Papers by Pooja Rao
Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science, 2020
Urban streets exhibit a hierarchical structure. From a network analysis perspective, continuity o... more Urban streets exhibit a hierarchical structure. From a network analysis perspective, continuity of streets based on the interior angle between street segments can be used to define ‘natural streets’ or ‘strokes’. The length of these ‘strokes’ can then be used to generate a hierarchy of street network. While researchers have described methods for defining such strokes and released tools that enable such analysis, the existing tools are dependent on proprietary applications and only an outline of the algorithm is available in the literature. This paper addresses these limitations and advances past approaches by (a) describing an efficient algorithm ‘COINS’ for conducting street continuity and hierarchy analysis and (b) releasing the python script and QGIS plugin which will enable users to implement this analysis independent of proprietary software and enable automation to process multiple datasets. The paper demonstrates the application of this tool using street network data from OpenStreetMap for 10 Indian cities and two international ones. Results indicate that our algorithm can detect the skeletal structure of a city which is visually very similar to the OpenStreetMap user-generated hierarchy, both at the city level and at the neighbourhood level. Analysing the results from 10 Indian cities using log-log plots of stroke length and stroke rank, we find that the strokes appear to follow Zipf’s law, but only in the mid-range of stroke lengths. Consistent with existing literature, we see that in our sample of Indian cities also there is a strong deviation from Zipf’s law for strokes that are approximately 100 m or lower.
In most urban areas, buses are the most heavily used form of public transportation and more so in... more In most urban areas, buses are the most heavily used form of public transportation and more so in Indian cities where buses make up for over 90% of public transport ridership. In the selected Indian metro cities, where formal bus based PT systems are operated by public agencies, they are over-reliant on state support to sustain operations as fare box collections are inadequate in spite of having relatively high ridership. The main challenge for all this is to achieve long term financial sustainability of public transport systems while providing good quality and affordable bus services.
Thesis by Pooja Rao
Public transit in the US is heavily used by captive riders who depend on transit for their mobili... more Public transit in the US is heavily used by captive riders who depend on transit for their mobility. Studies have shown that the poor and minority groups live in the inner-city areas, travel shorter distances to downtown jobs and thus subsidize the trips by the rich suburban dwellers. These transit dependent riders also travel during non-peak hours and thus pay
more for the service. However, studies have also indicated a trend of suburbanization of poverty across the cities of the United States. This is in contradiction to the earlier studies on travel patterns of transit dependent riders. This applied research paper uses the Atlanta
Regional Commission's (ARC) 2009-2010 Regional On-Board Transit Survey data to examine this discrepancy and evaluate equity impacts of alternative variable fare structures.
Report by Pooja Rao
Report Chapter by Pooja Rao
Urban India 2015: Evidence, 2015
Public Writing by Pooja Rao
Economic & Political Weekly, Apr 25, 2020
https://www.epw.in/engage/article/photo-essay-study-contrasts-bengalurus-high-tech-zone
Teaching Documents by Pooja Rao
In the context of Bangalore’s BMTC bus agency’s steep and frequent bus fare hikes between 2012 – ... more In the context of Bangalore’s BMTC bus agency’s steep and frequent bus fare hikes between 2012 – 14, the case examines the internal and external factors that led BMTC to implement these unpopular measures. Through findings from a set of field visits and random interviews, the case will also investigate the impact these fare hikes have on individuals and families facing economic hardship as well as highlight adaptation strategies they employ to either evade or limit their travel costs and convenience.
This case is an inquiry into the Development Control Regulations (DCRs) in Delhi. In the attempt,... more This case is an inquiry into the Development Control Regulations (DCRs) in Delhi. In the attempt, the case will read the built-form of different types of residential areas in Delhi viz. planned colonies, unauthorised colonies, urban villages, resettlement colonies, JJ clusters, etc. through the lens of DCRs. In addition to mapping different built-form indicators like building use, coverage, height, setbacks, road widths, etc. through observation surveys in these areas, in-depth interviews with some of the residents will be conducted to understand the process of building in terms of their logic and rationale.
Uploads
Papers by Pooja Rao
Thesis by Pooja Rao
more for the service. However, studies have also indicated a trend of suburbanization of poverty across the cities of the United States. This is in contradiction to the earlier studies on travel patterns of transit dependent riders. This applied research paper uses the Atlanta
Regional Commission's (ARC) 2009-2010 Regional On-Board Transit Survey data to examine this discrepancy and evaluate equity impacts of alternative variable fare structures.
Report by Pooja Rao
Report Chapter by Pooja Rao
Public Writing by Pooja Rao
Teaching Documents by Pooja Rao
more for the service. However, studies have also indicated a trend of suburbanization of poverty across the cities of the United States. This is in contradiction to the earlier studies on travel patterns of transit dependent riders. This applied research paper uses the Atlanta
Regional Commission's (ARC) 2009-2010 Regional On-Board Transit Survey data to examine this discrepancy and evaluate equity impacts of alternative variable fare structures.