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Open research questions in Urban Transport and Accessibility

505 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 3,686 Urban Transport and Accessibility papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The complexity of the interdependencies between microclimatic conditions and the real-time experiences of pedestrians and cyclists. The lack of standardised dynamic assessment methods. The need for further investigation of cyclists' dynamic comfort compared with that of pedestrians.

    The Relationship Between the Urban Microclimate and Active Travel at the Neighbourhood and Street Scale: A Systematic Review of Current Research and Methodologies · 2026 · DOI

  • Traditional travel demand models often disregard the influence of environmental conditions, particularly weather, on daily travel decisions. There is a need to explicitly incorporate weather effects into travel demand models.

    The Meteorological Modulators: Quantifying Weather’s Influence on Activity-Travel Behavior · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should investigate how mass communication relates to the effectiveness of WSB operations in meeting school travel needs, and how perceptions of service quality influence WSB uptake during its initial implementation and after it has been in operation for some time. Future research should investigate the direct links between intention, habit and behaviour, as these are essential for under- standing the full complexities of WSB uptake. In future research, additional indicators could be examined to include them as latent variables in the IMCA framework to provide further insights into other relevant aspects.

    Understanding the synergies among factors shaping parents' intention to use walking school buses · 2026 · DOI

  • further research on the spatial distribution of healthcare and older adult care services, - examining the impact of spatial inequity on healthcare outcomes, - investigating strategies to improve spatial equity in healthcare and older adult care services

    Geospatial analysis of healthcare and older adult care institutions in Wuhan: a multimethod approach to assessing spatial equity · 2025 · DOI

  • Investigating the factors affecting pedestrian subjective safety perception in different environments, - Analyzing the relationship between walking environment factors and perceived safety in depth

    Enhancing pedestrian perceived safety through walking environment modification considering traffic and walking infrastructure · 2024 · DOI

  • The complexity of analyzing the relationship between urban block built environments and older adults' walking activities and health effects. The need to consider multiple factors, including individual socioeconomic background, dietary habits, fitness, and exercise habits. The challenge of ensuring the privacy and security of residents' personal data.

    How do urban block built environments affect older adults’ walking activities and health effects: a case study in Nanjing, China · 2024 · DOI

  • The study only examined residents from the central urban areas of Chongqing, - The study used a purposive sampling strategy, - The sample size was limited to 30 participants

    Gender differences in the effects of urban environment on nighttime exercise behaviours: a qualitative study · 2024 · DOI

  • Further research should examine the effects of urban environment on nighttime exercise behaviors in different cities, - Studies should investigate the impact of specific urban design elements on exercise behaviors

    Gender differences in the effects of urban environment on nighttime exercise behaviours: a qualitative study · 2024 · DOI

  • Further research could investigate the application of machine learning techniques to other vehicle-sharing initiatives. The development of more advanced methodologies to forecast bike-sharing usage could be explored.

    Forecasting the Usage of Bike-Sharing Systems through Machine Learning Techniques to Foster Sustainable Urban Mobility · 2024 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the need for accurate forecasting of bike-sharing usage to optimize repositioning solutions. It highlights the limitations of existing methodologies in addressing the operational difficulties of bike-sharing systems. The gap is the lack of effective methods to predict bike-sharing usage, leading to suboptimal repositioning solutions.

    Forecasting the Usage of Bike-Sharing Systems through Machine Learning Techniques to Foster Sustainable Urban Mobility · 2024 · DOI

  • Personal chauffeured automobility is a widespread yet under-researched practice, particularly in cities of the Global South.

    A household level investigation into personal chauffeured automobility · 2026 · DOI

  • Shifting travel from private cars to public transport, walking, cycling, and shared low-carbon modes is important for urban decarbonisation, but the comparative effectiveness of economic instruments remains uncertain.

    Pricing and Financial Incentives for Modal Shift from Private Cars to Sustainable Transport: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract China’s rapid aging has boosted demand for elderly care facilities (ECFs), yet their spatial equity is understudied.

    Evaluation and optimization of spatial equity in elderly care facilities: a case study of Dalian, China · 2026 · DOI

  • Nevertheless, existing research has not yet elucidated this mechanism comprehensively, with most studies remaining at the level of correlation analysis rather than rigorously examining the causal link between station openings and improvements in commercial vitality.

    Investigating Nonlinear Causal Effects and Determinants of Urban Rail Transit on Commercial Vitality · 2026 · DOI

  • However, only a few studies have directly investigated the effect of household structure on gender differences.

    Gender difference in space–time fixity from household structure in urban China: A case study of Beijing · 2025 · DOI

  • A substantial body of research about EV adoption in India and other developing economies exists, yet comprehensive studies that analyse barriers and facilitators through managerial perspectives remain scarce.

    Are we willing to embrace the future? The need for moving towards sustainable mobility · 2025 · DOI

  • Additionally, most research investigations study range anxiety, yet ‘range consciousness’ remains unexplored in the literature.

    Are we willing to embrace the future? The need for moving towards sustainable mobility · 2025 · DOI

  • While practical experience in revitalizing these areas abounds, a theoretical model for assessing and fostering vitality remains lacking.

    Assessing urban spatial vitality in post-port areas: a multimodal data analysis of Shanghai, Liverpool, and Marseille · 2025 · DOI

  • However, some essential medical specialties, including emergency medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology, are sparsely distributed in public sectors.

    Regional disparities in the distribution of public and private healthcare facilities in South Korea · 2025 · DOI

  • While these deleterious effects of place‐based poverty are well‐documented, the conceptual mechanisms linking poverty of place to negative outcomes remain debated, and the our understanding of the spatial patterning of poverty remains underdeveloped.

    Further complications to poverty of place: daily poverty dynamics across space · 2024 · DOI

  • Health inequalities are particularly under-explored, and scenario modelling might provide a means to explore the dynamic aspects necessary to examine these important outcomes pre-implementation.

    How could 20-minute neighbourhoods impact health and health inequalities? A policy scoping review · 2024 · DOI

  • However, how and to what extent microscale streetscapes are related to running activity remains underexplored, partly due to the lack of running data in large urban areas.

    Building running-friendly cities: effects of streetscapes on running using 9.73 million fitness tracker data in Shanghai, China · 2024 · DOI

  • Moreover, few studies have examined the interactive effects of macroscale built environment and microscale streetscapes.

    Building running-friendly cities: effects of streetscapes on running using 9.73 million fitness tracker data in Shanghai, China · 2024 · DOI

  • Despite their importance, comprehensive evaluations of the collective spatial-temporal effects of multiple high bridges across broad regions are lacking.

    The spatial impact of high bridges on travel accessibility and economic integration in Guizhou, China: a scenario-based analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • However, few studies have explored the nonlinear relationships between commuting and built environments, particularly around workplaces, with obesity.

    Nonlinear relationships of commuting and built environments surrounding residences and workplaces with obesity · 2024 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Urban Transport and Accessibility

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505 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 3,686 Urban Transport and Accessibility papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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