Urban Transportation Problems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Urban Transportation Problems - Assignment Example g this, there are two policies that present problems: the first, that city governments mismanage curb parking, and second, that city governments required developers to provide free parking or extensive off-street parking (Klein, 2006). In truth, free parking is not free, since easily the required parking for a business establishment, such as a restaurant, may occupy a space three times that of the establishment itself. In the US, the subsidy to parking may easily reach $127 billion to $374 billion annually, not yet counting curb parking which is either free or underpriced (Shoup, 2005). Furthermore, it makes people feel that they are entitled to free parking as a right. Free parking and off-street parking, when carried to excess, tends to â€Å"increase traffic congestion and air pollution, distort urban form, degrade urban design, increase housing costs, limit homeownership, damage the urban economy, harm the central business district, and penalize poor families (Shoup, 2005:592). More importantly, it has an effect on the demand for public mass transportation facilities. Because parking becomes convenient, there is a general tendency for people to choose to travel in their own private cars, instead of taking public transportation, or even in lieu of cycling and walking (Shoup, 2005:2-3). It was found that in urban neighbourhoods that are required to provide parking spaces, residents were 28% more likely to travel by automobile than residents in areas where parking supply is optional and therefore less (Litman, January 2010). Since private cars would be able to carry travellers from their homes to within close proximity to their destination, the c onvenience afforded by free parking makes it the transportation medium of choice. Pursuant to Anthony Down’s triple convergence principle, there are three types of convergence: spatial convergence, when drivers tend to come together at peak hours to a principal thoroughfare; time convergence, when more cars elect to

Methodology Chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Methodology Chapter - Essay Example Some researchers claim that unless human behavior can be expressed in numerical terms, it cannot be accurately measured (cited by Jones, 2004). Qualitative data covers a range of material collected from previous research, literature review, case studies and unstructured interviews. Some researchers argue that the qualitative approach is better as it provides greater depth. The relationship between research philosophy and research method is important as it allows one to take an informed decision about the research approach, decide which methods are appropriate for the research, and also determine the constraints that may affect the research (Knox, n.d.). Research philosophy highlights different schools of thought on the how to conduct research. Arguments should be evaluated in different ways because primarily arguments have different roles and purposes and people assess according to the purpose in their mind. At times arguments provide useful information depending on one’s knowledge of how the world works. In a different setting, one can take an abstract approach and ask what follows from a given set of information and then decide on the outcome. Arguments can be evaluated in two qualitatively different ways – in terms of their deductive correctness or in terms of inductive strength (Rips, 2001). Logical positivism employs the quantitative and experimental methods to test deductive generalizations (Amaratunga et al.,). This requires independence of the observer from the subject being observed. Hypotheses have to be formulated in advance for subsequent verification. The explanations in this method are reduced to the simplest possible elements in order to facilitate analysis. Positivism claims that generalizations can be made from a set of events in that past and future decisions can be taken accordingly. The quantitative approach places great stress on numbers that represent