Research
Research papers
Mobility and Congestion in Urban India
Published
There is an extreme paucity of useful knowledge about urban transportation in developing countries. This research article provides the first systematic multi-city investigation of urban travel in a developing country. Using a popular web mapping service, we document large differences in speeds across Indian cities. The fastest Indian cities are twice as fact as the slowest cities. But this variation in speeds is driven primarily by uncongested speed, not by congestion delay at popular hours of travel. The slowest cities are slow at all times of the day, even in the absence of traffic in the middle of the night. Denser and more populated cities are slower, but only in part because of congestion.
The Fast, the Slow, and the Congested:
Urban Transportation in Rich and Poor Countries
Working Paper
Urban transportation is a major policy concern in every large city worldwide, but we know little about what determines urban traffic speed. This research article provides new evidence on why traveling speed varies across cities using a novel global transportation database. Results show a strong relationship between a country’s income level and the travel speed of urban residents by motor vehicle. Richer countries are faster mainly because of more major roads and lower population density, leading to a higher uncongested speed, not lower congestion.
Works in Progress
Accessibility, City Size, and Economic Development
Work in Progress
This project builds a comprehensive dataset of all establishments in more than 1300 cities on all five continents. We record each establishment’s exact location and business category such as “hospital” or “airport” and use this dataset to measure urban accessibility in world cities and understand its determinants. This data base will be an important global resource for urban planners, and researchers in economic development, urban labor markets, and transportation. In particular, our methods and data will allow urban policymakers to effectively assess accessibility challenges within their city, and to measure whether poor access depends on slow travel speed, high congestion, or long distances to establishments.
Remote Work and Urban Transportation
Work in Progress
This projects studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent surge in remote work on urban travel speeds globally. A key motivation behind working from home is to save on commuting costs. For large cities, such a reduction in commutes has the potential to reduce traffic congestion, raise travel speed, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with personal transportation. On the other hand, better driving conditions may attract other travelers and offset the initial speed gain.
Speed and Reliability of Road Travel in the World
Work in Progress
This projects documents large differences in intercity travel speed across countries. These differences are positively correlated with a country’s income level. They are not explained by differences in congestion and only partially explained by observable attributes of roads and their surrounding environment.