Green commuting within the x-minute city: Towards a systematic evaluation of its feasibility

In cities, carbon emissions associated with commuting transport is large and significant. This study integrates data about the jobs-housing relationship, road network configurations, public transport availability, and real-time traffic conditions during peak hours to evaluate the commuting feasibility and performance of green travel modes (walking, cycling and public transport) and explore the potential determining factors. In the context of the x-minute city, the green travel commuting feasibility (GTCF) indicator measures the percentage of the working population who can commute via green travel modes within specific x-minute thresholds. 15, 30, 45 and 60 min have been considered. In comparison, the car travel commuting feasibility (CTCF) indicator is developed to evaluate the corresponding commuting performance by car. Nanshan district of Shenzhen in China is taken as a case study. Results show that distinct gaps exist between GTCF and CTCF. Public transport performs well only for long-distance (> 8 km) commuting trips, and cycling does well for short (< 3 km) and medium-distance trips. Geographically, areas with large differences of GTCF and CTCF are identified for improving green travel modes with priority. Potential factors influencing GTCF are explored with a regression model and case-based analysis. Smaller street blocks, bus route realignment and better jobs-housing balance should be targeted. Designing cycling short-cuts and public transport routes that avoid traffic jams are also recommended to promote green commuting. The findings demonstrate that real-time trip-planning information is of great value in evaluating the commuting feasibility of multimodal travel and identifying influential factors for achieving the x-minute city.