About this Research Topic

Background

The built environment, transport, and health are closely linked, and sustainable cities must integrate all three elements. The built environment includes all the physical elements of a city, including buildings, streets, public spaces, and infrastructure. Transportation is a critical component of the built environment, and it impacts not only mobility but also the health and well-being of city residents.

Active and non-motorized transport are important components of sustainable cities as they provide an opportunity for people to get exercise, reduce their carbon footprint, and improve air quality. By promoting active and non-motorized transport, cities can create more accessible, inclusive, and equitable communities, while also reducing air pollution and promoting healthy living. In addition, these forms of transport can help reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, which are major contributors to climate change.

It is important to prioritize active and non-motorized transport in urban planning and design to achieve sustainable cities. This can include building pedestrian and bicycle-friendly infrastructure, promoting the use of public transport, and implementing policies to discourage car use. By creating a safe and attractive environment for walking and cycling, cities can encourage more people to use these modes of transport and enjoy the health benefits that come with them.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015 and we are close to 7 years away from the target date for full implementation of this agenda. Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, this Research Topic solicits scholarly research articles from researchers from around the world to help cities meet the Sustainable Development Goals as described by the United Nations particularly goal number 11, “ to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. While researchers have been working on this important theme, more research is needed towards achieving the noble goal. There have been recent advances in these areas (for instance, the article "Personal Mobility and Climate Change" by Stewart Barr), but much more advancement is needed.

We aim to attract innovative research articles that inform the current conditions of active travel (viz. walking, cycling) and non-motorized transport (NMT) in cities and how they can help achieve a sustainable urban environment. This Research Topic also seeks to elicit research that delves deeper into the current status of the relationships among built environment, transport, and health. The potential articles can focus on any urban environment including metropolitan areas, cities, college campuses, and small neighborhoods. The potential themes include but are not limited to:
● Travel behavior in the urban environment
● Mode choice behavior
● Relationships between urban design and pedestrian/bicycle crashes
● College campus design and women's safety
● Relationships between urban built environment and traffic incidents
● Impacts of climate change on urban travel behavior
● Urban travel behaviour in regard to active transport, i.e., walking and cycling
● Travel behavior in regard to using non-motorized transport modes
● Impacts of climate change on urban travel behavior
● Impacts of urban travel by automobile on environment and climate change
● Impacts of urban travel by automobile on health outcomes (through air and water pollution)
● Travel behavior of faculty, staff, and students on and around college campuses and how it can contribute to helping cities achieve Sustainable Development Goal number 11
● Urban environment and traffic safety

Irrespective of the topical focus of the articles, this Research Topic aims to promote sustainable cities through our contemporary pedagogical knowledge; so, the authors must include a section or sub-section that informs how their research can help improve urban living conditions by achieving sustainable cities.

Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals, Active Travel; Non-Motorized Transport, Travel Behavior, Traffic Safety, Transport Mobility, Climate Change

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.

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