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A resilient urban system should cope with the dynamic human activities in its subsystems. Since travel allows people to have their needs satisfied in scattered locales, the dynamics of travel and its effects on people's well-being can vary across different spatial scales (including different subsystems) and over time. However, little empirical research has been done regarding these spatiotemporal variations. In this article, we introduced a trip resilience (TR) index to measure the time-varying travel characteristics, especially trip attraction changes, across different spatial scales. Using empirical data from Hong Kong, we quantified the TR indices for metro trips at a station across three spatial scales: local, neighborhood, and citywide. Then, we examined the spatial distribution of the TR and investigated which station (area) characteristics could explain the stations' TR indices for trips in different scales. We found that the TR indices and their predictors varied across the scales. The diversity of points of interest significantly predicted the TR indices across all the scales. Yet, other characteristics, such as the median age of residents, street density, working population, and provisions of parking spaces, only predicted the TR indices for trips at one or two of the scales. These findings shed light on more refined urban and transport planning strategies and policies concerning travel demand management across spatial scales in the post-COVID-19 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, transit equity has become a recurrent topic within the domain of sustainable transportation, where accessibility is a crucial indicator. However, the measurement of accessibility and equity in existing studies is usually based on the route with the shortest travel time, whereas multiple travel routes and corresponding travel costs remain unexamined. Taking the ground access to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) as an example, this study aims to fill the previous research gaps by examining the equity of accessibility by public transport simultaneously considering different sets of route options and corresponding total travel costs. These routes have either the shortest travel time or the maximum time-saving benefit–monetary cost ratio. Results reveal spatial variation in the total travel cost, which reflects considerable horizontal inequity. The results, however, indicate that vertical equity exists because the total travel cost is positively correlated with median income level across different locations. In addition, the route that provides a reasonable benefit–cost ratio further improves the equity in accessibility to HKIA. The study illustrates the significance of simultaneous consideration of total travel costs and multiple routes in the assessment of accessibility equity. It also provides transferrable methods for evaluating transit equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on society and economy are wide-ranging, long-lasting, and global. The experience of multiple countries or regions in fighting the pandemic indicates that there could be multiple COVID-19 surges, where a growing number of cases can be observed in the more recent surge(s). Were COVID-19 cases and clusters of cases (across surges) randomly distributed in spaces? Did population density and activity centres influence clusters of cases and associated venues? Based on information on the associated venues of the four surges of COVID-19 cases between January 2020 and February 2021 as well as population density, visuals were made to distinguish the relationships between population density, activity centres, and clusters of cases in Hong Kong. Different spatial patterns were observed across the four surges: fewer cases were observed in the first surge with a more evenly distributed pattern of clusters; the second surge as compared to the first surge saw a wider distribution and an increase in the number/layer of clusters; compared to the second surge, the third surge suffered from many more cases but saw a decrease in the general number of clusters; and compared to the previous three surges, the fourth surge had the largest number of cases, yet even fewer clusters were observed, where several clusters are again concentrated in specific areas similar to the previous surge. Across the four surges, a few locales could see recurrent clusters of cases and a few communities were without cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face contacts decreased but still existed despite people's fear of virus infection and governments' social gathering restrictions. These interactions influenced virus transmission routes, if any and reflected people's essential social interactive demands in the city. In this article, we identified people who intentionally travel as groups (ITGs) to characterize social interactions before and amid COVID-19. To systematically understand ITGs' mobility patterns, an ITG structure was defined and measured in multiple dimensions, including composition, function, size, intensity, quality, and spatiotemporal distribution. Based on a longitudinal smartcard dataset in Hong Kong spanning the year of 2020, we operationalized the ITG structure in the local metro system and examined whether and to what degree the structure changed during the pandemic. We found that ITGs' activities fluctuated as the pandemic progressed and their changes differed across different ITG groups. The long-distance ITGs saw the most significant change. The spatial distribution of persistent ITG trips before and amid the pandemic became spatiotemporally more concentrated. Stations with similar ITG indices clustered in proximity, and features of station areas like residents' education level and quantity of commercial facilities could well predict stations' ITG indices. In other words, inequal distribution of essential facilities and opportunities could notably influence ITGs, social contacts, and socioeconomic benefits brought about by them amid COVID-19. The findings provide insights concerning both resilience management amid the crisis and the long-term planning of essential facilities and services that facilitate group-based outgoings and activities. • A concept of ITG structure was proposed to measure intentional group travel activities. • Both proprietorial and publicly available data can be used to operationalize the ITG structure and its correlates. • The ITG structure varied across space and time during the pandemic. • Spatial pattern of the ITG distribution across metro station could be well predicted by station-area features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social movements such as the yearlong anti-extradition protests in Hong Kong provide useful and precious materials for us to revisit and visualize social and political significance of metro and light rail stations and their surroundings. We used a mixed-methods approach to draw various useful information from police records, newspapers, social media, and/or site audits to compile a list of large-scale protests and sit-ins occurred in Hong Kong between June and August 2019. We attempt to show (1) in high-density and transit-reliant cities like Hong Kong, transit services play an important role in people's daily mobility on both normal days and protest days; (2) on protest days, transit services, related facilities (e.g., entrances, lifts, and platforms) and surrounding areas can become the focuses/battlefields for both the government and the protesters; (3) we still know little about how protests and transit services/usage are related but smartcard data can help us fathom the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abrupt socioeconomic changes have become increasingly commonplace. In face of these, both institutions and individuals must adapt. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, suddenness, scale, and impacts of which are unprecedented as compared to its counterparts in history, we first propose transferable measures and methods that can be used to quantify and geovisualize COVID-19 and subsequent events' impacts on metro riders' travel behaviors. Then we operationalize and implement those measures and methods with empirical data from Hong Kong, a metropolis heavily reliant on transit/metro services. We map out where those impacts were the largest and explores its correlates. We exploit the best publicly available data to assemble probable explanatory variables and to examine quantitatively whether those variables are correlated to the impacts and if so, to what degree. We find that both macro- and meso-level external/internal events following the COVID-19 outbreak significantly influenced of metro riders' behaviors. The numbers of public rental housing residents, public and medical facilities, students' school locations, residents' occupation, and household income significantly predict the impacts. Also, the impacts differ across social groups and locales with different built-environment attributes. This means that to effectively manage those impacts, locale- and group-sensitive interventions are warranted. • Propose measures and methods that can be used to quantify COVID-19 and subsequent events' impacts. • Operationalize and implement those measures and methods with empirical data from Hong Kong. • Examine quantitatively which variables are correlated to those impacts and if so, to what degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity and justice have long been central in transport policy. The emphasise on the importance of individuals' access to social and economic opportunities stresses the link between accessibility and concepts like agency and freedom of choice. It calls for a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of accessibility that considers specific contextual factors that limit people's transport choices, such as the design of public transport networks and services, government interventions, and competition between public transport companies. To promote people's potential mobility and freedom of choice, it is crucial to initially assess the spatial distribution of transport options. In this article, we synthesise the findings from existing scholarship on transport choice, reinforcing the need for (re)considering choice in transport equity. We propose a metric to evaluate the availability of transport choices by considering the trade-off between time and money. By analysing household survey responses on transport choices and transit service datasets, we investigate the spatial disparities in the availability of transport choices within a multimodal public transportation system in Hong Kong and explore how adjusting unappealing choices can potentially enhance transport equity. • Discuss transport equity issues with a relative understudied angle – transport choice. • Propose a metric to assess spatial equity of transport choices. • A realistic case study based on a multi-modal public transport network in Hong Kong. • Implications to transit choice provision and fare adjustment tactics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The node-place model epitomizes metro stations as nodes in a city's transportation network and station areas as places accommodating activities in the city. According to this model, stations and station areas with balanced node and place contents/values contribute to harmony among human interactions, land uses, and (public) transportation services. The harmony is indispensable for civic engagement, quality of life, and well-being of urbanites. Most of the existing studies on the model, however, focus on transportation services and land uses. Little has been done on whether and how social contacts play an essential role in such harmony and are associated with node-place values. In this article, we therefore measure social contact in a city and introduce social contact as a third aspect to the node-place model. In particular, we introduce a method to identify group travel activities in the metro system, as a proxy for social contact, by using smartcard swipe records from Hong Kong's metro system in 2020. We then define and calculate place values, node values, and the intensity and density of social contacts by metro station or station area. We find that some stations with balanced and even stressed node-place values would have relatively low social contacts. The conventional node-place framework is not capable of capturing and evaluating realized social contacts of a metro station area. There exists a gap between realization of social contacts and the interaction potential facilitated by both node and place values of stations. Our new model allows us to better categorize different metro station areas according to their respective realized social contacts. • Realization of human interactions is a desired goal of the node-place model. • Intentional travel groups (ITGs) capture some realized social contacts of stations. • Social contact is involved into the node-place model as a third aspect. • Stations with balanced node and place values could have low ITG values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted unprecedented impacts on travel behaviors because of people's increased health precautions and the presence of various COVID-19 containment measures. However, little research has explored whether and how people changed their travel with respect to their perceived local infection risks across space and time. In this article, we relate elasticity and resilience thinking to the changes in metro travel and perceived infection risks at the station or community level over time. Using empirical data from Hong Kong, we measure a metro station's elasticity as the ratio of changes in its average trip length to the COVID-19 cases' footprints around that station. We regard those footprints as a proxy for people's perceived infection risks when making trips to that station. To explore influencing factors on travel in the ups and downs of perceived infection risks, we classify stations based on their elasticity values and examine the association between stations' elasticities and characteristics of stations and their served communities. The findings show that stations varied in elasticity values across space and different surges of the local pandemic. The elasticity of stations can be predicted by socio-demographics and physical attributes of station areas. Stations serving a larger percentage of population with higher education degrees and certain occupations observed more pronounced trip length decrease for the same level of perceived infection risks. The number of parking spaces and retail facilities significantly explained variations in stations' elasticity. The results provide references on crisis management and resilience improvement amid and post COVID-19. • How travel changed relative to perceived infection risks across space and time remains understudied. • A station's elasticity is measured as the ratio of changes in trip length to the case footprints around the station. • Stations varied in elasticity values across space and different surges of the local pandemic. • Stations' physical attributes and socioeconomic characteristics could predict their elasticities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reveals the rationale for R+P programs in Mainland China. • The obstacles for private sector participation thereof. • The balance between profit and social obligations in R+P programs. • Local business environment has discouraged private sector participation. Populous Chinese cities have invested heavily in metro systems and planned proactively for transit-oriented development. Rail plus property (R+P) programs, where metro corporations engage in, and even orchestrate real estate development in or around rail station areas, have been recurrently reported among these cities. However, careful assessment of these programs is still rare in the existing literature. Built upon multiple R+P programs led by Shenzhen Metro Cooperation and/or Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Cooperation, this article fathoms the rationale for R+P programs in Mainland China, the obstacles for oversea private investors' participation and the balance between profit making and social goods supply. It finds that R+P programs serve as alternative funding sources for expensive metro projects. It decreases municipal governments' cash flow contribution to those projects, which is mandated by the central government. In addition, local business environment for R+P projects has disadvantaged private sector participation, especially those private investors from overseas. Furthermore, public subsidy to local metro corporations is likely to persist as R+P programs have not been designed for economic value maximization; rather, they are in place because (1) they reduce the cash flow burden of the municipal government; (2) they are tasked by the municipal government to produce a considerable number of affordable public housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]