Document Type : Original Article

Subjects

• Urban geography, urban planning

Extended Abstract

1. Introduction

Since most travels take place in the central areas of Kerman, and most services and facilities, especially the large market and historical buildings of the city, are located in this part of the city, access to these centers is much easier and more convenient with public transportation. Individuals have also come to believe that using public transportation as a means of easy access is necessary to meet their needs and achieve their intra-city travel goals. Therefore, before taking any action to guide the planning toward sustainable transportation systems, the current status of the transportation system must be assessed in terms of sustainability or instability. This action requires identifying and formulating indigenous indicators for measuring sustainable transportation in the country. Reducing the amount of movement and the number of trips in cities is necessary to address this issue. One approach in the short term is to focus on managing intra-city travel demand through the application of relevant theories. Among the theories that can be applied in this context, the Grounded Theory by Strauss and Corbin can be utilized. This theory can help understand and analyze travel demand patterns and behavior in urban areas, ultimately leading to more sustainable transportation practices.

2. Materials and methods

The current study is an exploratory research with a fundamental approach. It follows an inductive research strategy and utilizes mixed (qualitative-quantitative) data based on the grounded theory data type as per the Strauss and Corbin model. The data was collected through fieldwork using questionnaires and interviews, which are commonly used in qualitative and mixed (quantitative-qualitative) approaches. Unstructured, in-depth interviews based on exploratory study have been utilized. Data analysis in this method will be conducted using open coding (identifying concepts), axial coding (developing concepts), and selective coding (selecting final concepts). Due to the extensive nature of the research topic, the study's target population includes all urban transportation experts, municipal experts in Kerman, and residents. Due to the large number and inaccessibility of these experts, sampling is inevitable.

3. Discussion and results

Based on the theoretical model of the relationships between urban travel concepts in Kerman, intra-city travels are significant, as many people use them daily and significantly impact urban life and quality of life. From a foundational data theory perspective, the collected data from intra-city travels can help improve these travels by providing better solutions for public transportation, optimizing traffic, and utilizing information and communication technology. It can be said that the highest volume of origin-destination trips in Kerman for recreational and personal business purposes in 11 traffic zones is equal to 104,522 trips; for educational purposes with 47,394 trips; for employment 37,695 trips for regular commuting 19,188 trips, and for shopping purposes with 15,256 trips. Among these, Dr. Shariati Street in Zone 2, 295 minutes, and Shahid Rajaei Street in Zone 1, 225 minutes, have high traffic as they have multiple attractions for travelers. Based on this, according to travel objectives, the smoothest hours for intracity travel are "15-17 and 19-21," and the most congested hours are "7-9, 9-11, 11-13, 13-15, and 17-19."

4. Conclusion

The intra-city travel objectives in Kerman are predominantly based on travel demand patterns that rely on using public transportation instead of private cars. The travel production and attraction level in Kerman is based on origin-destination information and travel propensity lines, indicating that, on average, the highest demand for intra-city travel in Kerman has been met using public transportation. This pattern includes assumptions and beliefs that are important and acceptable to individuals. As a result, their choices of public or private transportation are influenced by various factors such as economic conditions, local culture, traffic conditions, types of public and private transportation, and so on. Based on this, the optimal mental travel demand pattern for intra-city travel in Kerman includes public transportation for many individuals.

5. Aknowledgmant & Funding

• This work was formulated by the It is taken from the doctoral dissertation of Moslem Ghasemi student and the guidance of Professor Mohammad Hossein Saraei at Yazd University.
• The Authors of this article are grateful to the esteemed community of the Journal of Geographical Studies of Arid Regions for their guidance and valuable comments to improve the quality of this article.

6. Conflict of Interest

• The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.