Demand-responsive transport (DRT) is expected to be a transport mode that solves first- and last-mile mobility problems. This study aimed to investigate the potential association of multimodal transport (buses or railways) with DRT on daily walking steps. Additionally, the reasons were examined in terms of changes in the frequency of multimodal trips and the reasons for choosing multiple modes. Senboku-NT was analyzed as an example of a DRT operation area. This study employed a quasi-experimental approach integrating the propensity score matching and difference-in-differences analysis. As a result, this study revealed that DRT is associated with daily walking steps through multimodal transport, including buses. Specifically, the average increase in daily walking steps was 1,730.74 [95% CI: 130.52, 3,330.96] steps/day. The increase was shown to be significantly greater than that of DRT alone. In addition, the frequency of bus use increased significantly from before to during the DRT operation period. Moreover, few participants reported using multimodal transport combined with DRT for the purpose of improving their health. These results suggest that multimodal transport, combining buses and DRT, may be highly effective in promoting physical activity based on the population approach, by inducing more frequent public transport journeys regardless of users’ health intentions. In contrast, the multimodal transportation of railway and DRT did not significantly increase the number of daily walking steps and use frequency. Therefore, this study suggests that the potential synergistic associations of multimodal transport, including buses and DRTs, may be significantly greater for first- and last-mile mobility.

This study aimed to examine the effect of a train fare subsidy program on daily walking steps. In addition, this study investigated the steps of the following subgroups: prime-aged adults (20–49 years old), middle-aged adults (50–64 years old), and older adults (≥65 years old). This study's research design was a 7-week randomized controlled trial of 900 participants who used the HealthSmart-Senboku smartphone application. This study subsidized the intervention group with either 2000 or 1000 points, which could be exchanged for digital train tickets worth JPY 2000 or JPY 1000 on the Senboku Rapid Railway. The participants were assigned to the control group or two intervention groups, with 300 participants per group. The primary outcomes were daily walking step data that were automatically recorded by the application. The results revealed that participants of all ages did not significantly change their daily walking steps at the 5 % significance level. Moreover, the intervention group (subsidized by 1000 points) significantly increased daily walking steps by 711.43 [–162.36, 1585.23] steps/day for prime-aged adults (p value = 0.048). Our findings suggest the effectiveness of a program coupled with train fare subsidies to promote active travel, with a focus on prime-aged adults. 

Demand-responsive transport (DRT) is promoted as an inclusive solution to first- and last-mile mobility challenges; however, there is limited information on the opportunities and challenges associated with its adoption by individuals in poor health. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the acceptability and utilization of DRT among these individuals. Senboku New Town (Senboku-NT), a representative Japanese old New-Town, was selected for the investigation. In Senboku-NT, a cross-sector partnership program was implemented to engage local communities in operating the DRT project. The results demonstrated that behavioral intention (BI) was positively influenced by habit (Ha), personal innovativeness (PI), and citizens’ engagement (CE). Additionally, use behavior (UB) was positively affected by Ha and PI. A key finding was the relationship between CE and BI, underscoring the crucial role of community involvement in DRT adoption. The impact of CE on BI was more substantial among individuals in good health compared to those with poor health. However, the findings revealed that BI alone is insufficient to ensure UB, especially for individuals in poor health. Despite a high willingness to use DRT, many individuals in poor health faced barriers, including a lack of nearby mobility spots, unclear location information, and difficulties using smartphone booking systems. The results support the recommendation to increase the density of mobility spots in residential areas to enhance DRT accessibility for vulnerable populations. 

Introduction: This study investigated the active travel effects of an mHealth app that exchanges daily walking steps for digital train tickets via the mHealth app called HealthSmart-Senboku. The mHealth app is a local smartphone app for residents and visitors to Senboku New-Town, Japan. The mHealth app has two unique incentives. The first point is the incentives of exchanging daily walking steps for shopping coupons in selected local stores in Senboku New-Town. The second point is an incentive to exchange daily walking steps for digital train tickets on the Senboku Line.

Method: The study design was a quasi-experimental study. The analysis period was approximately 13 months (8 months baseline and 5 months exposure periods). Our analysis set the outcome as daily walking steps, which were automatically recorded by the mHealth app. The treatment group is the train ticket user group. The covariate is the shopping coupon user group. The potential confounders are gender and age. This study adopted a difference-in-differences regression analysis.

Results: This study revealed that the mHealth app's incentives to exchange for train tickets increased users' daily walking steps by 626.243 [0.266, 1252.220] steps/day for 5 months at a 5 % significance level. The sensitivity analyses rigorously verified the robustness of the findings. The active travel effect of HealthSmart-Senboku was greater than that of other mHealth apps. In addition, the daily walking steps of the shopping coupon user group were 715.211 [277.418, 1153.004] steps/day greater than those of the shopping coupon non-user group.

Discussion and conclusion: This study concludes that HealthSmart-Senboku's ticket exchange incentives promote active travel among users. The reason might be related to the incentive design of mHealth apps based on active travel on public transportation. Our findings indicate the effectiveness of mHealth apps in providing incentives to encourage the use of public transportation in New-Towns.

New Towns (NTs) are essential habitats in metropolitan areas with many residents. However, in Asian countries, NTs have a design gap between theory and practice from the viewpoint of self-containment. This study aims to clarify the home range and visiting areas of residents who live in old-NT across generations using GPS tracking data. The areas were classified as Senboku-NT, Senboku-GB, the urban centers, and the other areas. The visiting areas were analyzed by four facility types across generations (young individuals, adults, and older adults). As a case study, this study selected Senboku-NT, which has approximately 48,000 older adults aged 60 years and above, accounting for 43.0 % of the total population. The results showed that a significantly higher number of older adults live within Senboku-NT. As a result, according to urban facility types, a significantly higher number of older adults visited healthcare and leisure facilities in Senboku-NT. This finding is important because it indicates that healthcare and leisure facilities for older adults may have begun to achieve self-containment according to the change from NTs to old NTs. Therefore, we need to redesign the living environment to accommodate the changing lifestyles of the growing number of older adults in old NTs. 

Abstract

Introduction: First- and last-mile mobility is an urgent urban issue in urban residential areas with increasingly older populations. Demand-responsive transport (DRT) is gaining attention as a means to resolve the urban issue. This study aimed to clarify the effect of DRT on residents' average daily walking steps. This study analyzed the case using the DRT demonstration project in Senboku New Town.

Method: A cohort study design was employed, and participants were recruited from users of a local smartphone application called “Health-Smart-Senboku.” An online questionnaire was administered to the participants. Propensity score matching was used to estimate the effects of potential confounding factors. Subsequently, a difference-in-differences analysis was performed on the changes in daily walking steps of DRT user and non-user groups.

Result: The results indicated that DRT operation significantly increased the average daily walking steps by 628.16 [95%C.I. −231.37 to 1487.70, p = 0.009] steps/day. These results are interesting because people in the DRT user group walked fewer steps than people in the DRT non-user group before the DRT operation period but walked more steps during the DRT operation period, increasing to the same level as the DRT non-user group. Furthermore, the average EQ-5D-5L score, a widely accepted index to assess health-related quality of life, is significantly higher in DRT user group (0.88) than in DRT non-user group (0.93) at a 5% significant level (p = 0.033). The results also indicated that the DRT user group took a private car significantly less often than the DRT non-user group. However, there were no significant differences between driver’s license possession in the DRT user and non-user groups.

Conclusion: This study concluded that DRT operation promoted walking among those with health-related problems who could not use private cars. These findings are significant because they indicate the social impact of DRT on well-being by increasing daily step counts.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing older adults’ acceptance and use of demand-responsive transport (DRT) in an old New Town (old NT). The old NTs have a high density of older people, differing from urban or rural areas. The selected case was Senboku New Town (Senboku-NT), one of the largest old NTs in Japan. This study applied the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model, moderating for age differences between older people and adults. Participants were recruited using a web-based questionnaire via a local smartphone application in Senboku-NT. As a result, we found a significant relationship between social influence and behavior intention for both older people (ßSI-BI = 0.347) and adults (ßSI-BI = 0.445). In addition, behavior intention was significantly correlated with performance expectancy for older people (ßPE-BI = 0.233) and with trust and safety for adults (ßTS-BI = 0.369). Regarding the importance of social influence, older people acquire face-to-face information via consultation meetings about DRT usage and referrals from family and friends. Therefore, our findings are directed to policymakers regarding the importance of emphasizing social influence to promote the use of DRT among older adults. The reason may be related to old NTs, which differ from urban and rural areas. These results provide interesting insights for generalizing our findings to DRT in old NTs.

Abstract

This study examined the community-led urban transformation project as a transdisciplinary approach in Senboku New Town (Senboku-NT). The research method employed a combination of case study and action research methodologies. In Senboku-NT, the population declined from approximately 170,000 to 115,000, and older adults account for 37.1% of the total population. The demographic change made it difficult for older people to live in Senboku-NT. Due to regional problems, local communities began to explore community-led urban transformation projects. The “Senboku Hottokenai Network Project” is a project in which vacant building stocks were gradually transformed into neighborhood healthcare facilities, including supportive housing for older people, a group home for people with disabilities, and a community restaurant. The urban transformations of the Senboku Hottokenai Network Project may have triggered those in the entire Senboku NT. Our main conclusions indicate the effectiveness of community-led urban transformation projects in old New Towns. The results of this study shed new light on the importance of community-led co-creation among multiple stakeholders as transdisciplinary projects toward the Healthy New Town. Our insight provides the need to implement a new movement program to extend the urban transformation project for the Healthy New Town to other old New Towns in East Asia. 

Abstract

In shrinking cities, old New-Towns have emerged as an urban issue in recent years as the population ages. New-Towns were quiet residential areas that flourished as neighborhoods that provided housing during the population boom from 1960 to 1990. New-Towns were developed on the design principle of Perry's neighborhood unit model. However, New-Towns have become “old New-Towns” with many older adults. The aim of this study is to examine the nonlinear relationship between population decline and urban transformation by using the urban transformation of houses in old New-Towns. This study analyzed the Osaka metropolitan area as a case study. The XGBoost algorithm was used to analyze the nonlinear relationship between urban transformation and population change. In conclusion, population decline correlates with the urban transformation of houses into health care facilities in old New-Towns in Japan. This means that the neighborhood unit model, which focuses on children, has changed to one that focuses on older adults. However, there have been fewer old NTs that transformed from housing to health care facilities than changes to other land uses. Therefore, urban planners need to develop policies to encourage the construction of health care facilities and mixed land use in old New-Towns.

Abstract

This study proposes a smart decline theory for old New Town with declining populations, focusing on the concept of System of Systems Engineering. The old New Town is a planned and large-scale suburban residential area for high-income workers. In old New Town, there were many detached houses with gardens. The method contrasts paradigms, models, theories, and cases in binary opposition. The results of this study are used to propose a smart decline theory based on the five following factors. (1) The stakeholder collaborates with residents’ associations in the neighborhood, local businesses, the government, and universities. (2) The objective and purpose are to provide various community services related to daily life such as welfare, health, food, and housing. (3) The priority is residents’ spirit of “leaving no one behind”. (4) The process is diverse, and asynchronous processes are conducted autonomously by stakeholders in line with their spirit. (5) The resources are vacancies in the neighborhood, such as vacant houses and stores, that have not been fully utilized at present. These factors of smart decline are important and this study clarifies them. The smart decline theory contributes to urban designs for designing shrinking cities.

Parent–child residential distance is a focus of housing policies in Japan, which is experiencing an aging society. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between mental health and parent–child residential distance for older parents. This study design was a cross-sectional study of older parents. The data utilized were anonymized data from the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. A two-way ANOVA test set the outcome variable as the K6 scale and the three predictors as age, gender, and parent–child residential distance. A statistically significant difference was found in the interaction between parent–child residential distance and age group. In particular, the average mental score of older parents over 75 years old living together with their children was above the cutoff value indicating serious mental illness. Meanwhile, the mental scores of older parents whose children lived in the same city did not differ significantly between those aged 65 to 74 years old and those aged 75 years and older. This study concludes that mental health is poorer among late-old-stage parents living closer to their children. This conclusion implicated the promotion of parent and child households moving to the same city from the viewpoint of mental health.

This study aims to clarify the statistical causal relationship between the locations of urban facilities and forecasted population changes according to types of residential clusters in the Osaka Metropolitan Fringe areas. This paper’s background is the location optimization plan policy formulated by the Japanese MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism) in 2015. The methods combined urban ecological analysis, cohort analysis, and Bayesian network analysis. Using the Bayesian network analysis, the causal relationship between the forecasted population change ratio and the urban facility location was analyzed. The results suggest the location of urban facilities for each residential cluster that will prevent a rapid population decline in the future. Specifically, in the sprawl cluster, this study found that residential areas closer to medical facilities will sustain the future population, while in the old new-town cluster, this study found that residential areas closer to train stations will best sustain the future population. However, in the public housing cluster, residential areas more distant from regional resources will best sustain the future population. Therefore, it is worth considering different urban designs in the old new-town and public housing clusters, rather than the location optimization plan policy.

This study aimed to clarify the effect of walkability on urban sustainability, according to the types of residential clusters in the Osaka Metropolitan fringe area. For this purpose, this study analyzed the statistical causal relationship between the Walkability Index and the Ecological Footprint to Biocapacity (EF/BC) ratio of each residential cluster. The EF/BC ratio is the ratio of the ecological footprint of the biocapacity of the residential clusters. As a result, the effect of walkability on urban sustainability was clarified depending upon the types of residential clusters in the Osaka Metropolitan fringe area. Specifically, it was found that the Walkability Index negatively affects the EF/BC ratio in the sprawl cluster. This suggests that, in the sprawl cluster, active efforts to improve the Walkability Index can contribute to the realization of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda). However, Walkability Index has a strong positive effect on the EF/BC ratio in the old new-town cluster, etc. For the residential clusters, the results of this study suggested that there is a necessity to improve urban sustainability through approaches other than improving Walkability.