Yeojin Kim: UEP Thesis Award Winner, 2023
Socio-Economic and Built Environment Analysis of NYC Citi Bike Electric Bike Share Origin and Destinations
This outstanding thesis uses quantitative and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis to investigate travel behavior on the station based electric bike share system (E-BSS) in New York City, explore the impacts of socioeconomic and built environment characteristics and pricing on E-BSS trip durations, and analyze the effects of E-BSS on the accessibility of origin and destination areas. The thesis is contextualized in a comprehensive review of the literature, clearly structured, and presented in a thorough way with convincing evidence to support the findings. The data and method used for this research is appropriate and described in good detail. This thesis revealed interesting findings -- that E-BSS was used for slightly longer distances and duration than classic bikes and that four built environment characteristics had statistically significant impact on trip duration -- which were effectively presented through well-done maps and figures. Furthermore, while race and income were not statistically significant for trip duration, the thesis found that socioeconomic segregation and disparity of E-BSS use are linked with the lack of E-BSS accessibility for low-income Black groups. These findings have policy implications for how to improve the deployment of non-motorized transportation modes in cities.
Abstract
