Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces

Studies show that psychological effects are one of the top concerns for public transportation users. While many Americans spend a significant portion of their time in public transportation spaces, the impact of the design and maintenance of these spaces on user well-being has not been fully studied....

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Main Authors: Yasaman Hakiminejad, Elizabeth Pantesco, Arash Tavakoli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225000442
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author Yasaman Hakiminejad
Elizabeth Pantesco
Arash Tavakoli
author_facet Yasaman Hakiminejad
Elizabeth Pantesco
Arash Tavakoli
author_sort Yasaman Hakiminejad
collection DOAJ
description Studies show that psychological effects are one of the top concerns for public transportation users. While many Americans spend a significant portion of their time in public transportation spaces, the impact of the design and maintenance of these spaces on user well-being has not been fully studied. In this study, we conducted a survey to better understand the effect of implementing different designs on people’s well-being and perceptual metrics (N = 304). Participants were presented with six images depicting different cabin configurations, including (1) the current version of the cabin space, (2) a low-maintenance version, (3) an aesthetically enhanced version, (4) a bike rack-enabled version, (5) a version with an added workspace, and (6) an improved version with biophilic design. After viewing each image, participants’ well-being metrics (e.g., stress, and emotion) and their public transportation perception metrics (e.g., perceptions of safety, and reasonable cost) were evaluated. Our results from linear mixed-effect modeling indicated that adding functional amenities and biophilic design elements led to an overall enhancement in well-being and perceptual metrics. Conversely, low maintenance worsened all measured well-being metrics. This research lays the ground for developing human-centered public transportation spaces that can lead to an increase in public transportation adoption.
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spelling doaj-art-8a8dd1a3ef9a4852a26740cc248c8f702025-08-20T03:15:48ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-03-013010136510.1016/j.trip.2025.101365Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spacesYasaman Hakiminejad0Elizabeth Pantesco1Arash Tavakoli2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 800 E Lancaster Ave., Villanova, 19085, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 800 E Lancaster Ave., Villanova, 19085, PA, United StatesDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 800 E Lancaster Ave., Villanova, 19085, PA, United States; Corresponding author.Studies show that psychological effects are one of the top concerns for public transportation users. While many Americans spend a significant portion of their time in public transportation spaces, the impact of the design and maintenance of these spaces on user well-being has not been fully studied. In this study, we conducted a survey to better understand the effect of implementing different designs on people’s well-being and perceptual metrics (N = 304). Participants were presented with six images depicting different cabin configurations, including (1) the current version of the cabin space, (2) a low-maintenance version, (3) an aesthetically enhanced version, (4) a bike rack-enabled version, (5) a version with an added workspace, and (6) an improved version with biophilic design. After viewing each image, participants’ well-being metrics (e.g., stress, and emotion) and their public transportation perception metrics (e.g., perceptions of safety, and reasonable cost) were evaluated. Our results from linear mixed-effect modeling indicated that adding functional amenities and biophilic design elements led to an overall enhancement in well-being and perceptual metrics. Conversely, low maintenance worsened all measured well-being metrics. This research lays the ground for developing human-centered public transportation spaces that can lead to an increase in public transportation adoption.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225000442Public transportationWell-being
spellingShingle Yasaman Hakiminejad
Elizabeth Pantesco
Arash Tavakoli
Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Public transportation
Well-being
title Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces
title_full Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces
title_fullStr Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces
title_full_unstemmed Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces
title_short Public transit of the future: Enhancing well-being through designing human-centered public transportation spaces
title_sort public transit of the future enhancing well being through designing human centered public transportation spaces
topic Public transportation
Well-being
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225000442
work_keys_str_mv AT yasamanhakiminejad publictransitofthefutureenhancingwellbeingthroughdesigninghumancenteredpublictransportationspaces
AT elizabethpantesco publictransitofthefutureenhancingwellbeingthroughdesigninghumancenteredpublictransportationspaces
AT arashtavakoli publictransitofthefutureenhancingwellbeingthroughdesigninghumancenteredpublictransportationspaces