TL;DR: Using alternative data to measure the costs of congestion of a city’s labour market.
Working Paper
Abstract: Ease of mobility is crucial for cities’ productivity. Better mobility allows better access to jobs and allows firms access to a larger pool of workers. As cities grow, congestion can rapidly erode productivity as well as impose heavy environmental costs. We use publicly-available Uber Movement data to measure congestion across 40 key routes connecting major Mumbai residential areas to the city’s key business districts. We go on to quantify the economic and environmental costs of congestion. We provide actionable results for policymakers by identifying chokepoints, specific route segments which contribute to congestion. Left unaddressed, the situation will have damaging effects on the potential benefits of agglomeration and, ultimately, Mumbai’s productivity.
Link to full paper is here.
Web Tool
A web tool that allows users to quantify the economic and environmental costs of congestion in Mumbai. across 40 key routes connecting major Mumbai residential areas to the city’s key business districts and visualise specific route segments which contribute to congestion.
Link to the web tool is here.
Media Coverage
- The costs of congestion: A case study of Mumbai: Op-ed in the Hindustan Times
- Mumbai: Slow commuting, low productivity: LinkedIn article on project
- Mumbai Commute doubles during Monsoon: Blog on effects of Monsoon congestion