Advancing In-Neighborhood Micromobility Networks

Decarbonizing Car-Centric Urbanization through a Multi-Modal Network Planning Framework /.

Car-centric development patterns have gained significant traction in contemporary polycentric urbanization, profoundly contributing to global carbon emissions. Emerging micromobility offers low-carbon alternatives for short vehicle trips, but its transformative potential is constrained by urbanization patterns prioritizing automobiles. American suburban greenfield development, one of the earliest adopters and primary origins of car-centric paradigms, often lacks development flexibility and essential instruments to support micromobility network implementations within neighborhoods, hindering connections to broader out-neighborhood networks. This research addresses a critical factor: the current homogeneous and inflexible application of network connectivity measurements in regulating neighborhood network planning. To address these limitations, we propose a new multimodal network planning framework that iteratively generates multimodal network configurations while simultaneously measuring the connectivity of vehicular and micromobility network layers. Ultimately, the proposed framework optimizes the network configurations to achieve optimal connectivity performance for both layers. Tested in a real-world greenfield development, results reveal that replacing the existing approach with the proposed framework provides planners and developers with much-needed analytic heterogeneity, policy flexibility, and design efficiency to promote in-neighborhood micromobility networks. The study offers further insights into developing well-connected in-neighborhood micromobility networks, emphasizing their potential to expand low-carbon commuting options and decarbonize car-centric urbanization in America and beyond.

• Electrified micromobility enables low-carbon commuting, supporting decarbonization in the U.S. and beyond.

  
  

• Micromobility networks in American suburban neighborhoods are often constrained by current planning approaches.

  
  

• Proposing a multimodal planning framework that enhances analytical heterogeneity, policy flexibility, and design efficiency.

  
  

• Providing key insights for implementing well-connected micromobility networks in American suburban neighborhoods.

  
  

• The framework and key insights are adaptable for other low-to-moderate density, car-centric urbanization worldwide.

Highlights:

Zhu, C., Susskind, J., Chernicoff, W., Cong, C., & Berger, A. M. (2025). Advancing in-neighborhood micromobility networks: Decarbonizing car-centric urbanization through a multimodal network planning framework. Cities, 161, 105858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.105858