An integrated spatial framework to assess telecommuting impacts on transportation network and emission hotspots in a developing country context: The case study of Tehran

Amirhossein Baghestani; Arman Aryannejad; Alireza Mahpour

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181836

An integrated spatial framework to assess telecommuting impacts on transportation network and emission hotspots in a developing country context: The case study of Tehran

Sci Total Environ. 2026 Jun 1:1033:181836. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181836. Epub 2026 Apr 30.

Authors

Amirhossein Baghestani¹, Arman Aryannejad², Alireza Mahpour³

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Civil, Water, and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, 1983969411, Iran. Electronic address: a_baghestani@sbu.ac.ir.
² Faculty of Civil, Water, and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, 1983969411, Iran. Electronic address: a.aryannejad@mail.sbu.ac.ir.
³ Faculty of Civil, Water, and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, 1983969411, Iran. Electronic address: a_mahpour@sbu.ac.ir.

PMID: 42066488
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181836

Abstract

Telecommuting is recognized as a sustainable urban mobility strategy; however, its quantitative impacts on network performance and air quality remains insufficiently understood, particularly in developing countries. This study develops an integrated spatial framework that directly links a travel demand forecasting model (EMME/2) with the International Vehicle Emissions (IVE) model to empirically evaluate the effect of telecommuting on network performance and emission hotspots in Tehran. Two scenarios-Business-As-Usual (BAU) and Telecommuting (TELE)-are simulated within EMME/2. The outputs, including vehicle kilometers traveled and speed are employed as primary inputs for the IVE model in order to estimate on-road emissions of major pollutants. The results show that implementation of a 20% telecommuting scenario might decrease total Vehicle Kilometers Traveled (VKT) and Vehicle Hours Traveled (VHT) by 4.6% and 10.9%, respectively; furthermore, the results indicate reductions in emissions of CO, VOCs, NOx, SOx, and PM by up to 7.9%, 7.9%, 5.9%, 4.5%, and 4.4% respectively during the morning peak hour. It's worth mentioning that spatial analysis highlights important emission reduction within the Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) and Restricted-Traffic Zone (RTZ) of Tehran, where most daily business trips are concentrated. The findings provide novel empirical evidence from a developing-country context, demonstrating that even moderate levels of telecommuting adoption can substantially enhance both transportation network efficiency and urban air quality. The framework proposed in this study provides policymakers with a robust, data-driven tool for evaluating travel demand management (TDM) strategies aimed at supporting sustainable urban development.

Keywords: Developing country; EMME/2; IVE; Integrated modeling; Spatial analysis; Telecommuting.