Interaction between urbanisation, infrastructure

TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, [A+BE] Graduate School
Interaction between urbanisation, infrastructure development and public transport
use in the Randstad; a long-term analysis
Keywords: Urbanisation, Transport infrastructure, Travel behaviour, Randstad, Long-term
OTB Department / Urban and Regional development
Area of Research: Urban Transport Studies
Dena Kasraian
PhD started in: February 2012
Master in Urbanism
TU Delft (2010)
Bachelor in Architecture
SBU, Tehran (2007)
Promotor(s):
Prof. dr. Bert van Wee
Daily Supervisor(s):
Dr. Kees Maat
E-mail:
[email protected]
Phone: +31 6 14505952
Research Summary:
Infrastructure development, urbanisation and travel behaviour interact with one another.
A rise in urbanisation induces travel demand and requires infrastructure, while every piece
of new infrastructure also creates demand. There are now many studies, analysing the
relationship between travel behaviour and the development of the built environment (see
for overviews TRB, 2009 for the US, and van Wee and Maat, 2003, for the Netherlands).
While empirical research on the relationship between the built environment and travel
behaviour is abundant, the interaction between the built environment and infrastructure
development is investigated to a lesser extent. Particularly there is a lack of long-term
empirical studies analysing the development of infrastructure and the built environment
simultaneously. In the Netherlands, a main reason for this gap was the unavailability of
consistent data over a longer period. Nonetheless, recently, such land use and infrastructure data became available, partly as GIS data, and was processed by us to a consistent
dataset. The aim of this research is to unravel the interaction between urbanisation,
infrastructure development and public transport travel behaviour (especially train) over
time, in the greater Randstad area, between 1850 and 2010 and reflect on its role for
further policy-making.
Research Methodology:
To investigate this interaction, a longitudinal approach is applied. The various large data
sources will be analysed with the help of geographical information systems and statistical
modeling. The used databases include Dutch National Travel Survey NTS, Historical land
use HGN, Land use and socio-demographic data (CBS) among others.
Key Publications:
- Kastraian, D. & K. Maat (2013), Interaction of rail infrastructure and urbanisation in the
Netherlands; a preliminary analysis. paper submitted to Colloquium Vervoersplanologisch
Speurwerk (CVS). Rotterdam. 21-22 November.
Main Question:
How did urbanisation and transport
infrastructure interact, how did
they affect accessibility and
public transport use, and what
role did the socio-economic and
policy context play, in the greater
Randstad area between 1850 and
2010, and what does this mean for
further policy-making?
Deliverables:
Four articles in peer reviewed
journals: one literature review
article plus three empirical
articles, each focusing on a
different time-frame/aspect of
the abovementioned interaction.
Link(s): www.otb.tudelft.nl
Updated: January 15, 2014
Updated: November, 2013

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