Feasibility Analysis of Green Travel in Public Transportation: a Case Study of Wuhan
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sustainability Article Feasibility Analysis of Green Travel in Public Transportation: A Case Study of Wuhan Junjun Zheng, Yi Cheng, Gang Ma *, Xue Han and Liukai Yu Economics and Management School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; [email protected] (J.Z.); [email protected] (Y.C.); [email protected] (X.H.); [email protected] (L.Y.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 3 July 2020; Accepted: 11 August 2020; Published: 12 August 2020 Abstract: The demand to alleviate urban traffic and reduce air pollution puts forward high requirements for green travel in public transportation. Thus, study of the feasibility of urban green travel in public transportation is necessary. This study focuses on it from two aspects: City level by complex network and individual level by structural equation model. As for the former, point of interest data on the spatial distribution of urban public transportation in Wuhan city are quantitatively analyzed. Then, a complex network of public transportation in Wuhan is constructed by using the Space L method, and the network characteristics are analyzed. Results show that accessibility coverage is mainly concentrated in the central urban area, and two significant central nodes exist, namely, Linshi and Zhaohu stations. At the individual level, 354 valid questionnaires and the structural equation model were used to explore the factors affecting individual intention of public transportation. Behavioral perceptual outcome, behavioral attitudes, and subjective norms have positive influences on the behavioral intention of public transportation, among which the behavioral attitudes are the most significant, and the subjective norms had the lowest influence. Some suggestions are proposed for Wuhan to improve urban accessibility and for individuals to increase green travel in public transportation. Keywords: complex network; green travel; structural equation model; theory of planned behavior 1. Introduction 1.1. Context Public transportation can alleviate urban air pollution problems and has attracted extensive attention from governments of various countries [1]. Urban areas, urban population density, public facilities construction, and spatial distribution constantly develop and change, followed by the diversification and complexity of people’s value orientation, desire evolution, and behavior choices in aspects, such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation. How to guarantee public transportation at a city level effectively is a difficult problem. As shown in Figure1, China’s urbanization is in a period of rapid development, but the supply growth of urban public facilities and infrastructure services does not fully match with urbanization development. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6531; doi:10.3390/su12166531 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2020, 12, 6531 2 of 22 Sustainability 2020, 12, 6531 2 of 22 Sustainability 2020, 12, 6531 2 of 22 Figure 1. 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Therefore, scientific and reasonable space network planning is crucial for improving urban environmental quality [2]. Figure 2. Changes of urban public transport services in China. (Source: China Statistical Yearbook). Figure 2. Changes of urban public transport services in China. (Source: China Statistical Yearbook). Figure 2. Changes of urban public transport services in China. (Source: China Statistical Yearbook). Sustainability 2020, 12, 6531 3 of 22 Sustainability 2020, 12, 6531 3 of 22 Figure 3. Passenger volume change of urban public transport in China. (Source: China FigureStatistical 3. Passenger Yearbook). volume change of urban public transport in China. (Source: China Statistical Yearbook). 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