Transport and its Integration with the Urban Environment: How Do We Incorporate the Benefit of Urban Elements in Transport Projects Cost-benefit Analysis?

Abstract

Urban transport projects have great potential to influence public space and the way we understand the city. Nowadays, the design and cost-benefit analysis of transport infrastructure projects in Chile consider attributes mainly related to transport. However, the implementation of transport projects can also give additional benefits to the environment, which are not being considered by current methodologies, although their costs of implementation and maintenance are included. This article proposes a methodology using stated preferences (SP) to evaluate urban attributes in the transport planning context, considering three urban attributes: Existence of green areas, bike paths and bus corridors. The attributes were found to have a positive valuation in all sectors, reaffirming the importance of the qualities and characteristics of urban spaces. Therefore, these positive benefits should be incorporated in future evaluations.