Ryoji Matsunaka

A method of classification of financial resources for transportation based on the concept of actual payers: Theoretical framework

It is highly difficult to compare the systems of financing transportation improvements, because the systems differ among countries and transportaion modes. In this paper, we present a method for international comparison of these complicated financial systems by utilising the concept of actual payers. Additionally, we investigate the financial systems in a number of developed countries, and classify the financial resources for transportation in each using the present method. As a result, the financial resources for transportation are classified into eight categories, including Payers of national general taxes, Payers of local general taxes, users bearing the charges, and so on.

Research on the causal relationship between urban density, travel behaviours, and transportation energy consumption by economic level

As motorization has progressed around the world, the scope of personal activity is widening due to private-motorized modes (PMM). And due to the increase in PMM, the degree of suburbanization has also increased, resulting in higher energy consumption for transportation as well as global warming. Many studies including that of Newman and Kenworthy have focused on the relationship between urban density and transportation energy consumption. However, the studies were in general focused on a pool of transportation data limited to one country or continent. This geological limitation restrains researchers from gaining insight into different transportation characters as well as a citys economic development status. Therefore, this research was conducted to generate a database of transportation energy consumption by PMM based on person trip data from 119 metropolitan areas in 39 countries. Considering the difference in economic levels of cities around the world, a discriminant analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between urban density and transportation characteristics. Based on the results of the analysis, we examined the correlation between urban density and transportation energy consumption by economic level. The analysis showed that the correlation between urban density and transportation energy consumption differs by the citys economic level. Additionally, the more the economic development, the clearer the correlation between urban density and travel behaviours becomes.

Measuring walkability and its effect on light rail usage: a comparative study of the USA and Japan

With rising awareness of global warming and its consequences, greater efforts are being made to make our cities more sustainable. Among many factors that can lead to more a sustainable future, policies encouraging walking and the use of public transportation can be considered as major priorities in planning. There is a significant body of research concerning the process of rating the urban structure according to its ease of access for pedestrians and concerning the relationships between walking and public transportation. However, there are few studies focused on the direct relationship between walking and Light Rail Transit (LRT). This study sought to understand the effect of the so-called walkability of urban areas on LRT usage in the USA and Japan. To achieve this goal, an objective, an internationally applicable method for quantifying walkability, was devised using urban structure and street network data in the USA and Japan. Walkability indices derived using this method were used to measure the effect of walkability in station areas on LRT ridership in both countries. Results show that the urban structure around stations in Japanese cities can generally be considered more walkable than cities in the USA. Moreover, station area walkability has a measurable effect on LRT usage, but only in the USA.

How has the Distribution of the Population in Local Cities been Changing over Time According to the Frequency of Railways and Tramways

This paper describes how motorization has become widespread in local cities in Japan. Therefore, city functions and residents have been dispersed to suburbs and daily life has become difficult without private cars. Recently, the concept of a compact city has been attracting attention. It is said that one of the most important keys to realizing a compact city is to develop very convenient public transportation. However, in local cities in Japan, although there are public transportation networks, they are not effectively used because service frequency is very low. This research analyzed the present distributions of populations around stations and how they have changed over time by the levels of service frequencies of railways and tramways in all local cities in Japan. More specifically, at first, the transportation frequencies over railways and tramways and changes in the distribution of population of all local cities in Japan over time were investigated. Then the paper describes how the degree of service frequencies of stations in the public transport system, railways and tramways, and their affect on the present distribution of the population around the stations and their changes over time were analyzed.

Effect of Urban Railroads On the Land Use Structure of Local Cities

This paper on the effect of urban railroads on land use of local cities is from the proceedings of 14th international Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century, which was held in Malta in 2008. The authors begin with a description of rapid economic growth in Japan that has resulted in rapid motorization, the sprawling of urban functions away from city centers toward the outskirts of cities, and the difficulty of achieving normal activities of every day life without a private vehicle. They then report on their research on 61 cities throughout Japan in which they performed a detailed analysis of the convenience of each city’s public transport (railroad) infrastructure with a particular reference to the population distribution of that city. The results showed that even though some of the cities are formed in such a way to allow citizens to reap maximum benefits from railroad convenience, none of these cities show particularly high levels of public transport utilization. The paper concludes with a discussion of an ideal city designed to maximize the usage and convenience of railroads. The authors identify points of coherence between the ideal city and current Japan cities in the study and describe recent policies intended to revitalize public transport and encourage greater utilization of city railroads.

Structural relationship about pedestrian vibrancy and street environment in central areas of Kyoto, Seoul, Beijing and Florence

In several city centers around the world, there has been a trend to restrain the entry of automobiles and improve pedestrian movement. It is to create central areas that are vibrant with people. However, it is not clear which factors affect vibrancy and how they are related in the city center. We surveyed pedestrians as well as relevant factors on each street in central areas of Kyoto, Seoul, Beijing, and Florence to elucidate the relationship between vibrancy and street environment. Then, structural equation modeling was performed with the survey data to determine the structural relationship between pedestrian vibrancy and street environment. In central areas of these four cities, it is clear that pedestrian comfort has a direct and indirect positive effect on vibrancy, although the existence of parking areas has a negative effect on vibrancy.

Calculations of the shares of financial resources paid by actual payers for transportation improvements

In this paper we identify and quantitatively describe the actual providers of financial resources, termed actual payers, for transportation improvements in some advanced countries, using various statistical data. The theoretical framework on which the concept of actual payers is based was presented in our earlier paper (Transport Policy, April 1998). The current study presents the results of calculations performed according to that concept. Because of the complexity and variety of the financial resources drawn on by transportation systems, the means of financial support for transportation have not been made clear when superficial classifications such as National expenditures, Local expenditures, Owners/operators funds and Debt are used. In the present study, the financial support for transportation is calculated on the basis of what is spent by actual payers, such as users, payers of national taxes and payers of local taxes. This approach allows us to show that the shares of actual payers are quite different in each country. In addition, we indicate the characteristics of the shares of the actual payers in each country by calculating the ratio of the users burden or the dependence of debt, etc.

Effectiveness of Mobility Management in a Transportation Policy Aimed at Achieving the Kyoto Protocol – Kyoto Project for Studying an Efficient Car Utilization

This paper will discuss that as the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to a start, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions becomes an urgent topic in the transport sector. Although the share of car use in terms of a modal split in Kyoto, where the Kyoto Protocol was born, is rather low compared with other similar scale metropolitan areas around the world, activities concerning all citizens aimed at reducing their car use have become very popular. In particular, Mobility Management, a transportation policy which controls excessive car use by using communication skills, is producing good results. In this paper, the authors will show the successful results of the “Kyoto Project for Studying an Efficient Car Utilization” by introducing two specific projects. One of these is an example of how ridership for railways has dramatically increased as a result of the widespread execution of Workplace Mobility Management, and the other is an example that the ridership of buses has increased because of integration with commuter buses in industrial areas. Based on these results, and paying attention to the execution process of these projects, the authors analyze the factors leading to the successful results. Finally, the authors propose ideas for use in other areas with similar characteristics.

Management of Urban Consolidation Plan and Flood Disaster Prevention

Several studies have already indicated that building the compact urban layout issignificant countermeasure for reducing gasoline consumption and achieving more sustainable society. Meanwhile, so far Japanese cities have suffered from flooding caused by typhoons and heavy rain. As a prevent flood disaster, it should be effective that people retreat from hazardous areas from the hydrological point of view. The previously built up and presently underutilized land must be recycled as retarding basin. This study aims to evaluate the compact urban layout and desirable retreat patterns by SLIM CITY from the point of view of disaster prevention.