Walking, Cycling and Accessibility in Cities in the Global South

  • 4,011

    Total downloads

  • 25k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

Walking and cycling are important in ensuring accessibility and connectivity in cities in the Global South. Not only do they complement other modes of transportation, but also jointly contribute to the functioning and rhythm of life in cities. For example, walking is a key mode of transport in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Cape Town and Santiago, constituting 73.7%, 70.3%, 46.7% and 34.5% respectively, of all trips undertaken in these cities, especially for low-income residents. Despite their importance, planning and financing walking and cycling infrastructure and services across the world vary from neglect through half-hearted measures to full-scale inclusion. Providing walking and cycling infrastructure and services is largely an afterthought in transportation planning that remains car-centric in many parts of the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge of interest in walking and cycling as a safe and healthy way to travel. While cities across the world have reclaimed streets for walking and cycling, whether this renewed effort is likely to accelerate walking and cycling use and infrastructure remains a key question. This unusual moment allows us to explore these initiatives as well as assess progress in integrating them into urban planning in the Global South. In an age of climate change and mounting public health challenges, walking, cycling and public transport planning will be ever more important to get right.

Publications on walking and cycling in cities in the Global South are relatively limited compared to the Global North. Users looking for more information on this topic must therefore search hard to retrieve relevant publications. Though there are a few key publications that focus on walking and cycling in emerging countries, there are recent developments that have not been adequately covered. For example, the bicycle network in Bogota has been extended, and strategies for walking and cycling have recently been developed in Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Kampala. There are also several dissertations on this topic that are yet to be published for wider dissemination of findings.

This Research Topic aims to publish and disseminate research and experiences on the role of walking and cycling in enhancing accessibility in cities in the Global South. We invite submissions to focus on the following themes in the form of theoretical, empirical and methodological contributions:
• Methods, theories and conceptual models on walking and cycling.
• Travel behavior and experiences of walkers and cyclists, including enablers and barriers to walking and cycling, and gender dimensions in such experiences.
• Infrastructure for walking and cycling, including initiatives for pedestrianization and cycling during COVID-19.
• Governance, policies and strategies for walking and cycling.
• Walking and cycling policy change agents, including using walking and cycling to drive sustainable transport policy.
• Walking and cycling-related enterprises.
• Safety of walkers and cyclists.
• Walking and cycling in multi-modal transport planning.

This project is undertaken in collaboration with Volvo Educational and Research Foundations as part of their current preparation of new initiatives under the Future Urban Transport Programme.

Keywords: Walking, Cycling, Accessibility, Global South, Walking and Cycling Infrastructure, Travel Behavior and Experiences, Pedestrianization, Sustainable Transport Policy, Walking and Cycling Safety, Multi-Modal Transport Planning

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 25kTopic views
  • 19kArticle views
  • 4,011Article downloads
View impact