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Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 44047

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Armando Cartenì

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Campania, via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, CE, Italy
Interests: transportation planning; sustainable mobility; particulate matter concentration; transportation environmental impacts; cost–benefit analyses; stakeholder engagement; travel demand modeling; discrete choice modeling; innovative technologies; transport market penetration; static traffic assignment; passengers/freight terminal simulation; intelligent transportation system; sharing mobility; mobility as a service
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Dr. Ilaria Henke

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio, 21, 80125 ,Napoli (NA), Italy
Interests: transportation planning; sustainable mobility; transportation environmental impacts; cost-benefit analyses; decision-Making in the transport sector; stakeholder engagement; travel demand modelling; discrete choice modelling; quality in public transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Starting in December 2019, the world has been facing an unprecedented health crisis caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2. The global spread was so rapid that the World Health Organization on 12 March 2020 officially declared a global pandemic. Nowadays, a second wave is taking place in all over the world, so it is even more important to understand how to design the most appropriate short, medium, and long-term strategies/policies to minimize the huge economic and social impact of this crisis. The lockdown of cities and regions together with specific mobility restrictions have been common practices implemented worldwide to contain and delay the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Furthermore, mobility habits and some environmental factors have played a central role in the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus has deeply affected the population globally, causing the world to become more reluctant to perform "unnecessary" activities (trips) and to become wary (fearful) of social interactions. Social distancing became first mandatory and then desirable, with significant consequences for the quality of life and for the global economy. In this context, also the transportation system (both passenger and freight) was impacted (e.g., limitation in passenger capacity for public services; reluctance towards crowded transport services), with still unknown consequences in the short and long period. However, this crisis could also be considered as an opportunity for relaunching social and welfare policies in addition to a sustainable development.

For these reasons, an advance in scientific knowledge has become a key issue to support all public and private actors across the globe that are facing this crisis. Therefore, Sustainability is inviting contributions of articles with this goal for publication in a Special Issue.

Of particular interest are original and/or review papers addressing (but not limited to) the following topics related to sustainability:

mobility habits incidence in the spread of the virus
transport system impacts caused by the COVID-19 and the pandemic restrictions (e.g., behavioral and mobility habits variation, modal share modification, environmental and pollutant impacts)
methods and models for predicting pandemic impacts on transportation system and travel demand
sustainable mobility, sharing transport services and micro mobility during and after the coronavirus crisis
resilience of the transportation system and transport services during the COVID-19 pandemic
social and economic equity impacts caused by the Coronavirus measures (e.g., mobility restrictions)
freight transport role and impacts during and after the pandemic
procurement and distribution of medical and healthcare materials
supply-chain management of medical, healthcare, and food goods
planning, policies, projects, best practices and solutions to improve the transportation system, encouraging the urban regeneration and the sustainable development during and after COVID-19
society impact and prevention actions
influences of environmental factors and/or air quality (e.g., temperature, humidity, particulate matters) on transmission of the virus
environment impacts due to the pandemic

Prof. Dr. Armando Cartenì
Dr. Ilaria Henke
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

SARS-CoV-2
Covid-19
Coronavirus
pandemic, mobility
transportation
accessibility
transportation planning
transport system
transport services
public transport
transport policy
behavioural model
travel demand
mobility habits
freight transport
logistic
procurement of medical and healthcare materials
economic impacts
social impacts
welfare
urban regeneration
sustainable development
environment impacts
air quality
particulate matters
social equity
resilience

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Editorial

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8 pages, 239 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic

by Armando Cartenì and Ilaria Henke

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2968; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052968 - 03 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1804

Abstract

Starting from December 2019, the world has faced an unprecedented health crisis caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

19 pages, 756 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Transport COVID-19-Safe: New Barriers and Policies to Implement Effective Countermeasures under User’s Safety Perspective

by Shanna Trichês Lucchesi, Virginia Bergamaschi Tavares, Miriam Karla Rocha and Ana Margarita Larranaga

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2945; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052945 - 03 Mar 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3030

Abstract

The COVID-19 emergency forced cities worldwide to adopt measures to restrict travel and implement new urban public transport solutions. The discontinuity and reduction of services made users recognize public transport systems as contamination vectors, and the decrease in the number of passengers can already be seen in several places. Thus, this study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban public transport. We used hybrid choice models (HCMs) to identify the new barriers and potential solutions to increase users’ perception of safety, considering preexistent perceptions of public transportation quality. We used data from an online survey with users of public transportation in a metropolitan area in southern Brazil. We identified that the main barriers to using public transport during virus transmission are related to the system characteristics that force constant interaction with other passengers. Crowded vehicles and crowded stops/stations were considered the most detrimental factor in feeling safe while riding in the COVID-19 outbreak. Countermeasures that reduce the contact with other passengers—directly (limit the number of passengers in vehicles) or indirectly (operate with large vehicles)—and increase offers are possible solutions to make users feel safe while riding. The results of this research might help reduce passenger evasion and migration to more unsustainable transport modes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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18 pages, 1079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of COVID-19 Mobility-Restricting Policies on Individual Travel Behavior in Malaysia

by Charitha Dias, Noorhazlinda Abd Rahman, Muhammad Abdullah and Nur Sabahiah Abdul Sukor

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13960; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413960 - 17 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3027

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in new postpandemic travel patterns as a result of the stay-at-home policies and restricted movement orders imposed by the Malaysian government. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in individual travel behavior after the government imposed a series of lockdowns, also known as movement control orders (MCO). From March to April 2021, a questionnaire survey was distributed throughout Malaysia, and 435 complete responses were collected. Results indicated that the respondents predominantly chose private cars for various traveling purposes during the pandemic. When choosing a travel mode during the pandemic, married respondents and essential workers placed a significantly higher priority on pandemic-related - items such as cleanliness, infection concern, social distance, and wearing face masks, compared to single respondents and nonessential workers. Binary logistic regression models were developed to estimate individuals’ propensity to make trips for different purposes, i.e., work/study, social activities, recreational activities, and religious activities. Results indicated that essential workers were nearly three times more likely than the general population to make a work trip during the pandemic. Regarding social and recreational trips, males were more likely to make such types of trips as compared to females. Furthermore, those who perceived a higher risk of infection were less likely to make social and recreational trips. Regarding religious trips, males were significantly more likely to make such trips during the pandemic as compared to females. In addition, Muslims had significantly higher odds of making a trip for religious purposes during the pandemic. The findings of this study could be useful in transportation planning when considering travel restrictions during pandemics based on peoples’ travel purposes and mode choices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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19 pages, 5389 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Capturing Twitter Negativity Pre- vs. Mid-COVID-19 Pandemic: An LDA Application on London Public Transport System

by Ioannis Politis, Georgios Georgiadis, Aristomenis Kopsacheilis, Anastasia Nikolaidou and Panagiotis Papaioannou

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13356; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313356 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2150

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has affected everyday life to a significant degree. The transport sector is no exception, with mobility restrictions and social distancing affecting the operation of transport systems. This research attempts to examine the effect of the pandemic on the users of the public transport system of London through analyzing tweets before (2019) and during (2020) the outbreak. For the needs of the research, we initially assess the sentiment expressed by users using the SentiStrength tool. In total, almost 250,000 tweets were collected and analyzed, equally distributed between the two years. Afterward, by examining the word clouds of the tweets expressing negative sentiment and by applying the latent Dirichlet allocation method, we investigate the most prevalent topics in both analysis periods. Results indicate an increase in negative sentiment on dates when stricter restrictions against the pandemic were imposed. Furthermore, topic analysis results highlight that although users focused on the operational conditions of the public transport network during the pre-pandemic period, they tend to refer more to the effect of the pandemic on public transport during the outbreak. Additionally, according to correlations between ridership data and the frequency of pandemic-related terms, we found that during 2020, public transport demand was decreased while tweets with negative sentiment were being increased at the same time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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15 pages, 2886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Urban Trips? Structural Interpretive Model of Online Shopping and Passengers Trips during the Pandemic

by Mostafa Ghodsi, Ali Ardestani, Arash Rasaizadi, Seyednaser Ghadamgahi and Hao Yang

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11995; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132111995 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2320

Abstract

Changing people’s shopping behavior from face-to-face to online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic led to reduced shopping trips, and this decrease directly affects traffic congestion and air pollution. Identifying the factors influencing the increase of online shopping behavior during the pandemic can be helpful for policymakers in the post-COVID-19 era. This study aims to discover the effect of factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and demographic characteristics on shopping attitude and, consequently, on shopping trips. Based on the interviews of ten experts, factors associated with COVID-19 and demographic characteristics are selected as influential factors on shopping attitude and shopping trips. For pairwise comparisons between these factors, a web-based questionnaire was designed and given to thirty experts. The relationship between all factors is examined using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Microscopic–Macroscopic (MICMAC) analysis. In addition, to prioritize factors, the IAHP model is employed. Based on the results, five levels of influential factors affect shopping attitude, which affects shopping trips: level 1, age and gender; level 2, income and education; level 3, the household size and the COVID-19 awareness; level 4, COVID-19 attitude and COVID-19 practice; and level 5, norm subject and shopping personal control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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18 pages, 6373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Public Transport during the Second COVID-19 Wave in Italy

by Armando Cartenì, Luigi Di Francesco, Ilaria Henke, Teresa Valentina Marino and Antonella Falanga

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11905; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132111905 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 2718

Abstract

Lockdown policies applied worldwide to limit the spread of COVID-19, and mainly based on health considerations, have negatively impacted on public transport (PT) usage, suspected as a means for the virus spreading due to difficulties ensuring social distancing. This resulted not only in a setback to sustainable mobility, but also impacting on equity and social exclusion issues. The paper aimed to cover this topic, investigating the conjecture that the spread of the coronavirus is directly correlated to PT usage. A correlation analysis among the daily number of certified coronavirus cases and the PT trips measured in the day in which the contagions occurred was performed within the second wave in Italy. The appropriateness of the case study is twofold because Italy was one of the main European countries with a high mass contagion and because the vaccination campaign had not yet started in Italy. Estimation results show a high correlation (up to 0.87) between COVID-19 contagion and PT trips performed 22 days before. This threshold indicates that quarantine measures, commonly set at two weeks and based only on incubation considerations, were inadequate as a containment strategy, and may have produced a possible slowdown in identifying new cases and hence, in adopting mitigation policies. A cause–effect test was also implemented, concluding that there is a strong causal link between COVID-19 and PT trips. The main issues discussed in this research cover the transportation and the health filed but also laid the groundwork for ethical considerations concerning the right to mobility and social equity. Obtained results could yield significant insights into the context variables that influence the spread of the virus, also helping appropriate definition of restrictive policies, thereby ensuring a sustainable recovery and development of urban areas in the post-pandemic era. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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16 pages, 2103 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Scenarios for the Development of Polish Passenger Transport Services in Pandemic Conditions

by Maria Cieśla, Sandra Kuśnierz, Oliwia Modrzik, Sonia Niedośpiał and Patrycja Sosna

Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10278; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131810278 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2689

Abstract

The article presents a prediction regarding the development of passenger transport services, considering random factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, based on scenario methods. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic has significantly affected the way passenger transport services are provided, mainly due to sanitary restrictions imposed by epidemiological services. At the same time, the communication behaviour of travellers has also changed, which in turn has influenced the demand for these services. The following study investigates transport service future development issues from multiple perspectives, including demand analysis, the selection of major factors influencing the development of passenger transport for individual Polish passengers using an online questionnaire, and scenario designs. The main purpose of this article is to build various scenarios for the development of passenger transport, considering changes in the demand for these services and factors related to their perception by the users of the means of transport. The main factors influencing the future development of passenger transport and the possible scenarios can support public transport service providers in planning their services in the post-shutdown phase as well as in their respective modelling development requirements. This can support the planning process with decision-making based on future behavioural trends. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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11 pages, 1441 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of COVID-19 on Air Transportation Network in the United States, Europe, and China

by Xiaoqian Sun, Sebastian Wandelt, Hartmut Fricke and Judith Rosenow

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9656; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179656 - 27 Aug 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3248

Abstract

The air transportation industry has undergone unprecedented changes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as measured in terms of flight cancellations, aircraft retirements, airline bailouts, and disconnection of worldwide communities. In this study, we performed a cross-comparison of the impact COVID-19 had on three aviation centers of the world—the United States, Europe, and China. Methodologically, we analyzed the air transportation system as complex networks and by using time series analysis. We discovered that the peak of COVID-19 impact was around April/May 2020, followed by a strong recovery mostly in domestic subsystems. We found a homogeneous impact on the United States, a strong heterogeneous impact on Europe, and a rather short-term impact on China. Domestic flight connectivity recovered much faster than international flight connectivity, particularly for the Chinese air transportation system. Our study provided a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the COVID-19 impact on air transportation for these three major regions, augmented by references to the rich scientific literature on this subject. We hope that our work opens up pathways to a better understanding and a higher degree of preparedness for future pandemics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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22 pages, 2604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

COVID-19 Countermeasures and Passengers’ Confidence of Urban Rail Travel in Bangkok

by Varameth Vichiensan, Yoshitsugu Hayashi and Sudarat Kamnerdsap

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9377; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169377 - 20 Aug 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3929

Abstract

Rail transit systems around the world have been suffering from heavily reduced ridership due to reduced capacity for social distancing and passengers’ concern over the risk of COVID-19 infection. Various countermeasures were implemented to reduce the COVID-19 risk so that passengers felt safe to travel on rail. The objectives of this study were to evaluate COVID-19 countermeasures of Bangkok’s urban rail from passengers’ viewpoints and examine its influence on passenger’s confidence. The background of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand and the rail countermeasures implemented in Bangkok were summarized. The data were obtained from an interview survey of 1105 railway passengers conducted at the stations during the second wave of the pandemic. Factor analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted. The results revealed that social distancing was not satisfied by the passengers but adversely caused inconvenience and increased infection risk when the station or rail were congested. On the other hand, the passenger temperature check, face mask enforcement, and hand sanitization countermeasures were found to highly and positively contribute to passengers’ confidence. Contact tracing application was also found to raise awareness and confidence. The findings provided insights for rail authorities and related agencies to effectively implement the countermeasures that would be practically and financially sustainable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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14 pages, 1603 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overview of Safety Measures at Selected Airports during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Monika Blišťanová, Michaela Tirpáková and Ľubomíra Brůnová

Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8499; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13158499 - 29 Jul 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4996

Abstract

The year 2020 was very challenging for the whole world, given the outbreak of the ongoing coronavirus-related pandemic, and was marked in particular by overcoming new hitherto unknown obstacles. For air transport, in particular, airlines stopped flying altogether and were forced to ground hundreds of planes worldwide involuntarily. Airports had to close their terminals for a long time, wholly suspend operations, and its resumption required significant organizational changes. This article summarizes the measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic adopted by airports to minimize the risk of spreading the disease. The article focuses on countermeasures and their implementation at selected airports in a specific time frame and airports’ behavior during a pandemic which varies depending on country and time of the year. The results demonstrated that steps being taken at airports include the use of face coverings or masks, social distance, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, or temperature checks and/or symptoms (fever, loss of smell, chills, cough, shortness of breath), RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) screening and data collection with health declaration. These measures have now become an essential standard for the operation of airports and can, therefore, be used to assess the level of airport safety achieved. In the final phase, the article evaluates the level of achieved airport safety based on the proposed scoring method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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22 pages, 5971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Regeneration Integrating Soft Mobility and Green Street Networks: A Case Study in the Metropolitan Periphery of Naples

by Renata Valente, Louise Mozingo, Roberto Bosco, Eduardo Cappelli and Carlo Donadio

Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8195; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13158195 - 22 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2730

Abstract

Public space and street networks form a significant and central determinant of urban quality. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has focused their crucial importance in the reorganisation of places that are “safe” because they allow movement through cities with minimal risk of contagion. While addressing the need for social distancing, open air exercise, and mobility without use of public transport, these measures resulted in other environmental and social benefits. Living with the coronavirus pandemic has produced a series of adaptative actions, such as barring or limiting automobile traffic, thereby expanding street space for pedestrians and bicyclists, whose impact is, as yet, difficult to fathom because of their contingent, temporary nature. In this context, this case study proposes a sustainable bicycle network to inform the future, permanent street redesign. Based on topographic, morphologic, and climatic data, it evaluates a series of contiguous road sections, defining redesign capacities and critical conditions to implement sustainable interventions to manage urban runoff, mitigate of extreme heat events, expand pedestrian paths and provide a bicycle network. This holistic approach to sustainable urban design evaluation, supported by reproducible data and parameters, serves as a replicable model for the sustainable redesign of roads in other urban settings. The extent, integration, and complexity of the study engaged an interdisciplinary framework, facilitating detailed planning and design and quantified assessments of environmental outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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20 pages, 346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Travel Demand Prediction during COVID-19 Pandemic: Educational and Working Trips at the University of Padova

by Riccardo Ceccato, Riccardo Rossi and Massimiliano Gastaldi

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6596; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13126596 - 09 Jun 2021

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3491

Abstract

The diffusion of the COVID-19 pandemic has induced fundamental changes in travel habits. Although many previous authors have analysed factors affecting observed variations in travel demand, only a few works have focused on predictions of future new normal conditions when people will be allowed to decide whether to travel or not, although risk mitigation measures will still be enforced on vehicles, and innovative mobility services will be implemented. In addition, few authors have considered future mandatory trips of students that constitute a great part of everyday travels and are fundamental for the development of society. In this paper, logistic regression models were calibrated by using data from a revealed and stated-preferences mobility survey administered to students and employees at the University of Padova (Italy), to predict variables impacting on their decisions to perform educational and working trips in the new normal phase. Results highlighted that these factors are different between students and employees; furthermore, available travel alternatives and specific risk mitigation measures on vehicles were found to be significant. Moreover, the promotion of the use of bikes, as well as bike sharing, car pooling and micro mobility among students can effectively foster sustainable mobility habits. On the other hand, countermeasures on studying/working places resulted in a slight effect on travel decisions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

17 pages, 5046 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Particulate Matter Short-Term Exposition, Mobility Trips and COVID-19 Diffusion: A Correlation Analyses for the Italian Case Study at Urban Scale

by Armando Cartenì, Furio Cascetta, Luigi Di Francesco and Felisia Palermo

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4553; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084553 - 20 Apr 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2810

Abstract

The conjecture discussed in this paper was that the daily number of certified cases of COVID-19 is direct correlated to the average particular matter (PM) concentrations observed several days before when the contagions occurred (short-term effect), and this correlation is higher for areas with a higher average seasonal PM concentration, as a measure of prolonged exposure to a polluted environment (long-term effect). Furthermore, the correlations between the daily COVID-19 new cases and the mobility trips and those between the daily PM concentrations and mobility trips were also investigated. Correlation analyses were performed for the application case study consisting in 13 of the main Italian cities, through the national air quality and mobility monitoring systems. Data analyses showed that the mobility restrictions performed during the lockdown produced a significant improvement in air quality with an average PM concentrations reduction of about 15%, with maximum variations ranging between 25% and 42%. Estimation results showed a positive correlation (stronger for the more highly polluted cities) between the daily COVID-19 cases and both the daily PM concentrations and mobility trips measured about three weeks before, when probably the contagion occurred. The obtained results are original, and if confirmed in other studies, it would lay the groundwork for the definition of the main context variables which influenced the COVID-19 spread. The findings highlighted in this research also supported by the evidence in the literature and allow concluding that PM concentrations and mobility habits could be considered as potential early indicators of COVID-19 circulation in outdoor environments. However, the obtained results pose significant ethical questions about the proper urban and transportation planning; the most polluted cities have not only worst welfare for their citizens but, as highlighted in this research, could lead to a likely greater spread of current and future respiratory and/or pulmonary health emergencies. The lesson to be learned by this global pandemic will help planners to better preserve the air quality of our cities in the post-COVID-19 era. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

27 pages, 620 KiB

Open AccessReview

Vehicle Routing Optimization for Pandemic Containment: A Systematic Review on Applications and Solution Approaches

by Keyong Lin, S. Nurmaya Musa and Hwa Jen Yap

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2053; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14042053 - 11 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2526

Abstract

The global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has accounted for many deaths. The effective containment of the current COVID-19 epidemic calls for a fast and sustainable delivery strategy to minimize the impact of this crisis. As such, this study aimed to conduct a comprehensive review of research on the vehicle routing problem (VRP) from a sustainable viewpoint during the pandemic and explore viable delivery solutions that may aid in the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a systematic review of the selected articles, four broad themes of pandemic containment measures from the delivery aspect were identified: efficient pharmaceutical delivery strategy, contactless distribution, sustainable waste transportation strategy, and isolated and quarantine vehicle scheduling. Following that, the methodology utilized to execute the containment measures were analyzed, research gaps were hightlighted, and possibilities for future studies were suggested. In summary, the goal of this research is to provide an overview of the literature on the application of VRPs in pandemic control and to assist academics and practitioners in learning more about the performance metrics, models, and solution techniques utilized in pandemic control delivery operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transportation Planning, Mobility Habits and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic)

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