Mobility Hubs: Review and Future Research Direction

Abstract

Globally, cities face a range of transport-related environmental, social, and economic challenges, not least congestion, air pollution, and promotion of sustainable modes of public transport. Mobility hubs (MHs) have been identified as a mechanism to aid the move toward a sustainable transport network and are at various stages of implementation in cities throughout the world. The growing prevalence of MH schemes highlights the requirement for a holistic overview of MH networks to ascertain their characteristics and inform policy direction. Consequently, this study presents a review of current MH deployment and literature, with the aim of examining this global phenomenon and identifying a future research agenda. The study combines a comprehensive review of web searches with gray literature and a limited number of articles from academic journals. Twenty locations, at different stages of development and implementation, were identified as examples to be reviewed and analyzed, thereby providing a context for the review. Subsequently, four themes have emerged: objectives of MHs, format, location, and operational factors. Key findings include the importance of stakeholder engagement in design and location choices, the significance of branding, and connection with existing travel infrastructure including public transport and active travel. Additionally, the provision of amenities is common to MH schemes because it promotes usage and integration into the local landscape. From this detailed review of the state of MHs, a future research agenda has been identified, including further defining MHs, understanding the origin and applicability of MH objectives, considering day-to-day operations, policy transfer implications, and further evaluations of single and network MHs.