TiTuSS studies the relationship between transport and urban spatial structure and how it can be better managed to enhance regional and national productivity together with more sustainable and inclusive economic development.
TiTuss addresses the following research questions:
To what extent has the expansion of the motorway network over the last 30-50 years altered patterns of urban spatial structure?
To what extent have the improvements to the motorway network contributed to the suburbanisation and dispersion of economic activity, and territorial cohesion?
How have the improvements to the motorway network affected firm's location and relocation patterns within the country?
How has the disinvestment in the railway network affected firm's location and relocation patterns within the country?
How large are the productivity benefits from urban agglomeration economies induced through transport improvements and how have they changed over time?
TiTuSS is funded by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and has a duration of four years (2018/2022).
Transport investment, economic performance and regional development, 2nd ERSA-REGIO Academic Lecture 2019 at DG REGIO, 20th June 2019, Brussels, Belgium.
Does road accessibility to cities support rural population growth? evidence for Portugal between 1991 and 2011, 28th APDR Congress: “Green and Inclusive Transitions in Southern European Regions: What Can We Do Better?”, 16-17 Sept. 2021, Vila Real.
The impact of motorway expansion on urban growth patterns: the case of Portugal between 1991 and 2011, 59th European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Annual Conference, Lyon, France, 27-30 Aug. 2019
Spatial Disparities in Population Growth Across Rural Areas in Portugal between 1991 and 2011, 59th European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Annual Conference, Lyon, France, 27-30 Aug. 2019
The impact of motorway expansion on urban growth patterns: the case of Portugal between 1991 and 2011, 26th APDR Congress, July 4-5, 2019, Aveiro, Portugal
Spatial Disparities in Population Growth Across Rural Areas in Portugal between 1991 and 2011, Regional Studies Association (RSA) Annual Conference, University of Santiago De Compostela, Spain, 4-7 June 2019
Spatial disparities in rural socio-economic performance in Portugal: 1991-2011, XVI Colóquio Ibérico de Geografia, IGOT-ULisboa, Portugal,5-7 Nov. 2018
Spatial disparities in socio-economic performance between 1991 and 2011: Evidence for Portugal, 58th European Regional Science Association (ERSA) annual congress, Cork, Ireland, 28-31 Aug. 2018
Understanding the decline in public transport demand under austerity: Evidence for Lisbon Metropolitan Area, 58th European Regional Science Association (ERSA) annual congress, Cork, Ireland, 28-31 Aug. 2018
Features about project published in national media and blogs
Articles written for newspapers and national media
O impacto das autoestradas na organização do território e desenvolvimento sustentável em Portugal, 31 Outubro 2022, Jornal Público (with Bruno Rocha and João de Abreu e Silva).
Melo, P.C., (2023) Transportation and Urban Spatial Structure, In: João de Abreu e Silva, Kristina Currans, Robert Schneider and Veronique Van Acker (eds.) Handbook on Transportation and Land Use: Human-Centered Communities in an Age of Rapid Technological Change, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, Chapter 4
Afonso, N., Melo, P.C., Rocha, B.T., de Abreu e Silva, J. (2023), “TiTuSS Transport Database”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/ry5dkty7t7.1.
PhD and MSc theses
PhD - Mauricio Silva de Carvalho, (in progress), 'Essays on the economic impact of 35 years of road investment in Portugal: Estimating the linkages between transport accessibility, agglomeration externalities and displacement effects', ISEG-Universidade de Lisboa (as main supervisor)
MSc - Hugo Ferreira (2022) 'Motorways, Sprawl, and the (Un)Sustainable Economy', MSc in Management (MiM), ISEG-Universidade de Lisboa
MSc - Rafael Pequito (2022) 'The Distributional Effects of Transport Cost and its Impact on Income Inequality: Evidence for Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas', MSc in Economics and Public Policy, ISEG-Universidade de Lisboa