Oriol Marquet

Autonomous University of Barcelona | UAB · Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies (ICTA)

Despite the recent growth and popularity of ride-hailing services throughout the world, there's still a lack of research on its determinants. This paper aims to examine the associations between ride-hailing and their spatial distribution in relation to key socioeconomic and built environment characteristics both at the trip origin and destination....

Background: In recent years there has been an increase in the use of micromobility devices in cities worldwide. Due to their novelty, their effects on population health are still unknown. In this study, we aim to explore the association between conventional and electric micromobility modes and daily physical activity levels in an adult population i...

GPS technology and tracking study designs have gained popularity as a tool to go beyond the limitations of static exposure assessments based on the subject's residence. These dynamic exposure assessment methods offer high potential upside in terms of accuracy but also disadvantages in terms of cost, sample sizes, and types of data generated. Becaus...

Evidence shows that the use of micromobility vehicles is currently skewed towards young men, who are more likely to adopt risky behaviours, such as fast or aggressive riding. However, research on micromobility travel behaviour founded on GPS data has repeatedly failed to disaggregate findings by gender, or to account for intertwined sociodemographi...

Introduction Built and natural environments may provide opportunities for physical activity. However, studies are limited by primarily using residential addresses to define exposure and self-report to measure physical activity. We quantified associations between global positioning systems (GPS)-based activity space measures of environmental exposur...

In the context of the urgent climate crisis in urban areas, transportation policymakers are actively working to shift from car travel to sustainable transportation options through strategic interventions in the built environment. These efforts often involve a dual approach: promoting higher activity density to increase proximity to destinations whi...

Policies such as the 15 Minute City seek to reduce car use by ensuring the spatial concentration and proximity of everyday activities. This paper examines how proximity to nearby services in Barcelona affects car use and analyzes whether proximity to everyday destinations affects modal choice and car trip durations differently. By matching self-rep...

Micromobility, which includes bicycle-sharing systems, e-scooters, and shared moped-style scooters, has emerged as a popular alternative to traditional transport modes in urban environments, thus expanding the number of transportation options available to urban travellers. Previous research has primarily relied on trip-based data to explore the mul...

Many academics, urban planners and policymakers subscribe to the benefits of implementing the concept of the 15-Minute City (FMC) in metropolises across the globe. Despite the interest raised by the concept, and other variants of chrono-urbanism, to date, only a few studies have evaluated cities from the FMC perspective. Most studies on the subject...

The results of Queer Mobilities can now be downloaded. The publication summarises more than 22 hours of conversations with non-binary people and women from the LGTBIQ+ community about their experiences in the public space. According to their testimony, the participants instrumentalize a series of strategies to (in)visibilize their own dissident ide...

Introduction The goal of this study is to assess the level of physical activity associated with the use of different micromobility modes in the context of the city of Barcelona, considering both real-world and traffic-adjusted conditions. Methods The study used GPS and accelerometer devices to obtain objective measurements from 502 trips taken, in...

The growing concern over air pollution and community health, demands a comprehensive understanding of the political nature of transport-related emissions. This paper approaches how structures of power influence travel behaviour and, consequently, how they shape emissions from mobility in Barcelona. To comprehend how the intersection of gender, age,...

Urban mobility has undergone a transformation with the advent of micromobilityvehicles, leading to a multitude of studies investigating the factors that drive early adoption and the sustainability and equity implications. However, in a context where local administrations struggle regarding how to fit different micromobility systems within the urban...

The concept of mobility of care is relatively new and generating growing interest, because it allows a greater understanding of daily mobility and the differences in time use (TU) and unpaid workloads in the population. There is a large unexplored field of study in the relationships between the socioeconomic and gender characteristics of the popula...

Supplemental material of Gómez-Varo, I., Delclòs-Alió, X., Miralles-Guasch, C., & Marquet, O. (2023). Unraveling Retail Diversity through its spatial relationship with social vulnerability and tourism pressures in Barcelona. Journal of Urban Design. Forthcoming.

Micromobility, which includes bicycle-sharing systems, e-scooters, and moped-style scooters, has emerged as a popular alternative to traditional transport modes in urban environments, thus expanding the number of transportation options available to urban travellers. Previous research has primarily relied on trip-based data to explore the multimodal...

Micromobility is often presented as a sustainable, affordable, and active urban transport option, in comparison to motorised modes. Understanding users routing preferences could help policymakers adapt and design facilities that attract a myriad of micromobility users. Whereas previous research largely focused solely on the built infrastructure, th...

The advent of electric micro-mobility (EMM) has transformed the urban mobility landscape, with projections indicating a 5-10% increase in its modal share in European cities by 2030. In this scoping review, we aimed to comprehensively examine the key determinants of EMM adoption and usage from a public health perspective. Sixty-seven articles were i...

Promoting urban vitality has become an increasingly important focus among urban planners in the last decade. However, most definitions about what urban vitality consists of are based on quantitative methods, while the meaning and implications of vitality also need to be understood qualitatively. We conducted a study based on the PhotoVoice method i...

Urban vitality and neighborhood satisfaction are areas of great interest within the field of urban studies, as a measure of the attractiveness of a city and as an evaluation that residents make of their living environments. Using survey and geospatial data from the Longitudinal Social Study of Chile (2019) and the JANE Index (2021), this study perf...

Objective observation of pedestrian behavior on the street has traditionally been difficult due to intensive commitment of time and resources with spatial analysis of pedestrian locations encountering additional problems. Recently, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have gained popularity due to the significant improvements they offer over other conve...

Micromobility services hold substantial potential in terms of promoting shared and electric-powered mobility modes, however, little is known about their accessibility and what shapes their spatial coverage. These two issues are important to understand how socially equitable these modes can really be and how public policies should manage their imple...

Transport and mobility systems need to be transformed to meet climate change goals and reduce negative environmental and social effects. Despite EU policies having targeted such problems for more than three decades, transitions have been slow and geographically uneven. For effective change to happen, transport and mobility research needs fresh pers...

Moped-style scooter sharing services (MSS) offer short-period renting for daily urban mobility and are gaining popularity in cities worldwide. MSS provide substantial promise in reducing car-dependency and helping sustainability goals, but also significant risks in terms of spatial access equity and social justice. In recent years, European cities...

Background Many cities are putting cycling at the centre of their sustainable transportation policies after the COVID pandemic. Cycling is seen as a desirable mode of transport in dense and compact areas and needs to be promoted accordingly. However, to date, only a handful of different bikeability indexes exist attempting to map biking conditions...

This paper aims to identify the main sociopsychological factors that individuals perceive as affecting their intention to adopt electric (e−)micromobility. Drawing from modal choice theory, the factors are classified into functional (money, time, and other convenience values) and non-functional (emotional, social, and epistemic values). Following a...

In an increasingly urbanized world, where cardiometabolic issues in cities have raised public health concerns, urban greenness is known to be beneficial for some of the most common health issues. However, the examination of the contribution of sex and gender regarding the benefits of urban greenness for people’s cardiometabolic health is lacking. F...

Mobility in cities is changing with the appearance of electric micro-mobilities (EMMs), i.e. e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds. We conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of EMM use on the health of Barcelona adults. Assuming a 5% (S1) and 10% (S2) increase in EMM use, we modelled changes in physical activity (PA), personal air pollution exposure an...

Micromobility is often thought of as a sustainable solution to many urban mobility challenges. The literature to date, however, has struggled to find consensus on the sustainability of shared and electric scooters, e-bikes, and e-mopeds. This paper uses a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to calculate the impacts of micromobility modes in three...

Neighborhood built environment features, including parks, may contribute to social capital, but these relationships have not been adequately explored in communities of color. Our study focused on a specific subset of this population—a national sample of diverse, low-income parents with young children (n = 1,611)—to assess relationships between soci...

Many academics, urban planners and policymakers subscribe to the benefits of implementing the concept of the 15-Minute City (FMC) in metropolises across the globe. Despite the interest raised by the concept, and other variants of chrono-urbanism, to date, only a few studies have evaluated cities from the FMC perspective. Most studies on the subject...

Immobility and lack of physical activity (PA) are global problems among seniors (≥65 years old). While being active is preferable to not doing physical activity, not leaving the house for long periods might increase mortality risk, lead to social isolation, depression, cognitive impairment, besides other health problems. However, going out of home,...

La irrupción de la micromovilidad, como una alternativa sostenible e inclusiva a los modos motorizados convencionales, cobra especial importancia a raíz de la crisis del COVID-19. El objetivo del artículo es estudiar el perfil de los usuarios de estos medios de transporte y cómo la pandemia ha modificado sus desplazamientos, contribuyendo a la inci...

Built environment features, including parks, often exacerbate health disparities. We examined built environment perceptions and park use among a population at high risk for physical health outcomes: racially diverse, low-income mothers across the United States. Perceived safety from crime and living near a park were associated with more frequent pa...

Today, urban and transport planners face considerable challenges in designing and retrofitting cities that are prepared for increasing urban populations, and their service and mobility needs. When it comes to health-promoting urban and transport developments, there is also a lack of standardized, quantitative indicators to guide the integration of...

Engaging in physical activity plays a vital role in a healthy ageing process due to its associated mental and physical health benefits. Green spaces such as parks or public gardens are safe, accessible, and attractive environments that generally allow people to engage in physical activity. Therefore, residing in neighbourhoods that are well provide...

Transport and mobility systems need to be transformed to meet climate change goals and reduce negative environmental and social effects. Despite EU policies having targeted such problems for more than three decades, transitions have been slow and geographically uneven. For effective change to happen, transport and mobility research needs fresh pers...

Public parks offer free and easy access to spaces for outdoor recreation, which is essential for children’s outdoor play and physical activity in low-income communities. Because parks and playgrounds contribute to children’s physical, social, and emotional development, it is critical to understand what makes them attractive and welcoming for famili...

Cities in developing countries face acute pressures due to increased motorization, urbanization and growing population. Urban transport planning systems can fuel healthy cities, yet research examining the interface between policies and needs in Africa remains scarce. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the alignment between urban transport...

It is clear that our health is also determined by our environment. This book discloses current knowledge (2020) of the main benefits of green spaces on human health. It also includes some unique initiatives that explore the binomial green and health. Finally, proposes strategies and tools to increase the "dose of nature" in health systems. A public...

This report presents 100 questions that have been identified by experts as key priorities for SSH research on transport and mobility, in order to inform and support these goals. Specifically, these questions aim: To promote SSH research in the transition towards a carbon-neutral and socially just European transport system by 2050, which caters for...

The launch of the European Union’s (EU) Horizon Europe programme provides exciting opportunities for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research to contribute to the fulfilment of the EU’s ambitious policy goals on energy and climate change. This report presents 100 questions that have been identified by experts as key priorities for SSH research...

Urban mobility is currently undergoing significant changes in cities worldwide, as gendered mobilities are converging and automobility is on a downward trend among younger cohorts. The aim of this study was to examine the dynamics of gendered mobilities over generations and across three different urban contexts in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region...

Background the relationships between the built environment characteristics and personal factors influencing public transport use and the ways they interact are not well understood. Objective we aim to advance the understanding of the relationship between built environment and frequency of public transport use in seven European cities, while accoun...

Introduction: Crime and the fear of crime can be a barrier to park use, and locations of crimes can have varied effects. Unsafe areas in or around the park, around the residence, or along the route to the park can alter park use behavior. Our study aimed to examine associations between objective measures of types and location of crimes and park us...

La ubicació suburbana del campus de la UAB implica que el 94,2% de la comunitat universitària fa servir el transport motoritzat en el desplaçament quotidià al seu lloc d’estudi o treball. En tractar-se d’uns desplaçaments definits per un mateix motiu i una única destinació, es facilita l’anàlisi de la influència que el gènere i l’edat exerceixen en...

Metropolitan university campuses (MUCs) are of interest for policymaking given their general highly car-oriented nature, and the subsequent need to promote policies that enhance sustainable accessibility outcomes. Hence, a growing body of research has emerged over the last decade focusing on travel behavior associated with those metropolitan enclav...

Background: Senior centers offer important opportunities for physical activity and social interaction. Seniors who visit a senior center regularly can gain physical activity from transportation and from specific activities offered within the senior center. However, there is very little knowledge regarding the specific physical activity gains obtai...

Background Since its introduction in 2006, SOPARC (Systematic Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities) has become a fundamental tool to quantify park visitor behaviors and characteristics. We tested SOPARC reliability when assessing race/ethnicity, physical activity, contextual conditions at the time of observation, and settings of target...

Background: Since its introduction in 2006, SOPARC (Systematic Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities) has become a fundamental tool to quantify park visitor behaviors and characteristics. We tested SOPARC reliability when assessing race/ethnicity, physical activity, contextual conditions at the time of observation, and settings of targ...

Walking is the most accessible form for seniors to engage in daily light or moderate physical activity. Walking activity depends on both individual and environmental factors, the latter including how walkable a given setting is. Recent papers have pointed at the relevance of also considering meteorological conditions in relation to the walking beha...

Background Since its introduction in 2006, SOPARC (Systematic Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities) has become a fundamental tool to quantify park visitor behaviors and characteristics. We tested SOPARC reliability when assessing race/ethnicity, physical activity, contextual conditions at the time of observation, and settings of target...

Urban parks provide spaces and facilities for children's physical activity (PA) and can be a free resource in low-income communities. This study examined whether neighborhood characteristics were associated with children's park use and park-based moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in low-income diverse communities and how associations differed between...

Urban green spaces (UGS) have been linked with a series of benefits for the environment, and for the physical health and well-being of urban residents. This is of great importance in the context of the aging of modern societies. However, UGS have different forms and characteristics that can determine their utilization. Common elements in UGS such a...

Physical activity typically declines between childhood and adolescence. Despite urban parks being a great venue for physical activity, children change both the frequency of park use and their park use habits as they age into adolescence. However, little is known about how these differences vary by gender and how distinct race/ethnicity groups diffe...

Background: Although walking for travel can help in reaching the daily recommended levels of physical activity, we know relatively little about the correlates of walking for travel in the European context. Objective: Within the framework of the European Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) project, we aimed to explo...

Background Since its introduction in 2006, the SOPARC protocol has become a fundamental tool to quantify park visitor behaviors and characteristics. We tested SOPARC reliability when assessing race/ethnicity, physical activity, contextual conditions at the time of observation, and conditions of target areas to understand its utility when trying to...

The aim of the present study is to analyze the interrelation between daily mobility and gender in the context of economic change. The financial crisis that has affected Spain from 2008 has witnessed significant shifts in daily mobility, which have not been equal for all socio-demographic groups. This study was undertaken in the Barcelona Metropolit...

Crime and safety perceptions are commonly cited barriers to park use and physical activity (PA). Given the importance of parks as settings for outdoor recreation and physical activity, the presence of crime may have a detrimental effect on public health. This study uses objective police crime reports and observational park use data to assess type o...

The present study delves into the explanatory factors of the walking patterns of residents in metropolitan regions, who tend to be pressed for time when travelling to their daily destinations or activities. We particularly focus on the effects of the commuting distance on the amount of walking that can be achieved, which has health, socioeconomic a...

Being physically active in natural environments has been linked with multiple mental and physical health benefits. However, not all urban contexts can provide their residents the same access to green areas for walking and sport activities. Mediterranean cities provide open spaces for physical activity that differ from those of Northern European cit...