University of Twente Student Theses
Urban mobility and Accessibility dynamics : Assessment of a car-oriented intervention in Aguascalientes, Mexico
Roman Carrillo, Liza Fernanda (2024) Urban mobility and Accessibility dynamics : Assessment of a car-oriented intervention in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
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| Abstract: | As urban areas expand globally, there is a growing reliance on private cars, shaping cities into car-oriented environments. The uneven development of transport infrastructure has distinct implications for different social groups, but the most popular transport appraisal methods fail to account for these differences. Therefore, evaluating the impacts of transport projects and examining how these effects are distributed spatially and among different social groups becomes essential. This thesis investigates how the construction of extensive new car infrastructure influences urban mobility and accessibility dynamics in a developing mid-size city. Using Aguascalientes, Mexico, as a case study, it examines how accessibility to leisure destinations — parks, malls, museums, and cinemas— changed between 2019 and 2024 and whether these changes are distributed proportionally in space and among socioeconomic groups. The study employs a mixed-method approach. It combines a descriptive analysis with an assessment of accessibility levels using contour and gravity-based indicators, focusing on both geographic and social distribution. Results indicate that, after the city became more car-oriented, inhabitants made more short trips by car instead of walking, the distance of their walking trips increased, and they are willing to travel longer distances to reach leisure destinations, regardless of the travel mode. Three benefits frequently perceived among inhabitants are the increase in car infrastructure, more access to recreational facilities, and a reduction in travel costs. The accessibility analysis revealed that car users enjoy very high levels of accessibility throughout the city, whereas pedestrians face greater difficulty reaching leisure destinations. Although the accessibility model has some limitations, the overall assessment underscores the need for more comprehensive evaluation techniques to assess the positive and negative effects of transport interventions. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation |
| Subject: | 55 traffic technology, transport technology |
| Programme: | Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation MSc (75014) |
| Awards: | ITC Excellence Schollarship |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/103089 |
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