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This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on shopping behavior in two neighboring developing economies: Bangladesh and India. While the previous studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on shopping behavior have relied on Revealed Preference (RP) data, this paper combines RP and Stated Preference (SP) data to develop joint RP-SP discrete choice models. This makes it possible to quantify the relative impact of the situational contexts on the choice of shopping modes of households and to capture the associated heterogeneity arising from the characteristics of the households. Further, comparison of the data and the estimated model parameters of the two countries with substantial socio-cultural similarities provide insights about how differences in the state of e-commerce can lead to different levels of inertia in continuing the pre-COVID behavior. The results will be useful to planners and policymakers for predicting the shopping modes in different future scenarios and formulating effective restriction measures.

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Integration of public transport modes has been cited by many as one of the primary factors that enhances public transport ridership and makes public transport investments more viable. Asian cities are witnessing huge investments in high-speed rail (HSR) infrastructure, which will be instrumental in inter-city travel. The HSR station should serve as a multimodal hub, providing users with a seamless interface to various transport modes of the city, thus enabling in the provision of a sustainable transportation solution to the urban area. This paper focuses on the public transportation integration at railway stations by drawing upon existing literature along with specific case studies from Asian cities. First, a generalized framework for integration is developed based on literature sources. Second, six Asian railway stations were reviewed to identify the components essential for developing the public transport integration framework. Finally, the implication of such integrated transport nodes is addressed with reference to the urban quality of life. Results reveal that a framework with three levels of integration-physical, informatory, and monetary, is required to achieve successful public transport integration at railway stations. These levels of integration also need to be supported by additional interventions, such as those that enhance user perception of transit service quality, provides contextual information of the surroundings, and garners active participation of the stakeholders, which will, in turn, enhance the sense of belonging and aid in augmenting users' quality of life.