Social dimensions of transportation | Harvey J. Miller

Miller, H.J. (2015) “Space-time data science for a speedy world,” I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society, 10, 705-720.

Abstract: Space-adjusting technologies such as transportation and information/communication technologies are accelerating our world in complex ways. A speedy world has benefits but also challenges attempts to make it more sustainable and resilient. Our capabilities for observing human dynamics have improved dramatically, but less well developed are capabilities for extracting relevant space-time knowledge and making decisions while that knowledge is still fresh. This paper reviews the challenges and issues involved in developing space-time data science to deliver actionable knowledge quickly in a speedy world.

We have another paper published from the Moving Across Places Study (MAPS) of physical activity levels before and after light rail construction and street rehabilitation in a low-income and ethnically mixed neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah. This paper appears in Preventive Medicine: “Physical activity mediates the relationship between perceived crime safety and obesity.”

Our study suggests that residents’ low perceived safety is related to more obesity and higher BMI; lower physical activity among residents explained part of this relationship. Policy implication: it is crucial to address perceived crime safety as part of broader efforts to enhance active living. Not a shocking conclusion, but this is the type of basic social needs that can be neglected as we rush to build bike paths, plant trees and install street furniture.