Abstract Purpose Findings are reported from the original study that supported the creation and va... more Abstract Purpose Findings are reported from the original study that supported the creation and validation of the current road network-based (“Street Smart”) version of Walk Score. It shows how Street Smart Walk Score improved upon the former “airline” (Euclidean, crow-fly or straight-line) distance method. It further compares the ability to predict objectively measured physical activity between the original airline Walk Score and Street Smart Walk Score methods and a code-based composite three-dimensional “Walkability Index” of net-residential density, land use mix, street connectivity, and retail floor area ratio. Methods The three walkability approaches were linked with objective physical activity data from 2,199 participants in the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study and compared. Walk Score's classic airline-based distance method to assess proximity to destinations was dramatically enhanced to form the new network-based method. A road network method to measure distance was created. A non-linear distance decay function with distance-based weights was also developed for specific destinations. Inclusion of a link-node ratio measure of connectivity and removal of schools was advised. Findings were externally validated using similar data from another region. Results The code-based Walkability Index remained the best predictor of physical activity even after all of the enhancements were made to create a network-based Walk Score which was positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Each step of the Walk Score calibration process further improved the strength of association with MVPA. Discussion Destination proximity used by Walk Score provides a useful measure of accessibility for a wide range of end-users. However, from a policy perspective, it is essential to measure features enforceable through development regulations. Components of these regulations are contained in the Walkability Index. Presence of shops, restaurants, and other destinations captured by Walk Score can be enabled but not mandated through these regulated features.
This chapter uses livability concepts as a framework for evaluating transportation and land use i... more This chapter uses livability concepts as a framework for evaluating transportation and land use integration, which has become viewed as a key component to Smart Growth. This research created a typology of transit stations based on station area accessibility (to jobs, housing, and key destinations), considering the amount of transit service in the station area, the area’s urban design characteristics, and the number of jobs and population that are accessible. A large dataset on transit stations and corridors was then used to populate the typology. About a quarter of current stations were in the highly accessible category while nearly 20% were in the low access category. Several proxies for livability, including levels of transit and auto use, transportation and housing costs, greenhouse gas emissions per household, and levels of obesity, were used to compare the high accessibility stations, that is, those with highly integrated transportation and land use, with the stations in the lo...
According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 1969 about 50% of all children aged 5-18 eith... more According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 1969 about 50% of all children aged 5-18 either walked or biked to school. By 2001, 85% of all children aged 5-15 were driven to school by either a parent or a bus driver. With the journey between home and school becoming longer and more dangerous due to decades of auto-oriented suburbanization, parents are more concerned than ever about the safety of their children getting to and from school. This article focuses on the hazards children face today as they walk, bike, or ride buses to school in heavy traffic, and offers some solutions to make these trips as safe as possible. Describes "Safe Routes to School" efforts in the United States and other countries to make walking and biking to school the transportation of choice. Offers a plan of action for formulating and carrying out such a program and information on funding sources. Language: en
This report provides the findings from the third phase of a three-part study about the influences... more This report provides the findings from the third phase of a three-part study about the influences of neighborhood crime on travel mode choice. While previous phases found evidence that high levels of neighborhood crime discourage people from choosing to walk, bicycle and ride transit, they also produced counterintuitive findings suggesting that in some cases, high crime neighborhoods encourage transit ridership at the expense of driving—the opposite of what common sense would suggest. Phase 3 tested possible explanations for these counterintuitive findings with a series of methodological improvements. These yielded strong evidence supporting the hypothesis that high-crime neighborhoods encourage driving, and they generated none of the counterintuitive findings from previous phases.
M I N E T A T R A N S P O R T A T I O N I N S T I T U T E Housing affordability crisis in the Bay... more M I N E T A T R A N S P O R T A T I O N I N S T I T U T E Housing affordability crisis in the Bay Area coupled with limited transportation options has resulted in congestion, gridlock, long commutes as well as several negative environmental, social, and economic impacts. This toolkit offers an analysis of successful case studies with a holistic approach to housing development and transportation planning.
While several studies have investigated the links between crime travel behavior, little research ... more While several studies have investigated the links between crime travel behavior, little research estimates the direct effects on mode choice of crime along different lengths of a person’s route, from home origin to station destination, particularly as it relates to the first and/or last mile of the trip-a key area for encouraging alternative modes. A long-standing goal among transit planners has been to reduce driving trips and trip distances for environmental, economic and public health reasons. However, if there is a perceived threat to their personal security along their journey, people may choose to drive instead of walking or bicycling, potentially presenting serious consequences for the environment and society. While most previous studies of travel behavior, criminal activity look only at origin characteristics, this research uses multinomial logit (MNL) regression to estimate the impact of criminal activity along the route, from origin to destination, as well as at the destin...
The first track (Practice) will be dedicated to skill development and application and it will mov... more The first track (Practice) will be dedicated to skill development and application and it will move from learning basis tools such as scales and reading slope maps to an overlay analysis of environmental constraints; Identification of different building typologies and their design standards, recognition of community character and its contextual influences; Development of 3D modeling computer skills as design tools for urban mass, context and building articulation.
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in statements about people’s rights to our streets. D... more Recently, there has been a renewed interest in statements about people’s rights to our streets. Drawing broadly from the literature and from an examination of a comprehensive collection of these rights, this article works toward establishing a comprehensive ethical framework that can be used to guide planning, design and engineering decisions to support pedestrian rights for street and urban livability. To identify and propose these ethical principles and help achieve optimal livability for individuals, groups and society, we: (a) comprehensively examine the literature to clarify the various concepts of street livability and human rights to the street (as related to a collection of various pedestrian rights statements); (b) explore what is being said in these rights to better understand people’s needs and wants; and (c) provide a roadmap for planners, urban designers, and engineers to address these needs in practice. Building on the previous steps and incorporating business practice...
Abstract Purpose Findings are reported from the original study that supported the creation and va... more Abstract Purpose Findings are reported from the original study that supported the creation and validation of the current road network-based (“Street Smart”) version of Walk Score. It shows how Street Smart Walk Score improved upon the former “airline” (Euclidean, crow-fly or straight-line) distance method. It further compares the ability to predict objectively measured physical activity between the original airline Walk Score and Street Smart Walk Score methods and a code-based composite three-dimensional “Walkability Index” of net-residential density, land use mix, street connectivity, and retail floor area ratio. Methods The three walkability approaches were linked with objective physical activity data from 2,199 participants in the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study and compared. Walk Score's classic airline-based distance method to assess proximity to destinations was dramatically enhanced to form the new network-based method. A road network method to measure distance was created. A non-linear distance decay function with distance-based weights was also developed for specific destinations. Inclusion of a link-node ratio measure of connectivity and removal of schools was advised. Findings were externally validated using similar data from another region. Results The code-based Walkability Index remained the best predictor of physical activity even after all of the enhancements were made to create a network-based Walk Score which was positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Each step of the Walk Score calibration process further improved the strength of association with MVPA. Discussion Destination proximity used by Walk Score provides a useful measure of accessibility for a wide range of end-users. However, from a policy perspective, it is essential to measure features enforceable through development regulations. Components of these regulations are contained in the Walkability Index. Presence of shops, restaurants, and other destinations captured by Walk Score can be enabled but not mandated through these regulated features.
This chapter uses livability concepts as a framework for evaluating transportation and land use i... more This chapter uses livability concepts as a framework for evaluating transportation and land use integration, which has become viewed as a key component to Smart Growth. This research created a typology of transit stations based on station area accessibility (to jobs, housing, and key destinations), considering the amount of transit service in the station area, the area’s urban design characteristics, and the number of jobs and population that are accessible. A large dataset on transit stations and corridors was then used to populate the typology. About a quarter of current stations were in the highly accessible category while nearly 20% were in the low access category. Several proxies for livability, including levels of transit and auto use, transportation and housing costs, greenhouse gas emissions per household, and levels of obesity, were used to compare the high accessibility stations, that is, those with highly integrated transportation and land use, with the stations in the lo...
According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 1969 about 50% of all children aged 5-18 eith... more According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 1969 about 50% of all children aged 5-18 either walked or biked to school. By 2001, 85% of all children aged 5-15 were driven to school by either a parent or a bus driver. With the journey between home and school becoming longer and more dangerous due to decades of auto-oriented suburbanization, parents are more concerned than ever about the safety of their children getting to and from school. This article focuses on the hazards children face today as they walk, bike, or ride buses to school in heavy traffic, and offers some solutions to make these trips as safe as possible. Describes "Safe Routes to School" efforts in the United States and other countries to make walking and biking to school the transportation of choice. Offers a plan of action for formulating and carrying out such a program and information on funding sources. Language: en
This report provides the findings from the third phase of a three-part study about the influences... more This report provides the findings from the third phase of a three-part study about the influences of neighborhood crime on travel mode choice. While previous phases found evidence that high levels of neighborhood crime discourage people from choosing to walk, bicycle and ride transit, they also produced counterintuitive findings suggesting that in some cases, high crime neighborhoods encourage transit ridership at the expense of driving—the opposite of what common sense would suggest. Phase 3 tested possible explanations for these counterintuitive findings with a series of methodological improvements. These yielded strong evidence supporting the hypothesis that high-crime neighborhoods encourage driving, and they generated none of the counterintuitive findings from previous phases.
M I N E T A T R A N S P O R T A T I O N I N S T I T U T E Housing affordability crisis in the Bay... more M I N E T A T R A N S P O R T A T I O N I N S T I T U T E Housing affordability crisis in the Bay Area coupled with limited transportation options has resulted in congestion, gridlock, long commutes as well as several negative environmental, social, and economic impacts. This toolkit offers an analysis of successful case studies with a holistic approach to housing development and transportation planning.
While several studies have investigated the links between crime travel behavior, little research ... more While several studies have investigated the links between crime travel behavior, little research estimates the direct effects on mode choice of crime along different lengths of a person’s route, from home origin to station destination, particularly as it relates to the first and/or last mile of the trip-a key area for encouraging alternative modes. A long-standing goal among transit planners has been to reduce driving trips and trip distances for environmental, economic and public health reasons. However, if there is a perceived threat to their personal security along their journey, people may choose to drive instead of walking or bicycling, potentially presenting serious consequences for the environment and society. While most previous studies of travel behavior, criminal activity look only at origin characteristics, this research uses multinomial logit (MNL) regression to estimate the impact of criminal activity along the route, from origin to destination, as well as at the destin...
The first track (Practice) will be dedicated to skill development and application and it will mov... more The first track (Practice) will be dedicated to skill development and application and it will move from learning basis tools such as scales and reading slope maps to an overlay analysis of environmental constraints; Identification of different building typologies and their design standards, recognition of community character and its contextual influences; Development of 3D modeling computer skills as design tools for urban mass, context and building articulation.
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in statements about people’s rights to our streets. D... more Recently, there has been a renewed interest in statements about people’s rights to our streets. Drawing broadly from the literature and from an examination of a comprehensive collection of these rights, this article works toward establishing a comprehensive ethical framework that can be used to guide planning, design and engineering decisions to support pedestrian rights for street and urban livability. To identify and propose these ethical principles and help achieve optimal livability for individuals, groups and society, we: (a) comprehensively examine the literature to clarify the various concepts of street livability and human rights to the street (as related to a collection of various pedestrian rights statements); (b) explore what is being said in these rights to better understand people’s needs and wants; and (c) provide a roadmap for planners, urban designers, and engineers to address these needs in practice. Building on the previous steps and incorporating business practice...
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