Dr Mengqiu Cao

Mengqiu (Matthew) is a Senior Lecturer in Transport, Logistics and Urban Planning, and Programme Director of the MSc in Transport Planning and Management at the School of Architecture and Cities, University of Westminster. He is also a School Doctoral Researcher Development Programme Coordinator. He was awarded his PhD by University College London (UCL). He works in both academia and industry, specialising in an interdisciplinary research field, which is primarily a mixture of transport analysis and urban studies. In addition, he has also worked with public authorities and international funding organisations. He has served as the UK Ambassador for the Association of European Transport. He is a Fellow of: the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), the Higher Education Academy (HEA), and a Member of: the Royal Economic Society (RES), the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), the Transport Planning Society (TPS), the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and the Regional Studies Association (RSA).
Mengqiu’s current research interests include: transport planning; sustainable transport development; transport and climate change; freight transport and logistics; statistics and transport modelling; social equity and well-being; travel behaviour; urban mobility; sustainable urban infrastructure and economics; urban planning and sustainable cities. He is an associate editor of Journal of Urban Mobility, and Digital Transportation and Safety, and also serves as an editorial board member of Global Networks, Frontiers of Engineering Management, Sustainable Futures, and Journal of Transport Geography.
He is interested in hearing from potential PhD students, particularly but not only in the area of transport and urban planning. Highly quantitative individuals with strong statistical, mathematical, data handling, GIS, and computing skills are preferred. Potential candidates should preferably hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in transport planning/engineering/simulation/modelling, statistics, mathematics, data science, computer science, artificial intelligence, physics, economics, quantitative social science, quantitative geography or a closely-related discipline.
Research Projects
Publications
- Ali, A., Cao, M., Allen, J., Liu, Q., Ling, Y. and Cheng, L. (2023). Investigation of the drivers of logistics outsourcing in the United Kingdom's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Multimodal Transportation, 2(1), 100064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.multra.2022.100064
- Allen, J., Piecyk, M. and Cao, M. (2023). Road Freight Transport SMEs: Trading, Operational and Decarbonisation Perspectives. United Kingdom: Centre for Sustainable Road Freight. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.93355
- Cao, M., Papaix, C., Yang, T. and Büttner, B. (2023). Exploring the relationship between urban form, mobility and social well-being: Towards an interdisciplinary field of sustainable urban planning and transport development. Sustainability, 15(11), 8498. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118498
- Cao, M., Yao, Q., Chen, B., Ling, Y., Hu, Y. and Xu, G. (2023). Development of a composite regional vulnerability index and its relationship with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Computational Urban Science, 3, 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43762-023-00078-x
- Chen, P., Wang, W., Qian, C., Cao, M. and Yang, T. (2023). Gravity-based models for evaluating urban park accessibility: Why does localised selection of attractiveness factors and travel modes matter?. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083231206168
- Li. Y., Zhao, X., Cao, M., He, W., Zheng, X. and Xin, H. (2023). Investigating car emissions inspections, testing, maintenance, and corresponding optimisation strategies. Auto Time, 6, 149–151.
- Liu, Q., Liu, Y., Chen, C-L., Papa, E., Ling, Y. and Cao, M. (2023). Is it possible to compete with car use? How buses can facilitate sustainable transport. Urban Planning, 8(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6368
- Loo, B.P.Y., Tsoi, K.H., Axhausen, K., Cao, M., Lee, Y. and Koh, K.P. (2023). Spatial risk for a superspreading environment: Insights from six urban facilities in six global cities across four continents. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1128889. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1128889
- Rezaei, A., Cao, M., Liu, Q. and De Vos, J. (2023). Synthesising the existing literature on the market acceptance of autonomous vehicles and the external underlying factors. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2023, 6065060. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6065060
- Shen, T., Cheng, L., Yang, Y., Deng, J., Jin, T. and Cao, M. (2023). Do residents living in transit-oriented development station catchment areas travel sustainably? The impacts of life events. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2023, 9318505. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/9318505
- Wang, R., Dong, G., Cao, M., Zhou, Y. and Dong, G. (2023). Exploring ‘equigenesis’ in the associations between green space and kidney health among middle-aged and older adults using street view data. Innovation in Aging, igad130. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igad130
- Wang, S., Kim, M., Hae, H., Cao, M. and Kim, J. (2023). The development of a rebar-counting model for reinforced concrete columns: Using an unmanned aerial vehicle and deep-learning approach. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 149(11), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1061/jcemd4.coeng-13686
- Zhao, X., Chen, J., Zhang, S., Shang, Y., Liu, X. and Cao, M. (2023). Facilitating urban mobility and accessibility for people with disabilities via the use of technology and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS): Evidence from Beijing. People's Public Transportation, 1, 68–74.
- Zhao, X., Zhang, S., Cao, M. and Guo, W. (2023). Investigating the optimisation of urban transport management: The role and importance of a road traffic environment monitoring information platform. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 23(5), 26–29. https://10.13986/j.cnki.jote.2023.05.005
- Zhao, X., Zhang, D., Cao, M., Wang, Z. and Wang, L. (2023). Investigating the urban traffic environment using the Internet of Things. Auto Time, 6, 138–140.
- Bai, Y., Cao, M., Wang, R., Liu, Y. and Wang, S. (2022). How street greenery facilitates active travel for university students. Journal of Transport and Health, 26, 101393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101393
- Cao. M. and Spurling, J. (2022). Fundamental Concepts and Functions of Passenger and Freight Transportation in Great Britain. Boca Raton: BrownWalker Press.
- Cao, M. and Zhang, S. (2022). Shifting frontiers of the new spatial planning paradigm from a theoretical and methodological development perspective. International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development, 10(4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.14246/irspsd.10.4_1
- De Vos, J., Waygood, E.O.D., Letarte, L. and Cao, M. (2022). Do frequent satisfying trips by public transport impacts its intended use in later life?. Transportation, 49, 1245–1263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-021-10209-0
- Gao, X., Meng, J., Ling, Y., Liao, M. and Cao, M. (2022). Localisation economies, intellectual property rights protection and entrepreneurship in China: A Bayesian analysis of multi-level spatial correlation. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 61, 156–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2022.02.009
- Gao, X., Wang, Z., Cao, M., Liu, Y., Zhang, Y., Wu, M. and Qiu, Y. (2022). Neighbourhood satisfaction in rural resettlement residential communities: The case of Suqian, China. Housing Studies, 37(8),1497–1518. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2020.1853068
- Henderson, A., Cao, M. and Liu, Q. (2022). Access-based consumption, behaviour change and future mobility: Insights from visions of car sharing in Greater London. Future Transportation, 2(1), 216–236. https://doi.org/10.3390/futuretransp2010011
- Liu, C., Cao, M., Yang, T., Ma, L., Wu, M., Cheng, L. and Ye, R. (2022). Inequalities in the commuting burden: Institutional constraints and job-housing relationships in Tianjin, China. Research in Transportation Business and Management, 42, 100545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2020.100545
- Liu, T., Zhu, X. and Cao, M. (2022). Impacts of reduced inequalities on quality education: Examining the relationship between regional sustainability and higher education. Sustainability, 14, 14112. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114112
- Wang, R., Cao, M., Yao, Y. and Wu, W. (2022). The inequalities of different dimensions of visible street urban green space provision: A machine learning approach. Land Use Policy, 123, 106410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106410
- Wang, Y., Cao, M., Liu, Y., Ye, R., Gao, X. and Ma, L. (2022). Public transport equity in Shenyang: Using structural equation modelling. Research in Transportation Business and Management, 42, 100555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2020.100555
- Xia, S., Ling, Y., De Main, L., Lim, M.K., Li, G., Zhang, P. and Cao, M. (2022). Creating a low carbon economy through green supply chain management: Investigation of willingness-to-pay for green products from a consumer's perspective. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13675567.2022.2115988
- Zhang, Y., Cao, M., Cheng, L., Gao, X. and De Vos, J. (2022). Exploring the temporal variations in accessibility to health services for older adults: A case study in Greater London. Journal of Transport and Health, 24, 101334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101334
- Cao, M. (2021). Transport Planning and Management and its Implications in Chinese Cities. In: Vickerman, R. (ed.), International Encyclopedia of Transportation. United Kingdom: Elsevier Ltd., 6, 44–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102671-7.10612-8
- Chen, W., Cheng, L., Chen, X., Chen J. and Cao, M. (2021). Measuring accessibility to health care services for older bus passengers: A finer spatial resolution. Journal of Transport Geography, 93, 103068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103068
- Cheng, L., Shi, K., De Vos, J., Cao, M. and Witlox, F. (2021). Examining the spatially heterogeneous effects of the built environment on walking among older adults. Transport Policy, 100, 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.10.004
- Gao, X., Cao, M., Zhang, Y., Liu, Y., Tong, H. and Yao, Q. (2021). Towards sustainability: An assessment of an urbanisation bubble in China using a hierarchical - Stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis - Choquet integral method. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123650
- Lee, R., Shammut, M., Allen, J., Gao, X., Yang, T. and Cao, M. (2021). Investigating the implications of the London Heathrow Airport expansion for the landside freight industry. Logistics, 5(3), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics5030050
- Ling, Y., Xia, S., Cao, M., He, K., Lim, M.K., Sukumar, A., Yi. H. and Qian, X. (2021). Carbon emissions in China's thermal electricity and heating industry: An input-output structural decomposition analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 329, 129608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129608
- Liu, Q., Chen, C-L. and Cao, M. (2021). Exploring the relationship between the commuting experience and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 99, 103026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.103026
- Lyu, Y., Cao, M., Zhang, Y., Yang, T. and Shi, C. (2021). Investigating users' perspectives on the development of bike-sharing in Shanghai. Research in Transportation Business and Management, 40, 100543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2020.100543
- Piecyk, M., Allen, J., Woodburn, A. and Cao, M. (2021). Online Grocery Shopping and Last-Mile Deliveries. United Kingdom: Centre for Sustainable Road Freight.
- Piecyk, M., Allen, J., Woodburn, A. and Cao, M. (2021). Online Non-Food Parcel Shopping and Last-Mile Deliveries. United Kingdom: Centre for Sustainable Road Freight.
- Piecyk, M., Allen, J., Woodburn, A. and Cao, M. (2021). Online Ready-To-Eat Meal Orders and Last-Mile Deliveries. United Kingdom: Centre for Sustainable Road Freight.
- Piecyk, M., Allen, J., Woodburn, A. and Cao, M. (2021). Online Shopping and Last-Mile Deliveries: Full Report. United Kingdom: Centre for Sustainable Road Freight.
- Piecyk, M., Allen, J., Woodburn, A. and Cao, M. (2021). Online Shopping and Last-Mile Deliveries: Summary Report. United Kingdom: Centre for Sustainable Road Freight.
- Song, X., Cao, M., Zhai, K., Gao, X., Wu, M. and Yang, T. (2021). The effects of spatial planning, well-being and behavioural changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 3, 686706. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2021.686706
- Swift, A., Cheng, L., Loo, B.P.Y., Cao, M. and Witlox, F. (2021). Step-free railway station access in the UK: The value of inclusive design. European Transport Research Review, 13, 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12544-021-00504-3
- Wan, L., Yang, T., Jin, Y., Wang, D., Shi, C., Yin, Z., Cao, M. and Pan, H. (2021). Estimating commuting matrix and error mitigation – A complementary use of aggregate travel survey, location-based big data and discrete choice models. Travel Behaviour and Society, 25, 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2021.04.012
- Wang, Z., Liu, H., Zhu, Y., Zhang, Y., Basiri, A., Büttner, B., Gao, X. and Cao, M. (2021). Identifying urban functional areas and their dynamic changes in Beijing: Using multiyear transit smart card data. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 147(2), 04021002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000662
- Wu, M., Gao, X., Cao, M. and Papa, E. (2021). Large-scale enterprises, social capital and the post-disaster development of community tourism: The case of Taoping, China. International Journal of Tourism Research, 23(5), 757–769. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2439
- Wu, M., Gao, X., Cao, M., Papa, E. and Zhu, X. (2021). The changes of intergovernmental collaboration dynamic in post-disaster destination management: Network analysis. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.05.006
- Yang, Y., Cao, M., Cheng, L., Zhai, K., Zhao, X. and De Vos, J. (2021). Exploring the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in travel behaviour: A qualitative study. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 11, 100450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100450
- Zhang, Y., Marshall, S., Cao, M., Manley, E. and Chen, H. (2021). Discovering the evolution of urban structure using smart card data: The case of London. Cities, 112, 103157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103157
- Cao, M. and Hickman, R. (2020). Transport, Social Equity and Capabilities in East Beijing. In: Chen, C.-L., Pan, H., Shen, Q. and Wang, J. (eds.), Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
- Cheng, L., Yang, J., Chen, X., Cao, M., Zhou, H. and Sun, Y. (2020). How could the station-based bike sharing system and the free-floating bike sharing system be coordinated?. Journal of Transport Geography, 89, 102896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102896
- Gao, X., Cao, M., Yang, T. and Basiri, A. (2020). Transport development, intellectual property rights protection and innovation: The case of the Yangtze River Delta Region, China. Research in Transportation Business and Management, 37, 100563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2020.100563
- Gao, X., Zhai, K., Qiu, Y., Cao, M. and Wu, M. (2020). Innovation institution and spatial transfer of energy industry: The case of Jiangsu province, China. SAGE Open, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900181
- Liu, Y., Wang, R., Lu, Y., Li, Z., Chen, H., Cao, M., Zhang, Y. and Song, Y. (2020). Natural outdoor environment, neighbourhood social cohesion and mental health: Using multilevel structural equation modelling, streetscape and remote-sensing metrics. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 48, 126576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126576
- Low, W-Y., Cao, M., De Vos, J. and Hickman, R. (2020). The journey experience of visually impaired people on public transport in London. Transport Policy, 97, 137–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.07.018
- Zhang, Y. and Cao, M. (2020). How will transit station closures affect Londoners?. Focus, 22(10), 52–53.
- Zhang, Y., Chapple, K., Cao, M., Dennett, A. and Smith, D. (2020). Visualising urban gentrification and displacement in Greater London. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 52(5), 819–824. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X19880211
- Cao, M. and Hickman, R. (2019). Understanding travel and differential capabilities and functionings in Beijing. Transport Policy, 83, 46–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2019.08.006
- Cao, M. and Hickman, R. (2019). Urban transport and social inequities in neighbourhoods near underground stations in Greater London. Transportation Planning and Technology, 42(5), 419–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2019.1609215
- Cao, M., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, S. and Hickman, R. (2019). Using Different Approaches to Evaluate Individual Social Equity in Transport. In: Hickman, R., Mella-Lira, B., Givoni, M. and Geurs, K. (eds.), A Companion to Transport, Space and Equity. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
- Cuthill, N., Cao, M., Liu, Y., Gao, X. and Zhang, Y. (2019). The association between urban public transport infrastructure and social equity and spatial accessibility within the urban environment: An investigation of Tramlink in London. Sustainability, 11(5), 1229. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051229
- Shammut, M., Cao, M., Zhang, Y., Papaix, C., Liu, Y. and Gao, X. (2019). Banning diesel vehicles in London: Is 2040 too late?. Energies, 12(18), 3495. http://doi.org/10.3390/en12183495
- Song, Z., Cao, M., Han, T. and Hickman, R. (2019). Public transport accessibility and housing value uplift: Evidence from the Docklands Light Railway in London. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 7(3), 607–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2019.07.001
- Spurling, D., Spurling J. and Cao, M. (2019). Transport Economics Matters: Applying Economic Principles to Transportation in Great Britain. Boca Raton: BrownWalker Press.
- Cao, M. and Hickman, R. (2018). Car dependence and housing affordability: An emerging social deprivation issue in London. Urban Studies, 55(10), 2088–2105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098017712682
- Hickman, R., Lopez, N., Cao, M., Mella-Lira, B. and Biona, J.B. (2018). “I drive outside of peak time to avoid traffic jams—public transport is not attractive here.” Challenging discourses on travel to the university campus in Manila. Sustainability, 10(5), 1462. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051462
- Cao, M., Chen, C-L. and Hickman, R. (2017). Transport emissions in Beijing: A scenario planning approach. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Transport, 170(2), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1680/jtran.15.00093
- Hickman, R., Cao, M., Mella-Lira, B., Fillone, A. and Biona, J.B. (2017). Understanding capabilities, functionings and travel in high and low income neighbourhoods in Manila. Social Inclusion, 5(4), 161–174. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v5i4.1083