Behaviour Change

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Cross-scale changes in behavior will be critical for sustainable urban infrastructure transitions. Formal and informal rules guide the behavior of people- from households and businesses to those engaged in policy change at neighborhood-, city, state and national scales – and deeply affect the adoption of infrastructure innovations. However, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the motivations that undergird such behavior changes. Motivations can stem from perceived social benefits, to perceptions of individual health benefits, to economic cost-benefit analysis.

Behavior change theories have mostly focused on single sectors or single objectives. For example, despite expanding knowledge on electricity conservation programs, we know little about behavior change across infrastructure sectors: e.g., does participation in an energy-saving program encourage participation in a sustainable water or transportation program?

The network’s research efforts on behavior change examine the motivations for social, business, and policy-actor behavioral change in the context of socio-demographic characteristics, beliefs, information sources, and social networks of individual actors. Researchers are also considering the best strategic messaging approaches for increasing the likelihood that a given actor will engage in a desired behavior change.

OUR PRODUCTS

Do New Bike Share Stations Increase Member Use: A Quasi-Experimental Study

  • March 2019
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Jueyu Wang and Greg Lindsey

Wang, J. & G. Lindsey. (2019). Do New Bike Share Stations Increase Member Use: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 121, 1-11. ABSTRACT: As the number … Read more

Electric, Autonomous, and Shared Vehicle Technology Adoption

  • August 2018
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Neil Quarles and Kara Kockelman

With the ongoing advancement of electric, autonomous, and shared vehicle technologies, how readily will Americans adopt these technologies, and what are their opinions towards them? A survey of 1,426 adult … Read more

Waiting Time Perceptions: Transit Stations

  • November 2017
  • Video
  • Author: Yingling Fan

Waiting time in transit travel is often perceived negatively, and high-amenity stops and stations are becoming increasingly popular for improving transit riders’ aversion to waiting. Research by Yingling Fan, Associate … Read more

Meta-principles for developing smart, sustainable, and healthy cities

  • May 2016
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Ramaswami, A., Russell, A. G., Culligan, P. J., Sharma, K. R., & Kumar, E. (2016). “Meta-principles for developing smart, sustainable, and healthy cities.” Science, 352(6288), 940-943.   ABSTRACT: Policy directives in several … Read more

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