates multi-dimensional spatial weight matrices to systematically reveal the direct and indirect impacts of transportation infrastructure on regional economies, providing essential empirical support for regional coordination and infrastructure investment policies. The findings offer valuable insights for infrastructure planning in other regions, particularly in formulating policies that promote cross-regional economic cooperation and optimize resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires pose significant threats to communities, requiring robust pre-event planning for efficient evacuations. Transportation systems are crucial for these efforts, yet global research gaps persist, especially those related to transportation assets and transportation modes beyond privately owned automobiles. This study conducts a systematic review of four under-researched areas – infrastructure, modality, networks, and planning – to build a more comprehensive understanding of wildfire evacuations. Initial research is emerging in these domains, related to post-fire debris flows, air and transit evacuations, network analysis, and shelter planning. However, systematic analyses, evidence, and recommendations remain lacking. This includes wildfire's direct impact on transportation infrastructure, multi-modal evacuations, routing strategies, and community-driven evacuation plans. We underscore the need for empirical evacuation strategies to foster resilience for wildfire-threatened communities, offering valuable context-specific insights, identifying key actions, and highlighting ongoing research gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore innovative adaptation strategies that can effectively mitigate the climate threats faced by transportation infrastructure in Lagos, Nigeria. The study highlights the urgent need for innovative approaches to address the challenges posed by climate change to transportation systems. By analyzing the current vulnerabilities and potential impacts of climate change on transportation infrastructure, the authors identify and propose four current challenges facing transportation infrastructure as a result of climate change. These threats include the impact of rising sea levels on coastal roads and bridges, the vulnerability of inland transportation systems to extreme weather events such as floods and heavy rainfall, the potential disruption of transportation networks as storms become more frequent and intense, and the implications of temperature changes on road surfaces and their structural integrity. The study also identified and proposed ten potential adaptation measures that can enhance the resilience of transportation systems in Lagos, Nigeria. The adaptive measures ranged from increasing the resilience of road networks through the implementation of proper drainage systems and slope stabilization measures to forming partnerships with private sector companies to promote sustainable practices and the development of green transportation initiatives. To facilitate these adaptive measures, the authors used them to develop various policy frameworks for transportation resilience in Lagos, Nigeria. These policy frameworks aimed to provide guidelines and regulations for the implementation of adaptive measures, ensuring their effective integration into the transportation system. The authors emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement and public participation in decision-making processes to foster a sense of ownership and collective responsibility towards building resilient transportation systems. By adapting to these measures, Lagos, Nigeria, can enhance its ability to withstand and recover from transportation disruptions caused by various hazards, such as extreme weather events, infrastructure failures, or security threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review, part funded by Network Rail Ltd (UK), considers the role of transportation corridors in habitat connectivity within temperate climates, through verge habitat, surrounding matrix, movement along and across the corridor, the wider landscape context and management practices. PICO terms were developed for the bibliographic search on 15/11/22 using Web of Science (all databases), yielding 168 studies for review. The risk of bias was minimised by excluding non-peer reviewed papers. Large and exotic taxa were excluded due to a focus on temperate zones, as were studies on invasive species and climate change where the primary focus was not ecological connectivity. Emergent themes were used to structure the paper. Results indicate that transportation corridors have significant potential for habitat connectivity, especially for generalist and open-specialist species, which favour early to mid-successional habitats. However, physiology is a key determinant in dispersal ability. Vegetation management should consider representative communities rather than individual species. Gaps exist in the range of taxa studied, understanding of seasonal variations and lifecycle stages supported in verges, survival factors such as predation and disease and changes to community structure. Rail environments are under-represented and there is limited knowledge on the relative impacts of vegetation management regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is causing a range of environmental impacts, including increased flood frequency and intensity, posing significant risks to human populations and transportation infrastructure. Assessing flood risk under climate change is critical, but it is challenging due to uncertainties associated with climate projections and the need to consider the interactions between different factors that influence flood risk. Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are powerful tools that can be used to assess flood risk under climate change by gathering and integrating a range of data types and sources to create detailed maps of flood-prone areas. The primary goal of this research is to create a comprehensive GIS-based flood risk map that includes various climate change scenarios derived from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models. This goal will leverage the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology to better understand the impacts of these climate change scenarios on the transportation network. Furthermore, this study aims to evaluate the existing flood risk map and assess the potential impacts of prospective climate scenarios on the levels of flood risk. The results showed that the northern and coastal regions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are at higher risk of flooding, with the majority of the population living in these areas. The projections for future flood risk levels indicate that under the SSP245 scenario, flood risk levels will generally be low, but some areas in the northern and eastern regions of the UAE may still face high to very high flood risk levels due to extensive urbanization and low-lying coastal regions. Under the SSP585 scenario, flood risk levels are projected to be significantly higher, with a widespread distribution of very high and high flood risk levels across the study area, leading to severe damage to infrastructure, property, and human lives. The recent publication of the CMIP6 models marks a significant advancement, and according to the authors' knowledge, there have been no studies that have yet explored the application of CMIP6 scenarios. Consequently, the insights provided by this study are poised to be exceptionally beneficial to researchers globally, underscoring the urgent necessity for holistic sustainable flood risk management approaches for geography, planning, and development areas. These approaches should integrate both sustainable transportation infrastructure development and risk mitigation strategies to effectively address the anticipated impacts of flooding events within the study region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road transport systems kill millions of animals on every inhabited continent each year, and thousands of human lives are lost. Odour repellents (ORE) are a WVC mitigation measure which have been extensively applied across central Europe to prevent or minimise the number of ungulate–vehicle collisions (UVCs). OREs aim to increase the vigilance of ungulates near roads and therefore change their behaviour in areas where vehicle collisions may occur. Despite many scientific papers on the topic of odour repellent effectiveness, a lack of behavioural studies means there is still little understanding of the mechanism of ORE functionality. OREs are applied as an area repellent, so their effectiveness is influenced by multiple factors, and constantly discussed by both academics and the lay public. This paper summarises the state of knowledge about application and effectiveness of odour repellents in road ecology, and suggests research questions to fill information gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport infrastructure plays a crucial role in facilitating the high-quality development of new urbanization. Based on the provincial panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2013 to 2020, this study empirically analyzed the impact and mechanism of transportation infrastructure on the high-quality development of new urbanization from multiple perspectives. The results showed that transportation infrastructure can significantly promote the development of new urbanization, and the promoting effect was significantly positive in the eastern and western regions, while it was positive but not significant in the central region. Transportation infrastructure can promote the development of new urbanization by promoting industrial agglomeration. When the population density is lower than the corresponding threshold value, the transport infrastructure can significantly promote the development of new urbanization; when the population density is higher than the corresponding threshold value, the transport infrastructure will significantly hinder the development of new urbanization. Transport infrastructure has a significant positive spatial spillover effect on the development of new urbanization, and the positive spatial spillover effect has been significant in the eastern, central and western regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation infrastructure is crucial to China’s economic growth because it substantially contributes to the holistic development of rural primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. This study innovatively examines transportation infrastructure and urbanization levels to explore, both theoretically and empirically, their relationship with the holistic development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural China, and the mediating role of urbanization on this relationship. We employed fixed-effects models, the entropy weight approach, mixed regression, and generalized method of moments to analyze the data of 30 provinces across China from 2013 to 2020. The results indicate that the construction of transportation infrastructure directly fosters the collective advancement of such industries in rural areas and that urbanization partially mediates the transportation infrastructure–rural industry integration relationship. However, the western region shows disparities in the integrated development of these sectors. Further analysis reveals that foreign investments amplify the positive influence of transportation infrastructure on rural industry integration. Essentially, the enhancement of rural transportation infrastructure, promotion of urbanization, implementation of strategic planning, and strengthening of support mechanisms are crucial aspects in the comprehensive development of rural industries and the achievement of rural revitalization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As climate change intensifies, urban transportation infrastructure faces unprecedented challenges from extreme weather events, such as floods. This study investigates the resilience and vulnerability of such infrastructure under extreme rainfall conditions in Changchun City. Utilizing Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Analysis (MCDM) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, we comprehensively assess the physical, functional, and service vulnerabilities of the transportation network. Our analysis reveals that only 3.57% of the area is classified as highly resilient, demonstrating effective flood management capabilities. In contrast, a significant 61.73% of the area exhibits very low resilience, highlighting substantial vulnerabilities that could impact urban operations. Based on our findings, we propose specific strategies to enhance resilience, including optimizing drainage systems, upgrading infrastructure standards, implementing green infrastructure initiatives, and integrating disaster risk factors into urban planning. These strategies and insights provide valuable references for global cities facing similar climatic challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy geography has not scrutinized the role of energy infrastructures and market design for decentralized energy production and local development. The paper addresses this research gap by looking at the emerging green‐hydrogen market in Germany. We argue, first, that the capacity and geography of infrastructures and associated bottlenecks determine how supply and demand can be matched at different scales. Second, market design and associated controversies over infrastructure bottlenecks are important for understanding the green‐hydrogen market and its geography and financing. Conceptually, we draw on the geography‐of‐markets literature. Empirically, we show how infrastructure bottlenecks and market design link the green‐hydrogen to the renewable‐electricity market. As long as the market design requires green‐hydrogen production in geographical and temporal correlation with renewable‐electricity generation, the geography of green‐hydrogen production follows the geography of renewable‐electricity generation. Moreover, bottlenecks in transportation infrastructures offer a window of opportunity for decentralized production and local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The design-build (DB) delivery method is used to deliver increasingly complex transportation infrastructure projects associated with higher uncertainty. As such, allocating risks in the contract between the owner and design-builder becomes challenging and often leads to higher initial bids, increased contingency, or claims. Learnings from implementation worldwide have underlined the need for improving risk allocation in DB contracts. Most existing studies address risk allocation mechanisms to manage contingency at the contract level. Other studies have recognized the need for owners to adapt their processes to better allocate risks in DB contracts. This study explored the influential factors for risk assessment and allocation for complex DB infrastructure projects, addressing the opportunity to improve transportation owners' risk allocation processes before the design-builder is selected and the DB contract is awarded. Method: The objectives of this work were achieved by utilizing empirical data collected through 20 interviews with Texas Department of Transportation and private sector experts. The interview data were analyzed using inductive and axial coding. Inductive coding allowed themes to emerge without a pre-existing framework, identifying six influential factors and six pertinent risks on complex DB projects. Results: These factors include the (i) Quality of DB teams, (ii) Level of up-front investigation, (iii) Limitations on the timing of letting, (iv) Design optimization opportunities, (v) Project-specific requirements, and (vi) Relationships with third parties. Through axial coding, the interaction and frequency between the factors and risks were also examined. The coded interactions demonstrated how the identified factors influence allocation for six pertinent risks including right-of-way acquisition, stakeholder approval, site conditions, permits and third-party agreements, railroad interaction, and utility adjustments and coordination. Findings indicate that the evaluation of these interactions can shift the risk allocation from baseline norms established by an agency to correspond to project-specific needs. Contribution: In contributing to the infrastructure project management, this is the first study to examine the factors that influence risk allocation in complex DB projects and examine interactions with pertinent risks, setting the foundation for optimizing allocation based on project-specific needs. In practice, the findings presented in this study can guide owners in adapting their allocation practices, managing, and developing their strategic plan for delivering complex DB projects. The findings can also assist contractors in pricing risks more efficiently and increase competitive bidding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the crucial role of transportation infrastructure in influencing economic activity, thus employing advanced econometric methods including Moran's I index, LM, Hausman, and LR tests to ensure analytical accuracy and select the appropriate spatial model. Our findings reveal that freight volumes across road, waterway, and civil aviation significantly enhance economic activity by bolstering domestic trade, industrial production, and supply chains. Conversely, the impact of passenger turnover is comparatively minor, although it still contributes to labor mobility and urban accessibility. This study highlights the need for strategic investment in transportation infrastructure and efficient public transport systems to foster economic growth and sustainable development. We recommend that policymakers focus on optimizing transportation networks and integrating intelligent transport technologies to boost economic competitiveness and societal well-being. This analysis not only sheds light on the direct economic impacts of transportation but also underscores the broader social implications, thus advocating for a holistic approach to transportation planning and policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the properties of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) obtained from different production processes for use as partial replacement of cement: (1) minimally post-processed (MP) SCBA, obtained by sieving and grinding SCBA from Louisiana's sugarcane field production; (2) fully post-processed (FP) SCBA, obtained by sieving, further burning under controlled conditions at temperature T, and grinding field-produced SCBA, denoted as FP-T; and (3) laboratory-produced (LP) SCBA, obtained by controlled burning at temperature T of bagasse fibers and grinding of the obtained ashes, denoted as LP-T. The temperatures of burning, T, for FP-T and LP-T SCBA were varied between 450 and 650 °C at 50 °C intervals. The significance of this study is the valorization of agricultural waste for the production of low-carbon concrete for transportation applications in Louisiana, and other locations where SCBA are produced from a low-efficiency boiler in a sugar mill. A comprehensive characterization of the different SCBA materials was conducted, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), laser diffraction particle size analysis, Chapelle's test, strength activity index (SAI), loss on ignition (LOI), and moisture content. Experimental results showed that all LP-T and FP-T SCBAs met ASTM C618 chemical requirements and SAI requirements for Class N pozzolans. By contrast, MP SCBA did not meet these requirements, thus resulting in unsuitable SCM application. LP calcinated at 650 °C and FP calcinated at 450 °C exhibited the greatest SAI and SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3 among LP-T and FP-T SCBAs, respectively. Based on a combination of properties and production practicality considerations, FP calcinated at 450 °C was identified as the most promising SCM-grade SCBA for large-scale production in Louisiana, and was used to further evaluate the fresh and hardened properties of concrete incorporating SCBA at 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% cement replacement by mass. A decrease in workability as well as 28- and 90-day compressive strength with the increase in SCBA content was observed. However, the relative strength gain from 28 to 90 days and the 90-day surface resistivity increased with increments in SCBA dosage. Characterization of cement-SCBA paste through XRD and SEM revealed portlandite consumption and densification of the cementitious matrix from 28 to 90 days, thus suggesting the pozzolanic activity of SCBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study revealed the non-linear impact of the internet on the spatial structure of intracity employment and how transportation infrastructure moderates this non-linear impact. Using data from 22.47 million enterprises from the China Economic Census of 2004, 2008 and 2013, we found that (1) on average, the internet promotes urban employment agglomeration, but this agglomeration effect diminishes marginally as internet penetration increases; (2) the internet promotes the secondary sector to agglomerate first and then disperse, while it only has an agglomeration effect on the tertiary sector; and (3) improvements in the transportation infrastructure diminish the internet's agglomeration effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research utilizes the Long-Term Pavement Performance database, focusing on devel-oping a predictive model for flexible pavement performance in the Southern United States. Analyzing 367 pavement sections, this study investigates crucial factors influencing asphaltic concrete (AC) pavement deterioration, such as structural and material components, air voids, compaction density, temperature at laydown, traffic load, precipitation, and freeze–thaw cycles. The objective of this study is to develop a predictive machine learning model for AC pavement wheel path cracking (WpCrAr) and the age at which cracking initiates (WpCrAr) as performance indicators. This study thoroughly investigated three ensemble machine learning models, including random forest, extremely randomized trees (ETR), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). It was observed that XGBoost, optimized using Bayesian methods, emerged as the most effective among the evaluated models, demonstrating good predictive accuracy, with an R2 of 0.79 for WpCrAr and 0.92 for AgeCrack and mean absolute errors of 1.07 and 0.74, respectively. The most important features influencing crack initiation and progression were identified, including equivalent single axle load (ESAL), pavement age, number of layers, precipitation, and freeze–thaw cycles. This paper also showed the impact of pavement material combinations for base and subgrade layers on the delay of crack initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife mortality due to collisions with vehicles (roadkill) is one of the predominant negative effects exerted by roads on many wildlife species. Reducing roadkill is therefore a major component of wildlife conservation. Roadkill is affected by various factors, including road attributes and traffic volume. It is theorized that the effect of traffic volume on roadkill probability should be unimodal. However, empirical evidence for this theory is lacking. Using a large‐scale roadkill database of 18 wildlife species in Israel, encompassing 2846 km of roads over 10 years, we explored the effects of traffic volume and road attributes (e.g., road lighting, verge vegetation) on roadkill probability with a multivariate generalized linear mixed model. A unimodal effect of traffic volume was identified for the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), whereas 5 species demonstrated a novel quadratic U‐shaped effect (e.g., golden jackal [Canis aureus]). Four species showed a negative linear effect (e.g., wild boar [Sus scrofa]). We also identified varying effects of road attributes on roadkill. For instance, road lighting and roadside trees decreased roadkill for several species, whereas bus stops and concrete guardrails led to increased roadkill. The theorized unimodal effect of traffic volume may only apply to large, agile species, and the U‐shaped effect could be related to intraspecies variability in traffic avoidance behavior. In general, we found that both high‐traffic and low‐traffic roads can pose a high mortality risk for wildlife. It is therefore important to monitor roadkill on low‐traffic roads and adapt road attributes to mitigate roadkill. Road design for effective roadkill mitigation includes reducing the use of concrete guardrails and median barriers where possible and avoiding dense bushes in verge landscaping. These measures are complemented by employing wildlife detection systems, driver warnings, and seasonal speed reduction measures on low‐traffic roads identified as roadkill hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the importance of spatial proximity in research collaborations, focusing on China's transportation infrastructure advancements. Analyzing academic papers published by Chinese institutions over three decades, we find that collaboration probability is positively correlated with institutions' research output and negatively correlated with geographic distance. When considering other dimensions of proximity, administrative proximity and social network proximity exhibit the most substantial influence. Employing staggered difference-in-differences methods, we then establish causal inferences by investigating the effects of direct flight routes and high-speed rail (HSR) connections. Findings show that both modes of transportation contribute to enhanced academic collaborations. Specifically, the introduction of flight routes leads to an increase in collaborations of at least 10.66%, while the establishment of HSR connections results in an increase by at least 32.65%. Flight routes are advantageous for facilitating collaborations in medium to long distances, while HSR primarily benefits medium to short-distance collaborations. Efficient public transportation connections, by reducing travel time, can significantly enhance collaboration across broader spatial areas within the knowledge production sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse effects of thawing permafrost on transportation infrastructure in northern regions are exacerbated by climate change. To address this issue, remote sensing techniques can be employed to track deformations in these structures over time. This will allow us to identify regions that are most vulnerable to permafrost degradation, and implement climate adaptation strategies accordingly. The Sentinel-2 mission provides highly suitable data for multitemporal analysis due to its high temporal resolution and multispectral coverage. However, the geometrical misalignment of Sentinel-2 imagery presents a significant challenge for such analysis. In this study, we propose an automatic sub-pixel coregistration algorithm for satellite image time series, specifically focusing on estimating the deformation of linear infrastructure in northern Canada. Our approach involves utilizing a deep learning model to generate binary masks of roads, which are then used to match and align the images. We demonstrate the feasibility of achieving sub-pixel coregistration through road alignment on a small dataset of high-resolution Sentinel-2 images from the town of Gillam in northern Canada. This represents an initial step toward training a road deformation prediction model, which can ultimately contribute to improved infrastructure resilience and adaptation to changing climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Robust infrastructure is essential to enhance urban productivity and support urban development. • Transportation infrastructure enhances urban productivity by promoting economic agglomeration. • Information infrastructure promotes urban productivity through labor mobility and agglomeration effects. • The promotion effect on urban productivity in eastern regions and megacities is more obvious. • Transportation and information infrastructure have positive spatial spillover effects on urban productivity. Improving total factor productivity is an important driving force for achieving high-quality economic development. Based on the panel data of 256 cities in China from 2009 to 2019, this paper investigates the effect of transportation and information infrastructure on urban productivity. The results show that transportation and information infrastructure promote urban productivity, and the effect in eastern regions and megacities is more obvious. The mechanism analysis shows that transportation infrastructure enhances urban productivity by promoting economic agglomeration, and information infrastructure enhances urban productivity by promoting labor mobility, economic agglomeration, financial agglomeration and industrial agglomeration. The spatial spillover effect shows positive spatial autocorrelation of urban productivity. Transportation and information infrastructure have significant positive spatial spillover effects on urban productivity. China should continue to promote the construction of transportation infrastructure, strengthen investment in information infrastructure, and promote the joint construction, sharing, coordination and integration of transportation and information infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on women empowerment highlights a positive correlation between work and decision‐making power of women within families. On the contrary, the role of work opportunities in letting women achieve greater control over their lives, making them more independent is also well‐established. In this background, we explore the effect of women employment on different dimensions of women empowerment by using a nationally representative household survey data, the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS‐II, 2011–12). As "empowerment" is unobservable, multi‐faceted and difficult to quantify, we model it by an index which aggregates the qualitative answers provided by a respondent. Due to the presence of an endogenous relation, we exploit sources of exogenous variations in employment through an instrumental variable (IV) setup. Following the literature, we identify IV as the level of transport infrastructure in the region where a woman resides. We find that the estimated coefficients are positive and statistically significant, remaining robust to changes in empowerment calculation. In the context of public initiatives aimed at improving female labour force participation and empowering women in India, our results show how policymakers can look beyond standard policies and take the help of transport‐related initiatives to improve employment and empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Makassar Island is an island area in Baubau City, Southeast Sulawesi Province which is included in the Kokalukuna District. It consists of two villages, namely Liwuto Village and Sukanayo Village with a land area of 1.04 km2. In general, 70% of the livelihood of residents on Makassar Island is fishing, seaweed farming, pearl oysters, fish marketing businesses, and crossing services (sea taxis). As an island area, the movement of both goods and people within this region is closely related to the infrastructure of docks and highways. This study aims to analyze the influence of transportation infrastructure in improving the economy of the people on Makassar Island. The analysis methods used in this study are Likert analysis, correlation analysis and simple linear regression analysis. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that transportation infrastructure has a strong relationship with the community's economy. Furthermore, the results of the study are presented in the form of a crosstab between each indicator of the transportation infrastructure variable (X) with the economic variable of the community (Y) on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Common prosperity depends on development, and development comes first in transportation." Achieving common prosperity is the essential requirement for Chinese-style modernization under the construction of a sustainable transportation power country. Based on China's 30 provincial panel data from 2001 to 2021, this paper calculates the common prosperity index under modernization construction and uses the fixed-effect model and bootstrap mediation effect analysis method to examine the impact and promotion path of transportation infrastructure empowering common prosperity (mediating effect). The study found that transportation infrastructure has a significant enabling effect on common prosperity, and the higher the level of common prosperity, the stronger this effect. After a variety of robustness tests, the conclusion is still reliable. The specific path is that transportation infrastructure further strengthens its role in empowering common prosperity through the four intermediaries of economic growth, factor flow, industrial upgrading, and market expansion. Except for the complete intermediary effect of factor flow, the other intensity ratios are all at 65% or above. In addition, there is heterogeneity in the impact of transportation infrastructure on common prosperity, which is reflected in the significant effect in areas with large urban populations, eastern regions, and first-tier or former new first-tier cities. To this end, a quadrilateral orientation focusing on "economy, factors, industries, and markets" is proposed, with dense transportation networks and regional differentiation as the focus of sustainable transportation development, providing empirical support for promoting common prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient geometric evaluation of roads and tunnels is crucial to traffic management, especially in post-disaster situations. This paper reports on a study of the geometric feature detection method based on multi-sensor mobile laser scanning (MLS) system data. A portable, low-cost system that can be mounted on vehicles and utilizes integrated laser scanning devices was developed. Coordinate systems and timestamps from numerous devices were merged to create 3D point clouds of objects being measured. Feature points reflecting the geometric information of measuring objects were retrieved based on changes in the point cloud's shape, which contributed to measuring the road width, vertical clearance, and tunnel cross section. Self-developed software was used to conduct the measuring procedure, and a real-time online visualized platform was designed to reconstruct 3D models of the measured objects, forming a 3D digital map carrying the obtained geometric information. Finally, a case study was carried out. The measurement results of several representative nodes are discussed here, verifying the robustness of the proposed system. In addition, the main sources of interference are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, Lahore, has improved public transportation in the city by implementing a number of mass transit projects' is one of the main initiatives. The line has seen a daily maximum ridership of 179,104. The BRT system offers commuters quick and effective service by having a designated bus corridor, contemporary buses, and multiple stations along the route. It has 27 stations/stops along the main Ferozpur Road, covering a distance of 27 kilometres. Orange Line Train is an additional mass transit project. It is a component of the Lahore Metro system and is run by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority. This is the first metro train in Pakistan. With 25.4 km above the ground and 1.72 km below, the line extends 27.1 km. There are 26 stops along the line, and 250,000 passengers are anticipated per day. We talked about Lahore's current main transit routes. examining the model divide and share in relation to specific areas' population densities and suggesting a new transit line to enhance the city's transportation infrastructure. We also offer advice on how to plan a new transit line to maximize its impact and efficacy. We suggested building a brand-new transit route that would link important job centers. The intended transit route would run on a dedicated bus lane, giving commuters access to a quicker and more dependable form of transit. This is going to be 14 stops long and 68 km in length. In conclusion, by offering passengers a quicker, more dependable, and environmentally friendly form of transportation, the proposed transit line has the potential to greatly enhance Lahore's transportation infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport infrastructures built on historical experience are expected to face multiple threats under climate change, especially the continuous interruptive losses and additional maintenance costs caused by more intense or frequent record‐breaking extreme climate events. In this study, we investigated the change in the exposure of global rail and road infrastructures to eight record‐breaking meteorological hazards using the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate data, including extreme temperature and extreme precipitation. Our findings suggest that higher extreme heat and increasing thaw‐freezing index ratio pose great threats to global rail and road infrastructures. The expected annual exposures of these two hazards are 4 and 2 times the average exposure level of eight hazards, respectively. Moreover, the exposure rapidly increases due to sharply increasing drought and heavy rain compound events as emissions growth and development accelerate, rising from 7% to 18% in eight hazard exposures. Sustainable and lower radiative forcing pathways would contribute to the exposure mitigation, with the peak exposure of eight hazards under the SSP2‐4.5 and SSP1‐2.6 scenarios averaging 29% and 52% lower, respectively, than that under the SSP3‐7.0, which is an extreme scenario we may be on track for under current global efforts. However, the fact that most areas will still be affected by multiple hazards is probably unavoidable. Thus, in parallel with global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we recommend that the transport sector incorporate locally appropriate climate change adaptation strategies to avoid losses induced by record‐breaking extreme climate events. Plain Language Summary: Transport infrastructure has a notably long service life. Nevertheless, infrastructure designed based on historical experience may be vulnerable to record‐breaking extreme weather events. It should be noted, however, that different regions are likely to face distinct types of challenges. In this study, we investigated the probability of record‐breaking climate extremes associated with eight types of hazards that have direct implications for transportation infrastructure, and we identified the primary challenges confronting railways and highways in diverse regions throughout the world. Our findings indicated that global extreme heat and permafrost thawing pose particularly severe threats. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of heavy rain events occurring in dry months, especially in the late‐21st century under the scenarios of rapid development and high radiative forcing, and more infrastructure is expected to be impacted. We also showed that it is possible to reduce the exposure of global infrastructures by 29%–52% by pursuing more sustainable and lower radiative forcing development pathways. However, the fact that most areas will still be affected by multiple hazards is probably unavoidable. In addition to the existing global climate adaptation actions, the transportation infrastructure sector should also develop appropriate local climate change adaptation strategies to mitigate additional losses. Key Points: Globally, future exposure to record‐breaking extreme temperature is higher than that to record‐breaking extreme precipitation, especially extreme heatGlobal rail and road infrastructures will be exposed to more frequent drought and heavy rain compound events, which were less noticed beforeRapidly developing and high‐emission scenarios will lead to rapid non‐linear exposure increases in the mid‐to‐late 21st century [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the obstacles and constraints in the shipping and logistics in Laos, a landlocked nation in Southeast Asia. Transportation and logistics play a pivotal role in Laos' national economy, acting as the lifeblood for the movement of goods and materials within the country and linking it to the international trade system. This case study highlights the significance of a robust logistics structure for Laos and its essential role in fostering economic development, agricultural growth, and connectivity. It also underscores the challenges faced by the country's logistics sector, such as limited-service frequency and road safety concerns. The study examines Laos transportation infrastructure, encompassing road, rail, and air networks, and sheds light on the obstacles and disparities that hinder value chain development in the country. These issues include disconnected stakeholder participation, the aging vehicle fleet, and financial limitations. Furthermore, the essay emphasizes the need for improved interconnectivity and intermobility to enhance the national, regional, and international connectivity of Laos and similar landlocked developing countries in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of subgrade/subsoil strength is one of the most important pavement design factors in transportation engineering, particularly for railways, roadways, and airport runways. The California bearing ratio (CBR) is often used to measure the strength and stiffness modulus of subgrade materials. This study presents a novel machine learning solution as an alternate approach for estimating soil CBR in soaked conditions. The present approach is an integration of an artificial neural network (ANN) and improved particle swarm optimisation (IPSO). According to experimental results during the testing phase, the proposed hybrid model, ANN-IPSO has achieved the highest predictive precision with root mean square error, RMSE = 0.0711 and mean absolute error, MAE = 0.0546. The findings of the proposed model are far superior to those of employed models including the conventional ANN, support vector machine, and group method of data handling. Six additional hybrid models of ANN and standard PSO (SPSO), PSO with time-varying accelerator coefficients, modified PSO, Harris hawks optimisation, slime mould algorithm, and colony predation algorithm were also constructed for a detailed comparison. Based on the outcomes, the newly created ANN-IPSO has the potential to be a new tool to estimate soaked CBR of fine-grained soils in civil engineering projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data of various provinces in China from 1996 to 2018, this article empirically tests the impact of transportation infrastructure on innovation capabilities. The empirical results show that the impact of transportation infrastructure on regional innovation capability is positive and significant, and this impact has a very significant lag effect. In addition, the impact of transportation infrastructure on regional innovation capabilities has obvious regional heterogeneity, which is more pronounced in the relatively backward economy in western China. Finally, we analyzed the mechanism of transportation infrastructure on regional innovation capabilities by constructing an intermediary effect model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the influences of railways, roads, waterways, and civil aviation on the digital economy were analyzed using traffic, urban, and enterprise data in the integrated transport system. Regression was performed through the generalized spatial least square method (GS2SLS) in the empirical section to solve the endogeneity problem. It was verified that transportation infrastructure can promote the digital economy. While the development of railways, waterways, and roads is expected to rise by 1%, the digital economy will be increased by 0.0049, 0.0048, and 0.0031, respectively, and civil aviation's effect is not significant. The robustness test results were still remarkable. From the industry level of cities, it was found that transportation infrastructure mainly promotes the development of the digital economy by upgrading the industrial structure. At the enterprise level, promoting entrepreneurship and facilitating the digital transformation of enterprises have become the main driving forces for the development of the digital economy, and strengthening labor flow is a vital promotion mechanism at the factor level of cities. In addition, a significant single-threshold effect is observed in promoting the digital economy by transportation infrastructure. In the cities that cross the threshold of the economic development level, the progress in the digital economy increases from 0.0027 and 0.0035 to 0.0059 and 0.0061 for 1% development of railways and roads; the promotion of the digital economy by transportation infrastructure is more evident in cities with a permanent-residents population of more than 3 million. Developing the digital economy and transport infrastructure is essential for economic recovery and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geosynthetic engineering has made significant advances during the past decade in the areas of manufacturing and practical applications. As a result, geosynthetics have become essential materials that facilitate construction, better improve short- and long-term performance, and reduce long-term maintenance costs in routine civil engineering projects. Geosynthetics are also being recognized as fundamental to sustainable infrastructure development as they reduce the carbon footprint generated by infrastructure development by minimizing the use of natural construction materials. Creative use of geosynthetics in geo-engineering practices is expected to continue to expand as innovative materials and products are becoming available. In this paper, we begin by discussing issues related to climate change. The sustainable benefits of geosynthetics are then presented by demonstrating the potential of geosynthetics to significantly reduce carbon footprints compared to traditional solutions. Finally, recent geosynthetic technologies have been introduced for use in transportation infrastructure. The pathway forward of the geosynthetic technology is also discussed from the view of sustainable infrastructure development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Broadband China' strategy launched in 2014 aimed to expand information infrastructure coverage of Chinese cities. This study shows that the information infrastructure facilitates knowledge diffusion among pilot cities of 'Broadband China', using this as a quasi-natural experiment. Further analysis reveals a positive interaction effect between information and transportation infrastructure on intercity knowledge diffusion. These findings imply that developing information infrastructure is vital for technological innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation infrastructures, including roads, bridges, tunnels, stations, airports and subways, play fundamental roles in modern society. Engineering failures of transportation infrastructures may result in significant damage to the public. The traditional methods are to monitor, store and analyse the information during the infrastructure and material design, testing, construction, numerical simulations, evaluation, operation, maintenance and preservation, using mechanistic-based, material-based and statistics-based approaches. In recent decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has drawn the attention of many researchers and has been used as a powerful tool to understand and analyse the engineering failures in transportation infrastructure and materials. AI has the advantages of conveniently characterizing infrastructure materials in multi-scale, extracting failure information from images and cloud points, evaluating performance from the signals of sensors, predicting the long-term performance of infrastructure based on big data and optimizing infrastructure maintenance strategies, etc. In the future, AI techniques will be more effective and promising for data collection, transmission, fusion, mining and analysis, which will help engineers quickly detect, analyse and finally prevent the engineering failures of transportation infrastructure and materials. This theme issue presents the latest developments of AI in failure analysis of transportation infrastructure and materials. This article is part of the theme issue 'Artificial intelligence in failure analysis of transportation infrastructure and materials'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conduct a systematic scoping review of the academic literature concerning pedestrian accessibility. We distinguish "walking accessibility" from the broader topic of "walkability" by two criteria: papers must consider one or more destination type(s), and papers must address the issue of distance or impedance. After searching Web of Science, TRID, and Google Scholar databases and conducting screening, we identify 85 papers meeting these criteria. We organise the literature review according to the four components of accessibility identified by Geurs and van Wee [(2004). Accessibility evaluation of land-use and transport strategies: Review and research directions. Journal of Transport Geography, 12(2), 127–140]: (1) Land use; (2) transport; (3) temporal; and (4) individual and also add a section on the topic of impedance. Walking accessibility studies address a much greater range of land uses or destination types than is typically found for other modes. The transportation component is relatively undeveloped, as pedestrian infrastructure includes many influential elements not currently tracked in GIS systems. Few studies address the temporal component of walk accessibility, which varies according to climatic and nighttime conditions. Most papers do not account for the significant variation across individual capabilities and preferences regarding walking. We note that developing detailed pedestrian networks is a key first step, as most published analysis is conducted on roadway networks. A second major recommendation is to consider individual variations in walk accessibility across demographic classifications, accounting for varying levels of physical mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Middle Corridor, a transport route from Asia to Europe that also facilitates major energy projects through the Caspian Sea and its surrounding countries, has gained even more attention after the intensification of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022. Methods: On the basis of major scientific papers on the topic, foreign policy addresses from The Diplomat and studies by the United Nations and Asian Development Bank Institute, a framework with five aspects was created. In addition, two interviews with sector stakeholders were conducted to apply the framework and determine the relevance of the route to Finnish and Estonian economies. Results: A multifaceted overview of the current economic, political, and infrastructural state of the Trans-Caspian trade route is given. The practical value of the article lies in creating a framework for evaluating the route for related economies and testing this out for the Finnish and Estonian economies. Conclusions: Despite the challenges, there are enormous opportunities in this logistics route, especially with the restrictions facing Russia due to western bloc sanctions. Finland and Estonia, however, are suffering under the effects of war in Ukraine and the related sanctions, which has hindered the capacity to further enhance development projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is one of the most dominant economic and social changes of the 20th century. This phenomenon brings about rapid urban development, which is inextricably linked to transport development. In order to understand this relationship, it is important to analyze the spatial spillover effects of the phenomenon in the urban environment. This study analyzes the spatial performance, in terms of urban development, of 12 European Union regions from five European countries with coastal areas by incorporating spatial data such as length of road network, population distribution, land uses, and other factors. Key performance indicators have been developed for evaluating the structural development model of the regions (e.g., dense or sprawl development). In addition, the incorporation of spatial spillover effects in the evaluation of the regions was conducted by the extended spatial data envelopment analysis (SDEA) method. The results of SDEA identified the best and worst-performing regions in terms of urban growth. Finally, this study implements a target-setting approach where under-performing regions can best perform. Based on the target-setting approach, local authorities can set realistic targets for improving the structural model that the regions are following. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 1995 to 2017, this study explores the impact of natural resource rent, transportation infrastructure, innovation, financial development, green investment and energy investment on carbon emission and its role in achieving the sustainable development goals. In order to obtain long-term and short-term estimates, the auto-regression distribution lag model (ARDL) is used in this study. The results confirm that natural resource rent, transportation infrastructure, innovation, energy investment and carbon emission are significantly positively correlated in long-term and short-term. Financial development and carbon emission are not significant in short term, but in the long term, financial development will contribute to the rise of carbon emissions. Green investment will increase short-run carbon emissions, whereas it really can control carbon emissions, which is different from other studies. This research proposes to improve the level of innovation and reduce carbon emission in other fields through technological innovation, increase green investment and renewable energy investment and combine with financial development to invest more funds in low carbon environmental production industries and to build an environment friendly system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure plays a pivotal role in a nation's economic stability, security, and long-term sustainability. For decades, United States infrastructure has been rated as inadequate and the resources required for its restoration continue to grow. Despite the transformative potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM) coupled with digital technologies in revolutionizing the building industry, its widespread adoption within infrastructure projects remains limited. This study explores the application of BIM and emerging technologies in transportation projects' lifecycle, identifies research gaps, and discusses the use of technology to address current infrastructure challenges. Employing a systematic review approach, this research synthesizes BIM application studies based on well-defined criteria. The synthesis of the literature underscores the comprehensive integration of BIM throughout the lifecycle of transportation assets, catalyzed by collaborative, information-driven processes. However, challenges pertaining to interoperability, role delineation, standards enforcement, and cost persist. This study advocates for a deeper exploration of the synergy between BIM, digital technologies, and infrastructure, envisioning an enriched transportation lifecycle in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The East African Community, inspired by successful trading blocs, has already begun major transportation strategic plans that will necessarily require large investments. Additionally, significant efforts have been made to harmonize regional transportation legislation and regulations. However, some challenges that may arise in developing such a sustainable regional transportation infrastructure should be carefully determined. In this study, a spherical fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method is proposed. Ten criteria characterizing the challenges in the regional transportation infrastructure problem have been identified as a result of the pertaining reviewed literature and expert opinions. These criteria were used to prioritize seven strategies for sustainable regional transportation infrastructure. To address complex group decision-making issues, this study presents the integration of Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) with Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) in a spherical fuzzy (SF) environment. The weight and importance levels of criteria are evaluated using SF-SWARA. SF-WASPAS is then used to prioritize the strategies based on the SF-SWARA-weighted criteria. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a sensitivity analysis is carried out, revealing that research and development (S7) and adequate institutional and regulatory framework (S4) are the most appropriate strategies for dealing with these challenges, respectively. The study offers a novel approach for regional political leaders who aim to promote progressive policy, regulatory, and economic frameworks, along with a strong human and institutional capacity for collaborative research, technology, and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce life threats and financial losses under hurricane weather and traffic conditions, stakeholders need to make a sequence of decisions (e.g., enforcing traffic control and/or broadcasting travel advisory) with the presence of various uncertainties, which could be formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP). To effectively solve the MDP for optimal operation of hurricane-impacted transportation networks, a risk-informed decision-support framework is proposed consisting of both a decision-making environment and tool. The decision-making environment involves essentially three coupled modules of hurricane hazard, transportation infrastructure, and traffic flow, where the uncertainties from natural environment, built environment, and human behavior are examined. Specifically, multiple correlated hazards for each specific storm are capsulated in the hurricane hazard module, representative hurricane-vulnerable infrastructure components and associated moving vehicles are evaluated in the transportation infrastructure module, and network-level traffic relations are addressed in the traffic flow module. In view of the complexity and intractability of a hurricane-transportation infrastructure-traffic system through full model representation, the efficient low-dimensional modeling approaches including both physics-based analytical and data-driven surrogate models are utilized in all these three simulation modules. Considering an explicit probabilistic model for the decision-making environment (and hence state transition function) is not available, the operation optimization (involving competing objectives of traffic safety and mobility) is accomplished through a deep reinforcement learning-based decision-making tool that learns to act optimally (involving both traffic control and travel advisory actions) by directly interacting with the environment. A hypothetical case study is conducted to verify the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed framework as a testbed for optimal operation of hurricane-impacted transportation networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral cities are more susceptible to transportation infrastructure than core cities in terms of entrepreneurial activities. We use market access approach to estimate the impacts of highways and high-speed railways on entrepreneurship in the small and medium-sized cities in China under knowledge spillover entrepreneurship framework. The results show that the increased market potential caused by highways and high-speed railways significantly improves the entrepreneurial performance of peripheral cities. The entrepreneurship effects of highways are stronger than high-speed railways, especially for these cities that are relatively closer to core cities. On the contrary, the entrepreneurship effects of high-speed railways are stronger in these cities that are far from core cities. This study suggests that transportation infrastructure plays an important role in entrepreneurship, and there is a complementary effect between highways and high-speed railways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, the development of transport infrastructure has attracted huge local and foreign direct investments to raise the overall industrial output in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the transport sector has emerged as one of the most emissions-intensive industrial sectors. Thus, this study is the first to investigate how Pakistan's transport infrastructure across four modes—roads, trains, ports, and airways—affects industrial value addition and carbon footprints in the country. By making use of the theoretical and empirical literature, the study builds carbon emission and economic output models to determine the economic and environmental sustainability of transport infrastructure development in the country. The empirical findings conclude long-term environmental sustainability issues in transportation infrastructure development. All means of transport infrastructure development have a significant positive impact on carbon dioxide emissions in the country. Only ports and highways, however, provide a positive contribution to industrial output. Additionally, population growth, capital, labor, and urbanization are positively linked with the industrial output and carbon dioxide emission in the country, whereas trade openness helps to offset the emission intensity to some extent. Given this evidence, we provide detailed policy implications by highlighting the significance of greener technologies under new transport-related infrastructure investment that addresses SDG-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]