published journal article
The current methods of franchising highways in America have been devised in haste and can be improved upon. The project should first be defined and then guided through environmental approval. The authors suggest that this should be done by an independent state body endowed with the mission of franchising highways. The project could then be auctioned, and the winning bidder would complete the final design and then finance, construct and operate the highway.
conference paper
In the research presented here, an attempt is made to analyze the entire daily activity pattern simultaneously in terms of its space, time, and activity category dimensions. The focus of the research is on developing procedures for the dynamic analysis of possible changes in activity patterns that may result from or lead to changes in the characteristics of the household. The intent is to trace the daily activity patterns of groups of travelers that have undergone significant change during multiple points in time, in a manner that will shed some light on both the nature and extent of associated changes in travel behavior. To check on the reliability of the modeling process and to understand its peculiarities, complementary analyses of pattern attributes, and time-series analyses of patterns were performed on the same data set. Results from these complementary analyses are briefly outlined here, and it is hoped that these results aid in placing the present approach in the perspective of the rich legacy of previous work.
conference paper
Alternative fuel adoption by heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) fleets can bring substantial benefits to both current local communities and future generations by reducing air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. A better understanding of HDV fleet operator perspectives towards alternative fuels can serve as the basis for developing effective policy suggestions that aim to accelerate the diffusion of these innovative technologies throughout the entire vehicle market. This study attempts to identify the factors that have influenced the decision for alternative fuel adoption or non-adoption made by HDV fleet operators in California. Through 18 in-depth qualitative interviews, a total of 25 adoption and 41 non-adoption cases were investigated across various alternative fuel options. Content analysis of the interview data yielded that the primary and most common factors comprised functional suitability, environmental consciousness, availability of vehicles, and regulations. Other important but less common factors were overall costs, vehicle purchase price, fuel price, fuel infrastructure, vehicle reliability and safety, contracts with municipalities, and financial incentives. Based on the key factors identified, testable propositions were developed and seven major hypotheses are presented. The study results help gain a better grasp of the demand-side aspects of alternative fuel adoption in the HDV sector in California.
published journal article
The impact of COVID-19 in the relationship between consumer-facing businesses and health and well-being remains understudied. In response, we utilized mixed methods to examine the perceived psychological benefits of urban parks and consumer-facing businesses among students from the University of California, Irvine before and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Overall, findings from photo-based close-ended questions indicated no significant disparity in perceived restorative quality, sentiment, and preference for urban third places before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. However, crowded third places exhibited a notable decline in sentiment and preference for third spaces following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Inductive content analysis of open-ended questions indicated a rise in visits to eating/drinking establishments and shops/stores post-COVID-19 lockdowns and a shift towards outdoor venues for activities. Findings support policy and planning efforts that promote healthy communities by maximizing the benefit of third places.
conference paper
published journal article
published journal article
A study was conducted to determine how demand for clean-fuel vehicles and their fuels is likely to vary as a function of attributes that distinguish these vehicles from conventional gasoline vehicles. For the purposes of the study, clean-fuel vehicles are defined to encompass both electric vehicles and unspecified (methanol, ethanol, compressed natural gas or propane) liquid and gaseous fuel vehicles, in both dedicated or multiple-fuel versions. The attributes include vehicle purchase price, fuel operating cost, vehicle range between refueling, availability of fuel, dedicated versus multiple-fuel capability and the level of reduction in emissions (compared to current vehicles). In a mail-back stated preference survey, approximately 700 respondents in the California South Coast Air Basin gave their choices among sets of hypothetical future vehicles, as well as their choices between alternative fuel versus gasoline for hypothetical multiple-fuel vehicles. Estimates of attribute importance and segment differences are made using discrete-choice nested multinomial logit models for vehicle choice and binomial logit models for fuel choice. These estimates can be used to modify present vehicle-type choice and utilization models to accommodate clean-fuel vehicles; they can also be used to evaluate scenarios for alternative clean-fuel vehicle and fuel supply configurations. Results indicate that range between refueling is an important attribute, particularly if range for an alternative fuel is substantially less than that for gasoline. For fuel choice, the most important attributes are range and fuel cost, but the predicted probability of choosing alternative fuel is also affected by emissions levels, which can compensate for differences in fuel prices.
working paper
This study examines electronic integration in logistics supply chains using the non-integrated US-international air cargo industry as a case study. We ask what impact electronic integration has on interorganizational task performance, and hypothesize about factors limiting the effectiveness of electronic integration. Surprisingly, our study does not find evidence of direct impacts of electronic integration on performance though it does find evidence of indirect impacts of information systems use and performance. The findings suggest that the use of electronic integration as a strategy to improve operational performance across firms is limited by the nature of the interorganizational task, environmental dynamism, and the power relationship between firms in the supply chain.
published journal article
conference paper