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Research Theme: Infrastructure & Transportation

Includes both management/policy and design/building aspects

Does Accessibility Require Density or Speed?

Levine, J., Grengs, J., Shen, Q., & Shen, Q. (2012). Does Accessibility Require Density or Speed?. Journal of the American Planning Association, 78(2), 157–172.

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Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Advocates of accessibility as a transportation performance metric often assert that it requires higher density. Conversely, traditional transportation planning methods have valued speed per se as an indicator of success in transportation. In examining these claims, we make two methodological innovations. The first is a new intermetropolitan gravity-based accessibility metric. Second, we decompose the impact of density on accessibility to highlight the distinct opposing influences of speed and proximity in a manner that illustrates different families of relationships between these two factors. This reveals that denser metropolitan regions have slower travel speeds but greater origin-destination proximity. The former effect tends to degrade accessibility while the latter tends to enhance it. Despite theoretical reasons to expect that the speed effect dominates, results suggest that the proximity effect dominates, rendering the denser metropolitan areas more accessible.

Takeaway for practice: Having destinations nearby, as when densities are high, offers benefits even when the associated congestion slows traffic. Where land use policy frequently seeks to support low-development densities in part in an attempt to maintain travel speeds and forestall traffic congestion, our findings suggest that compact development can often improve transportation outcomes.

Research support: Environmental Protection Agency project RD-83334901-0, FHWA Cooperative Agreement Number: DTFH61-07-H-00037, and the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan.

Keywords

accessibility; mobility; speed; proximity; transportation planning

Transit-Oriented Development at the Urban Periphery: Insights from a Case Study in Shanghai, China

‌Pan, H., Shen, Q., & Liu, C. (2011).. Transit-Oriented Development at the Urban Periphery: Insights from a Case Study in Shanghai, China. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2245(1), 95–102.

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Abstract

Major cities in China are extending rail transit into the urban periphery to counter urban growth and suburbanization that are automobile-driven and automobile-dependent. In the meantime, transit-oriented development (TOD) has been adopted widely in Chinese cities. Given the adoption of the TOD concept by many rail transit station areas at the peripheries of metropolitan regions, it is imperative to explore how TOD can be applied appropriately there. In this study, two station areas were examined in Songjiang, a district located approximately 30 km from the city center of Shanghai, China. These station areas have developed according to some basic TOD principles, and, in many important ways, they are representative of newly developed rail transit station areas in Shanghai and in other major Chinese cities. The conduct of a questionnaire survey allowed for investigation of resident travel behavior, assessment of the effectiveness of the TOD application, and discussion of how TOD should be adapted to peripheral locations in a large and complex metropolitan region. The study concluded that planners must carefully substantiate the basic TOD concept in connection with this particular kind of application setting. Careful consideration should be paid to mixed land use, differentiated density, and to pedestrian and bicycle travel and their connection with rail transit. Planners also must pay close attention to each peripheral area's economic and social conditions, as well as its relationships with the central city and with other parts of the metropolitan region. This case study not only provided timely feedback on current planning practice in Shanghai and other Chinese cities but also contributed to the literature on the adaptation of TOD to local circumstances.

 

Architecture for the Boston & Albany Railroad: 1881-1894

Ochsner, J. K. (1988). Architecture for the Boston & Albany Railroad: 1881-1894. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 47(2), 109-131 .

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Abstract

Between 1881 and 1894 the Boston & Albany Railroad undertook a major program of capital investment and improvements to the physical facilities of the line, including the construction of over 30 new passenger stations. H. H. Richardson's close friends, James A. Rumrill and Charles S. Sargent, as the two members of the B&A Board most interested in construction, were given responsibility for this program. They directed the commissions to Richardson and after his death to his successors, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. Richardson's nine B&A station designs were generally variations on a simple theme-small rectangular stone blocks with overhanging roofs providing sheltered waiting space at trackside. The continuation of this approach by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge in 23 additional station designs resulted in a remarkable consistency of character and quality throughout the B&A system. This consistency was also fostered by the continuing participation of Norcross Brothers of Worcester (Richardson's "Master Builder") as contractor, and by the participation of F. L. Olmsted, whose design of landscaped settings for many of the stations contributed to the establishment of the B&A program of "railroad gardening." While the stations were small commissions, the totality of the B&A program represents an impressive collaboration of designer, contractor, and client which has seldom been equalled.

Using Open Data and Open-source Software to Develop Spatial Indicators of Urban Design and Transport Features for Achieving Healthy and Sustainable Cities

Boeing, Geoff; Higgs, Carl; Liu, Shiqin; Giles-corti, Billie; Sallis, James F.; Cerin, Ester; Lowe, Melanie; Adlakha, Deepti; Hinckson, Erica; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Salvo, Deborah; Adams, Marc A.; Barrozo, Ligia, V; Bozovic, Tamara; Delclos-alio, Xavier; Dygryn, Jan; Ferguson, Sara; Gebel, Klaus; Thanh Phuong Ho; Lai, Poh-chin; Martori, Joan C.; Nitvimol, Kornsupha; Queralt, Ana; Roberts, Jennifer D.; Sambo, Garba H.; Schipperijn, Jasper; Vale, David; Van De Weghe, Nico; Vich, Guillem; Arundel, Jonathan. (2022). Using Open Data and Open-source Software to Develop Spatial Indicators of Urban Design and Transport Features for Achieving Healthy and Sustainable Cities. Lancet Global Health, 10(6), E907-E918.

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Abstract

Benchmarking and monitoring of urban design and transport features is crucial to achieving local and international health and sustainability goals. However, most urban indicator frameworks use coarse spatial scales that either only allow between-city comparisons, or require expensive, technical, local spatial analyses for within-city comparisons. This study developed a reusable, open-source urban indicator computational framework using open data to enable consistent local and global comparative analyses. We show this framework by calculating spatial indicators-for 25 diverse cities in 19 countries-of urban design and transport features that support health and sustainability. We link these indicators to cities' policy contexts, and identify populations living above and below critical thresholds for physical activity through walking. Efforts to broaden participation in crowdsourcing data and to calculate globally consistent indicators are essential for planning evidence-informed urban interventions, monitoring policy effects, and learning lessons from peer cities to achieve health, equity, and sustainability goals.

Keywords

Systems; Access; Care

Qing Shen awarded funding for commute research survey

The Mobility Innovation Center announced that Qing Shen, professor of Urban Design & Planning and an expert in transportation planning and policy, has received a $100,000 award to study commuting patterns and develop a model to understand the effect of telework and flexible scheduling. The project will build off the existing Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) survey for employers who are in the CTR program as required by state law in the central city portion of Seattle. In addition, a complementary…

An Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Urban Form on Household Travel and Energy Consumption

Liu, Chao; Shen, Qing. (2011). An Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Urban Form on Household Travel and Energy Consumption. Computers, Environment & Urban Systems, 35(5), 347 – 357.

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Abstract

Using the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data, this paper empirically examines the effects of urban land use characteristics on household travel and transportation energy consumption in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The results of regression analysis show that different built environment measures lead to substantially different findings regarding the importance of urban form in influencing travel behavior. Among the built environment variables used in the analysis, accessibility provides much more explanatory power than density, design and diversity measures. Moreover, this study explores approaches to modeling the connection between urban form and household transportation energy consumption. Applying Structural Equation Models (SEMs), we found that urban form does not have a direct effect either on VMT or on vehicle energy consumption. The indirect effect, however, is significant and negative, which suggests that urban form affects household travel and energy consumption through other channels. In addition, household socio-economic characteristics, such as gender and number of vehicles, and vehicle characteristics also show significant relationships between VMT and energy consumption. This empirical effort helps us understand the major data and methodology challenges. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Urban Planning; Households; Travel; Energy Consumption; Empirical Research; Transportation; Metropolitan Areas; Climate Change; National Household Travel Survey (nhts); Usage; Environment; Behavior; Holdings; Impact

Valuing the Reliability of the Electrical Power Infrastructure: A Two-Stage Hedonic Approach

Maliszewski, Paul; Larson, Elisabeth; Perrings, Charles. (2013). Valuing the Reliability of the Electrical Power Infrastructure: A Two-Stage Hedonic Approach. Urban Studies, 50(1), 72 – 87.

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Abstract

The reliability of electrical power supply is amongst the conditions that inform house purchase decisions in all urban areas. Reliability depends in part on the conditions of the power generation and distribution infrastructures involved, and in part on environmental conditions. Its value to homeowners may be capitalised into the value of the house. In this paper, a hedonic pricing approach is used to estimate the capitalised value of the reliability offered by distribution infrastructures and the environmental conditions with which they interact in Phoenix, Arizona. A first stage estimates the impact of infrastructure and environmental conditions on reliability. In a second stage, the capitalised value of reliability from the marginal willingness to pay for reliability revealed by house purchase decisions is estimated and used to infer the value of both infrastructural characteristics and environmental conditions.

Keywords

Willingness-to-pay; Residential Property-values; Economic Valuation; Choice Experiment; Urban Wetlands; Air-quality; Benefits; Identifiability; Specification; Determinants

Multilevel Models for Evaluating the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections and Mid-Blocks

Quistberg, D. Alex; Howard, Eric J.; Ebel, Beth E.; Moudon, Anne V.; Saelens, Brian E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Curtin, James E.; Rivara, Frederick P. (2015). Multilevel Models for Evaluating the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections and Mid-Blocks. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 84, 99 – 111.

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Abstract

Walking is a popular form of physical activity associated with clear health benefits. Promoting safe walking for pedestrians requires evaluating the risk of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions at specific roadway locations in order to identify where road improvements and other interventions may be needed. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the risk of pedestrian collisions at intersections and mid-blocks in Seattle, WA. The study used 2007-2013 pedestrian motor vehicle collision data from police reports and detailed characteristics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment at intersection and mid-block locations. The primary outcome was the number of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions over time at each location (incident rate ratio [IRR] and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]). Multilevel mixed effects Poisson models accounted for correlation within and between locations and census blocks over time. Analysis accounted for pedestrian and vehicle activity (e.g., residential density and road classification). In the final multivariable model, intersections with 4 segments or 5 or more segments had higher pedestrian collision rates compared to mid-blocks. Non-residential roads had significantly higher rates than residential roads, with principal arterials having the highest collision rate. The pedestrian collision rate was higher by 9% per 10 feet of street width. Locations with traffic signals had twice the collision rate of locations without a signal and those with marked crosswalks also had a higher rate. Locations with a marked crosswalk also had higher risk of collision. Locations with a one-way road or those with signs encouraging motorists to cede the right-of-way to pedestrians had fewer pedestrian collisions. Collision rates were higher in locations that encourage greater pedestrian activity (more bus use, more fast food restaurants, higher employment, residential, and population densities). Locations with higher intersection density had a lower rate of collisions as did those in areas with higher residential property values. The novel spatiotemporal approach used that integrates road/crossing characteristics with surrounding neighborhood characteristics should help city agencies better identify high-risk locations for further study and analysis. Improving roads and making them safer for pedestrians achieves the public health goals of reducing pedestrian collisions and promoting physical activity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Pedestrian Accidents; Road Interchanges & Intersections; Built Environment; Pedestrian Crosswalks; Correlation (statistics); Collision Risk; Multilevel Model; Pedestrians; Geographic Information-systems; Road-traffic Injuries; Physical-activity; Signalized Intersections; Impact Speed; Urban Form; Land-use; Safety; Walking

Study on the Ownership of Motorized and Non-Motorized Vehicles in Suburban Metro Station Areas: A Structural Equation Approach

Pan, Haixiao; Li, Jing; Chen, Peng. (2016). Study on the Ownership of Motorized and Non-Motorized Vehicles in Suburban Metro Station Areas: A Structural Equation Approach. Urban Rail Transit, 2(2), 47 – 58.

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Abstract

As Chinese megacities are experiencing a large-scale motorization and suburbanization, an ever greater number of households are relocated to suburban towns. The increasing average travel distance surely encourages car growth. China is now the world's largest car consumer, resulting in a series of unforeseen environmental and public health issues. On the other hand, scooters, electric bikes, and motorcycles become attractive options to substitute non-motorized bicycles. The ongoing demographic changes should also be taken in account. China has a rapidly aging population and a higher birth rate following reforms to the one-child policy allowing couples to have a second child. These changes will lead to a dramatic alteration of the household composition in the near future. Under above emerging contexts, this study aims to understand what implies the ownership of motorized and non-motorized vehicles in suburban metro station areas by means of a structural equation model. The data employed in this study are based on a household survey collected from three neighborhoods in Shanghai suburban metro station areas in 2010. The major findings include: (1) Income is a decisive element in car ownership. Specifically, high-income households have higher propensity to own a car, while middle and poor income families tend to own scooters, electric bikes, motorcycles, or bicycles. (2) Workplace built environment features or mode preferences are not essential to understanding vehicle ownership in Chinese context. (3) Stem families are more likely to own cars; the presence of a child or a senior family member increases the probability of owning a car by enlarging the household. (4) The results estimated for core family and DINK (couple with no child) family are highly consistent, and these families are less likely to own cars. Therefore, transport policies may focus more on households. Providing safe, pleasant, and efficient pedestrian and bicycle paths for children and seniors may decrease the attractiveness of owning cars.

Keywords

Suburban Metro Station Areas; Ownership Of Motorized And Non-motorized Vehicles; Built Environment; Mode Preferences; Family Composition; Structural Equation Model