Transportation characteristics change under rapid urban expansion: A case study of Shanghai

This paper focuses on the economic development and urban morphology as well as its impact on the transportation system during the urban expansion of Shanghai in the last more than 20 years (1986–2008). Based on data from 3 comprehensive transport surveys of Shanghai since 1986, the changes in residential trip demand, vehicle use, and the spatial distribution of trips were studied to understand the demands on the transportation system. The factors contributing to those changes in transportation demand were discussed, by which the conclusions were arrived: 1) economic development promotes population growth and stimulates residential trip demand greatly; 2) unsynchronized migration of population and job from central district to periphery district of Shanghai make trips and congestion diffuse in the same way; and 3) urban sprawl from a city center encourages the single-occupant vehicle mode, which imposes greater pressure on the roadway system. It is concluded that urban development should coordinate with the transportation system planning and expansion.