SMART SOLUTIONS FOR RESILIENT TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE AND CITY LIVABILITY: EXAMPLES FROM THE
STATE OF CONNECTICUT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICAOLANREWAJU, Olaleye O.¹, OLUWOLE, Jacob D.²
& OGUNKAN David, PhD³
¹Department of Transportation Planning,
Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, Waterbury, CT, USA
²Department of Community and Regional Planning,
Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL, USA
³Department of Urban and Regional Planning,
Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Abstract
City livability is residents’ accessibility to effective and resilient infrastructure, sustainable environment, social harmony and economic wellness. Resilient transportation infrastructure has emerged as a critical global imperative, demanding that nations and cities implement smart solutions for designing, constructing, and maintaining roads, bridges, and other transit infrastructure so as to reduce the impacts associated with global warming, or other unexpected shocks. This chapter therefore gave thorough examples of smart solutions for resilient transportation infrastructure and city livability in the State of Connecticut, United States of America (USA) based on three objectives. Livability theory by Veenhoven (2000) and Resilience theory by Holling (1973) served as theoretical guide to this work. Closely related works examined the extent of transit infrastructural influence on livability, transportation infrastructure as a livability constraint, and residents’ experiences of how well transport systems satisfy their accessibility and transit needs in Lagos Metropolis. However, they did not give attention to smart solutions for resilient transportation infrastructure and city livability which identified a huge gap in literature. The methodology involved systematic review of peer-reviewed articles, policy documents, and reports. The result revealed that the State of Connecticut, U.S.A. is executing various smart solutions such as the use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies, multiple modes of transportation and eco-friendly transit initiatives to enhance resilient transportation infrastructure and city livability. The State uses cameras, photologs, sensors, exor and esri to collect and transmit real-time data for better traffic management, safety, control and recovery to ensure city livability. The state offers various routes and public transit options like trains, buses, and bikeways to enhance accessibility, safety and reduce reliance on personal vehicles and single route. Also, the state is investing in the use of electric and other eco-friendly vehicles to reduce emission of greenhouse gases and ensure ecological sustainability. Based on the results, it was recommended that each projects such as Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP), Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P), TIME For CT, National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program should be allotted proper funding for swift implementation of resilient infrastructure; and the government should ensure that electric vehicles are encouraged by providing incentives to motivate the citizens to adopt it so as to ensure environmental sustainability and improved livability.
Keywords:
Smart Solutions, Resilient Transportation Infrastructure, City Livability, Sustainability