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Advances in the Development of Resilient, Reliable and Sustainable Transportation Networks

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 9056

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
COSYS/GRETTIA, University Gustave Eiffel, 5 Boulevard Descartes, F-77454 Marne-la-Vallée, France
Interests: mobility management; multimodal traffic modeling and control; intelligent transportation systems; resilience; reliability; quality of service

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue of the "Sustainability" Journal that explores "Advances in the Development of Resilient, Reliable and Sustainable Transportation Networks". This issue aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and innovations associated with transportation systems.

Transportation networks are vital cornerstones of modern society, connecting people, goods, and information, and thus furthering both urban and economic development. The efficiency of passenger and fret transport profoundly influences economic exchanges and regional growth. However, transportation is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and is responsible for nearly a quarter of global CO2 emissions as per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. The interplay between transportation and climate change, in which climate-related challenges impact transportation and vice versa, underlines the urgent shift towards sustainable and resilient transportation.

By integrating technological advances, data analysis, and alternative transport solutions, scholars and managers have proposed a range of mobility management, operations, and control strategies, which will help with the creation of efficient and eco-conscious transportation systems.

Several pathways of advancement have emerged in this quest to cultivate transportation systems that balance efficiency and environmental considerations. Remarkable strides have been made to achieve smoother traffic flow, reduced congestion, improved air quality, and heightened overall sustainability within urban areas. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), which optimize traffic management strategies, alleviate congestion, and elevate overall transportation efficiency, hold particular significance. The emergence of connected and autonomous vehicles introduces transformative potential, while the concept of multimodality enhances public transportation utilization. Concurrently, a plethora of new transportation services such as ride sourcing, demand-responsive services, e-scooters, and other shared mobility solutions have emerged, offering flexible motorized transit options and contributing to the micro-transit landscape. Elevating the complementarity among different transportation modes and integrating smart solutions like 'Mobility as a Service' further play pivotal roles in advancing transportation sustainability, while integrating eco-driving technologies promotes fuel efficiency and decreased emissions.

Resilience, the ability to withstand and recover from disruptions, is essential for functional networks amid challenges like natural disasters. Reliability, referring to consistent and predictable services, impacts user satisfaction. Transportation resilience research is growing, and concepts like Resilience As A Service (RaaS) are gaining traction. RaaS promotes collaborative efforts among operators to offer dependable services amid disruptions, fortifying the transportation ecosystem.

For this Special Issue, both original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to):

  1. Innovative approaches to mobility management in urban environments.
  2. Optimization techniques for transportation operations and logistics.
  3. Control strategies for intelligent and adaptive transportation systems.
  4. Integration of emerging technologies (IoT, AI, Big Data) in transportation networks.
  5. Resilience-enhancing measures against disruptions and uncertainties.
  6. Hazard and vulnerability analysis for risk estimation related to transport systems.
  7. Multi-modal transportation solutions for seamless mobility.
  8. Sustainable practices in transportation planning and design.
  9. Policy recommendations for promoting reliable and sustainable transportation networks.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Neïla Bhouri
Dr. Tiziana Campisi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mobility management and control
  • sustainability
  • resilience
  • reliability
  • ITS
  • eco-driving
  • autonomous vehicles
  • multi-modal transportation
  • MaaS

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 24582 KiB  
Article
Towards Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure: Hurricane-Induced Roadway Closure and Accessibility Assessment in Florida Using Machine Learning
by Samuel Takyi, Richard Boadu Antwi, Eren Erman Ozguven, Leslie Okine and Ren Moses
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 3909; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093909 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 680
Abstract
Natural disasters like hurricanes can severely disrupt transportation systems, leading to roadway closures and limiting accessibility, which has extreme economic, social, and sustainability implications. This study investigates the impact of hurricanes Ian and Idalia on roadway accessibility in Florida using machine learning techniques. [...] Read more.
Natural disasters like hurricanes can severely disrupt transportation systems, leading to roadway closures and limiting accessibility, which has extreme economic, social, and sustainability implications. This study investigates the impact of hurricanes Ian and Idalia on roadway accessibility in Florida using machine learning techniques. High-resolution satellite imagery, combined with demographic and hurricane-related roadway data, was used to assess the extent of road closures in southeast Florida (Hurricane Ian) and northwest Florida (Hurricane Idalia). The model detected roadway segments as open, partially closed, or fully closed, achieving an overall accuracy of 89%, with confidence levels of 92% and 85% for the two hurricanes, respectively. The results showed that heavily populated coastal regions experienced the most significant disruptions, with more extensive closures and reduced accessibility. This research demonstrates how machine learning can enhance disaster recovery efforts by identifying critical infrastructure in need of immediate attention, supporting sustainable resilience in post-hurricane recovery. The findings suggest that integrating such methods into disaster planning can improve the efficiency and sustainability of recovery operations, helping to allocate resources more effectively in future disaster events. Full article
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31 pages, 2893 KiB  
Article
Connectivity, Reliability and Approachability in Public Transport: Some Indicators for Improving Sustainability
by Neila Bhouri, Tiziana Campisi, Maurice Aron and S. M. Hassan Mahdavi
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020645 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1300
Abstract
The reliability of public transport connectivity is influenced by factors such as route design, frequency, availability and infrastructure. Using a shortest path algorithm, we identify up to “k” space–time paths for each origin–destination pair (OD), considering schedules and maximum tolerable waiting times. We [...] Read more.
The reliability of public transport connectivity is influenced by factors such as route design, frequency, availability and infrastructure. Using a shortest path algorithm, we identify up to “k” space–time paths for each origin–destination pair (OD), considering schedules and maximum tolerable waiting times. We propose four reliability indicators and an approachability indicator to assess transport supply. These indicators are calculated at path, OD and network levels using two sets of equations. This framework enables fleet managers to evaluate and compare strategies to improve connectivity reliability and equity, such as increasing route frequency, optimizing lengths or expanding the network. Enhancing connectivity reliability encourages modal shifts to public transport, while improving approachability minimizes resource usage, contributing to sustainability. An application to the bus network of a city in Brittany, France, demonstrates the practical use of these indicators in evaluating and optimizing transport strategies. Full article
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20 pages, 8302 KiB  
Article
Failure-Resistant Path Selection Considering Netizens’ Sentiment Orientation Under Typhoon Disasters
by Zhenning Zhou, Jiaqi Yu, Gao Gao, Zhengfeng Huang, Jintao Han and Pengjun Zheng
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10440; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310440 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 843
Abstract
After a typhoon disaster, selecting effective paths is crucial for ensuring the efficiency of emergency rescue operations and the distribution of essential supplies, which are vital for sustainable disaster response and community resilience. Current research into disaster scenarios is less aligned with actual [...] Read more.
After a typhoon disaster, selecting effective paths is crucial for ensuring the efficiency of emergency rescue operations and the distribution of essential supplies, which are vital for sustainable disaster response and community resilience. Current research into disaster scenarios is less aligned with actual scenarios as road conditions are hard to predict. This paper, set against the backdrop of typhoon disasters, employs netizens’ sentiment data to indirectly assess post-disaster road conditions and refine the calculation formula for road failure probabilities. This approach aims to identify failure-resistant paths to guide disaster relief decisions, thereby supporting sustainable disaster relief operations and minimizing resource expenditure. First, an expression form for road segment failure probability is established, considering factors such as tree falls, landslides, and waterlogging. Second, negative sentiment coefficients, derived from social media data analysis, are used to adjust road failure probabilities, reflecting the sentiments of affected communities. Then, a failure-resistant path selection model based on these adjusted road failure probabilities is proposed to enhance the resilience and sustainability of emergency transport paths. Finally, the model’s effectiveness is validated using Typhoon “In-Fa” in Ningbo as a case study. Full article
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20 pages, 4750 KiB  
Article
Identifying Critical Links in Degradable Road Networks Using a Traffic Demand-Based Indicator
by Qiang Tu, Han He, Xiaomin Lai, Chuan Jiang and Zhanji Zheng
Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 8020; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188020 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1478
Abstract
The primary traffic-based indicators for identifying critical links account for travel time, transportation efficiency, and traffic demand. These indicators are seldom applied to scenarios in which link capacity degradation occurs across the entire network. In addition, the commonly used traffic demand-based indicator, known [...] Read more.
The primary traffic-based indicators for identifying critical links account for travel time, transportation efficiency, and traffic demand. These indicators are seldom applied to scenarios in which link capacity degradation occurs across the entire network. In addition, the commonly used traffic demand-based indicator, known as unsatisfied demand, can only work when there are disconnected origin–destination (OD) pairs in the network. In this context, this study incorporates the concept of a degradable road network to represent such scenarios and introduces a new network-wide traffic demand-based indicator, defined as late arrival demand (LAD), to identify critical links. Specifically, we built a late arrival rate (LAR)-based user equilibrium (UE) model to capture travel behavior and estimate the LAD in degradable road networks. Then, LAD and four other indicators were introduced to identify critical links in the framework of the LAR-based UE model. Finally, the Nguyen–Dupuis and Sioux Falls networks were employed for numerical experiments. The results, under various levels of traffic demand and degradation, demonstrate that LAD is a flexible and effective network-wide traffic demand-based indicator. This new approach provides insights that can help managers assess link criticality in degradable road networks from the perspective of traffic demand. Full article
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22 pages, 6554 KiB  
Article
Signal-Free Corridor Development and Their Impact on Pedestrians: Insights from Expert and Public Surveys
by Muhammad Abdullah, Nazam Ali, Muhammad Ashraf Javid, Muhammad Waqar Aslam and Charitha Dias
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14480; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914480 - 4 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3101
Abstract
Increasing vehicular demand has compelled decision makers to turn urban roads into signal-free corridors (SFCs) in Lahore. These corridors aim at prioritizing car flow over other modes and consist of various car-centric projects (CCPs), such as continuous flow intersections, grade separation, and continuous [...] Read more.
Increasing vehicular demand has compelled decision makers to turn urban roads into signal-free corridors (SFCs) in Lahore. These corridors aim at prioritizing car flow over other modes and consist of various car-centric projects (CCPs), such as continuous flow intersections, grade separation, and continuous through movement. These projects often ignore pedestrian requirements and, thus reduce pedestrian safety. Considering the ongoing development projects in Lahore, this study aimed at evaluating the concept of SFCs. A total of 6 existing SFCs were identified in Lahore, which lacked basic pedestrian infrastructure. An expert survey was then conducted to understand the purpose of creating these SFCs, their effects on pedestrians, and the way forward. The thematic analysis regarding the purpose of creating these SFCs and their effect on pedestrians indicated the prioritization of private cars and pedestrian safety issues as the two underlying themes. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of pedestrians on these two themes, i.e., pedestrian safety and car priority. Principle component analysis extracted two components labeled as pedestrian safety and car priority. Component scores were computed, and the three CCPs were then compared using non-parametrical tests in terms of both these components. According to the results, continuous flow intersections were declared to be significantly safer than continuous through movement and grade separation, whereas continuous flow intersection was found to be prioritizing cars over pedestrians significantly more than continuous through movement and grade separation. Finally, policy implications were presented for practitioners. Full article
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