Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences in 2025
2026-02-06
Coupling Transit, Land Use, and Ecology: A Critical Review of Urban Rail Transit's Environmental Co-Benefits and Trade-Offs
Authors
-
Cui Hu
School of Railway Transportation, Shaanxi Railway Institute, Weinan 714000, China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i8.13276Abstract
Urban rail transit systems have now become a part of sustainable city development, bringing about environmental co-benefits such as lower greenhouse gas emissions, better air quality, and enhanced transit-oriented development. These advantages do not, however, come without trade-offs in the form of ecological costs associated with construction and habitat fragmentation, as well as the indirect effects of land-use changes. The article critically reviews the relationships among urban rail transit, land use, and ecology, with a focus on the intricate relationship between co-benefits and trade-offs. It provides a review of the main environmental impacts, including the decrease in car dependency and improvements in population health, as well as possible ecological impacts, including the carbon footprints of infrastructure and the disturbance of local ecosystems. The review highlights the significance of implementing an integrated planning approach with a focus on the ecological transit-oriented development (TOD) zoning concept, green rail design, and cross-sectoral policies that ensure the alignment of transportation, land-use, and ecological objectives. It also addresses spatial heterogeneity, determining how impacts can differ across urban densities, core-periphery processes, and regional contexts. The article ends by providing recommendations on how to advance social equity via inclusive governance and long-term environmental impact monitoring, thus indicating future research prospects in sustainable urban rail transport. Urban rails can help build stronger and more inclusive cities by balancing environmental sustainability and social inclusion.
Keywords:
Urban Rail Transit; Environmental Co-Benefits; Transit-Oriented Development; Ecological Impacts; Sustainable Urban PlanningReferences
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Hu, C. (2026). Coupling Transit, Land Use, and Ecology: A Critical Review of Urban Rail Transit’s Environmental Co-Benefits and Trade-Offs . Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences, 8(8), 906–927. https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i8.13276
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