https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6581 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:05:15 GMT 2026-04-20T03:05:15Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6623 Title: Interrupting habit : car use habit and personal norm combined : implications for Malta Abstract: The quality of transport systems has been closely examined in recent years as negative issues concerning mobility increasingly question the car as a champion of personal transport. Cities are under pressure to create and maintain sustainable urban spaces that provide a good quality of life for their inhabitants while at the same time accommodate the increasing number of cars circulating within them. The overall focus of this study is personal car use in an urban environment and the factors that influence individuals who use the car as their primary form of transport, in particular those factors that concern car users in Malta. The factors influencing car use are explored using a case study research method to produce rich qualitative data about different, interrelating aspects of an individual’s life. Habit strength and personal norm were measured in a sample of seven participants who were asked to perform an implementation intention strategy to reduce some of their car use. Car diaries were completed either side of the introduction of information about alternative forms of transport. Subsequently, all participants were interviewed at length. From a series of thematic analyses of the participants' interviews, the data showed that the car users experience widely differing socio-situational circumstances and lifestyles that demand particular levels of mobility, but which indicate similar levels of car dependency. A shift in behaviour may require a cultural shift in the way tasks are viewed and performed. The ease of using the car may need to be curbed in order for people to rethink their priorities. Car-dependent environments favour primarily the motorist. Car-use behaviour is complex and there is no single solution that will reduce the number of cars on urban roads. In the context of pursuing sustainable mobility, any change in transport modal share can be viewed as a balance between soft and hard measures to bring about effective behavioural change. Description: M.SC.SUS.DEVELOPMENT Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6623 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6609 Title: Kids on the move : an analysis on modal choice and spatial cognition Abstract: This study looks at the sustainability of child mobility, a branch within the larger field of transport geography. It adds to the research in the factors influencing modal choice for children within Maltese families. It also makes a primary contribution to research into social sustainability within the Maltese Islands, filling in large gaps in knowledge on how children experience their journeys, in particular the journey to school. The main purpose of this research is to identify whether a correlation exists between children’s gender, age and the distance travelled and the mode of transport used to travel to school and extra-curricular activities. Moreover, the outcomes are especially interested in understanding the influence the mode places on the child’s resultant spatial cognition, in relation to understanding routes and the location of landmarks experienced in the journey to school. The method includes the delivery of a child-profile questionnaire and a travel diary to a sample of boys and girls aged ten to fourteen years who travel different distances to arrive to their school, St. Martin’s College. Data is extrapolated and analysed statistically to conclude that the child’s gender and age affects the modal choice, whilst the distance travelled encourages the popularity or the use of the car or school transport. The study uses participation-action research with the involvement of diagramming exercises, in order to compare the degree of spatial understanding owned by children according to the mode experienced on a daily basis. The results show that although the majority of children are driven to school, there are differences between boys and girls, different ages and the distance travelled. The participative mapping exercises then resulted in a wider spatial awareness in children who use the car to travled to school. This research concludes by providing areas for future policy implementation to positively affect problems of transport congestion. Description: M.SC.SUS.DEVELOPMENT Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6609 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6607 Title: Social sustainability, urban regeneration and postmodern development approaches for Strait Street, Valletta Editors: Caruana, Jonathan Abstract: Purpose of study: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the social aspect within the sustainability debate is integrated into urban regeneration projects, and the urban, economic and social implications of adopting a postmodern type of regeneration. The paper points out the powerful advantages of urban regeneration and postmodern development projects to revive derelict areas and promote cities, but also highlights the dilemmas that emerge from such processes, such as a lack of social inclusion and cultural homogeneity, as well as gentrification. Methodology: The paper uses Strait Street, in Valletta, as a case study. A literature review was conducted to examine the relationship between the above topics. In addition, a qualitative method of research was adopted, which provided established rules for the collection of empirical data and was the starting point for choosing the relative methods of research. The two main methods used where semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire. In addition, structured observation within the street under study was conducted for further data triangulation. Findings: From the research, it clearly emerges that changes in Strait Street are occurring at a slow but steady rate, with one section in particular being slowly revived as the main entertainment area in the city. A number of findings in the study suggest the regeneration of Strait Street is heading in a post-modern direction. This growing trend in opening entertainment spaces instead of retail has made Strait Street the main area for the city’s nightlife. Such urban revival alone, however, does not meet social sustainability requirements unless the gradual decrease in population and a lack of provision of decent and affordable housing in the area is addressed. The study argues for policies that reverse such process and places special emphasis on the European Capital of Culture Event in 2018 as a main tool by which to achieve a socially sustainable urban regeneration of the area. Originality/value: By analysing various literary sources and using other European cities as examples, this paper explores the process of urban regeneration of derelict areas such as Strait Street from a postmodern perspective. This research will hopefully contribute to a lack of research on social sustainability and postmodern development with regards to the local context. Research results will be an addition to considerations about urban regeneration from such perspectives, shedding light on changes in urban lifestyles, which are occurring in different sequences, time periods and in places. This subject encompasses a wide range of issues and hence further research will need to be made by others, perhaps approaching the subject from new perspectives and also applying theories to the whole of Valletta. Description: M.SC.SUS.DEVELOPMENT Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6607 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z