Hong, Jinhyun; Shen, Qing; Zhang, Lei. (2014). How Do Built-Environment Factors Affect Travel Behavior? A Spatial Analysis at Different Geographic Scales. Transportation, 41(3), 419 – 440.
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Abstract
Much of the literature shows that a compact city with well-mixed land use tends to produce lower vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and consequently lower energy consumption and less emissions. However, a significant portion of the literature indicates that the built environment only generates some minor-if any-influence on travel behavior. Through the literature review, we identify four major methodological problems that may have resulted in these conflicting conclusions: self-selection, spatial autocorrelation, inter-trip dependency, and geographic scale. Various approaches have been developed to resolve each of these issues separately, but few efforts have been made to reexamine the built environment-travel behavior relationship by considering these methodological issues simultaneously. The objective of this paper is twofold: (1) to better understand the existing methodological gaps, and (2) to reexamine the effects of built-environment factors on transportation by employing a framework that incorporates recently developed methodological approaches. Using the Seattle metropolitan region as our study area, the 2006 Household Activity Survey and the 2005 parcel and building data are used in our analysis. The research employs Bayesian hierarchical models with built-environment factors measured at different geographic scales. Spatial random effects based on a conditional autoregressive specification are incorporated in the hierarchical model framework to account for spatial contiguity among Traffic Analysis Zones. Our findings indicate that land use factors have highly significant effects on VMT even after controlling for travel attitude and spatial autocorrelation. In addition, our analyses suggest that some of these effects may translate into different empirical results depending on geographic scales and tour types.
Keywords
Land-use; Urban Form; Multilevel Models; Physical-activity; Neighborhood; Choice; Impact; Specification; Accessibility; Causation; Built Environment; Travel Behavior; Self-selection; Spatial Autocorrelation; Bayesian Hierarchical Model
Estiri, Hossein. (2016). Differences in Residential Energy Use between US City and Suburban Households. Regional Studies, 50(11), 1919 – 1930.
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Abstract
This paper applies path analysis to household-level data from the US residential sector to study differences in energy consumption between self-identified city and suburban households. Results show that, on average, suburban households consume more energy in residential buildings than their city-dweller counterparts. This variation in energy consumption is due to differences in: (1) characteristics of the household and the housing unit, independently, and (2) interactions between the household and housing characteristics in the city and suburban households. Findings of this study provide new insights into how regional policies can be implemented differently in suburbs and cities to reduce energy consumption.
Keywords
Urban Form; Electricity Consumption; Land-use; Impact; Sector; Sprawl; Determinants; Appliance; Mobility; Density; Energy Use; Residential Sector; City-dwellers; Suburbanites; Households; Path Analysis; Suburban Areas; Cities; Housing; Energy Consumption; Comparative Analysis; Data Processing; Residential Energy; Suburbs; Residential Buildings; Residential Areas; Energy Policy; Regional Analysis; Regional Studies; United States--us
Huang, Ruizhu; Moudon, Anne V.; Zhou, Chuan; Stewart, Orion T.; Saelens, Brian E. (2017). Light Rail Leads to More Walking Around Station Areas. Journal Of Transport & Health, 6, 201 – 208.
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Abstract
Areas around Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations offer ideal conditions for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Relatively dense, mixed-use neighborhoods can have positive impacts on mobility, health, and perceptions of neighborhood safety among nearby residents, primarily through walking activity for both transit and other purposes. To examine how station areas may attract new activity, this study analyzed changes in walking around station areas among people living close to an LRT station before and after the opening of a new transit system. This study examined walking behavior among the subset of 214 participants living within one mile of one of 13 LRT stations from among a sample of residents living close or further away from a new LRT line in Seattle. They completed a survey and a travel log and wore an accelerometer and a GPS for 7 days both before (2008) and after the opening of the Seattle area LRT (2010). Walking bouts were derived using a previously developed algorithm. The main outcome was the individual-level change in the proportion of daily walking within one quarter Euclidean mile of an LRT station. Overall walking decreased from before to after the LRT opening while station area walking did not change significantly, indicating a shift in walking activity to the station areas after the introduction of LRT. Increases in the proportion of station area walking were negatively related to participants' distance between home and the nearest LRT station, peaking at .0.75 mile. Male gender, college education, normal weight status, less access to cars, and frequent LRT use were also significantly associated with greater positive changes in the proportion of station area walking. The shift in walking to station areas after the completion of light rail provides evidence that the local proximate population is attracted to station areas, which may potentially benefit both transit use and TOD area economic activity. The residential catchment area for the shift in LRT area walking was < 0.75 mile of the LRT stations. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Keywords
Body-mass Index; Physical-activity; Built Environment; Travel Behavior; Transit; Stop; Transit Oriented Development (tod); Behavior Change; Global Positioning Systems; Geographic Information Systems
Eisenberg-Guyot, Jerzy; Moudon, Anne V.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Mooney, Stephen J.; Whitlock, Kathryn B.; Saelens, Brian E. (2019). Beyond the Bus Stop: Where Transit Users Walk. Journal Of Transport & Health, 14.
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Abstract
Objectives: Extending the health benefits of public-transit investment requires understanding how transit use affects pedestrian activity, including pedestrian activity not directly temporally or spatially related to transit use. In this study, we identified where transit users walked on transit days compared with non-transit days within and beyond 400 m and 800 m buffers surrounding their home and work addresses. Methods: We used data collected from 2008 to 2013 in King County, Washington, from 221 non-physically-disabled adult transit users, who were equipped with an accelerometer, global positioning system (GPS), and travel diary. We assigned walking activity to the following buffer locations: less than and at least 400 m or 800 m from home, work, or home/work (the home and work buffers comprised the latter buffer). We used Poisson generalized estimating equations to estimate differences in minutes per day of total walking and minutes per day of non-transit-related walking on transit days compared with non-transit days in each location. Results: We found that durations of total walking and non-transit-related walking were greater on transit days than on non-transit days in all locations studied. When considering the home neighborhood in isolation, most of the greater duration of walking occurred beyond the home neighborhood at both 400 m and 800 m; results were similar when considering the work neighborhood in isolation. When considering the neighborhoods jointly (i.e., by using the home/work buffer), at 400 m, most of the greater duration of walking occurred beyond the home/work neighborhood. However, at 800 m, most of the greater duration of walking occurred within the home/work neighborhood. Conclusions: Transit days were associated with greater durations of total walking and non-transit related walking within and beyond the home and work neighborhoods. Accordingly, research, design, and policy strategies focused on transit use and pedestrian activity should consider locations outside the home and work neighborhoods, in addition to locations within them.
Keywords
Physical-activity; Public-transit; Accelerometer Data; Combining Gps; United-states; Travel; Transportation; Health; Time; Neighborhood
Firth, Caislin L.; Baquero, Barbara; Berney, Rachel; Hoerster, Katherine D.; Mooney, Stephen J.; Winters, Meghan. (2021). Not Quite a Block Party: Covid-19 Street Reallocation Programs in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. Ssm-population Health, 14.
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed mobility inequities within cities. In response, cities are rapidly implementing street reallocation initiatives. These interventions provide space for walking and cycling, however, other mobility needs (e.g., essential workers, deliveries) may be impeded by these reallocation decisions. Informed by mobility justice frameworks, we examined socio-spatial differences in access to street reallocations in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. In both cities, more interventions occurred in areas where people of color, particularly Black and Indigenous people, lived. In Seattle, more interventions occurred in areas where people with disabilities, on food stamps, and children lived. In Vancouver, more interventions occurred in areas where recent immigrants lived, or where people used public transit or cycled to work. Street reallocations could be opportunities for cities to redress inequities in mobility and access to public spaces. Going forward, it is imperative to monitor how cities use data and welcome communities to redesign these temporary spaces to be corridors for their own mobility.
Keywords
Covid-19; Equity; Inequalities; Built Environment; Mobility; Cities; Mobility Justice
Rowe, Daniel H.; Bae, Chang-hee Christine; Shen, Qing. (2010). Assessing Multifamily Residential Parking Demand and Transit Service. Ite Journal-institute Of Transportation Engineers, 80(12), 20 – 24.
Abstract
This study examined the relationship of multifamily residential parking demand and transit level of service in Two King County, WA, USA, Urban Centers: First Hill/Capitol Hill (FHCH) and redmond. In addition, current parking policies were assessed for their ability to meet the observed parking demand, and an alternative method to collect parking demand data was explored.
Sohn, Dong Wook; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Lee, Jeasun. (2012). The Economic Value of Walkable Neighborhoods. Urban Design International, 17(2), 115 – 128.
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Abstract
This study investigated how the benefits of a walkable neighborhood were reflected in the American real estate market by examining the economic values of urban environmental factors supporting walking activities. Property values were used as a proxy measure for economic value and analyzed in relation to land use characteristics that have been known to correlate with walking at the neighborhood scale. Four aspects of the built environment supporting walking were included in the analyses: development density, land use mix, public open space and pedestrian infrastructure. Hedonic models were employed where the property value was regressed on the measures of the four sets of correlates of walking in a neighborhood. Models were estimated for four land use types - single-family residential, rental multi-family residential, commercial and office. The findings did not support previous arguments that increasing density weakens the quality of a neighborhood. To the contrary, the positive association of higher development density with the value of single-family residential properties detected in King County suggested that high development density might increase surrounding property values. The pedestrian infrastructure and land use mix significantly contributed to increases in rental multi-family residential property values. Higher development density with higher street and sidewalk coverage were also favored by retail service uses. In relation to land use mix, mixing retail service uses and rental multi-family residential uses helped make rental housings more attractive. URBAN DESIGN International (2012) 17, 115-128. doi:10.1057/udi.2012.1; published online 4 April 2012
Keywords
Land-use; Physical-activity; Travel Behavior; Smart Growth; Mode Choice; Urban Form; Walking; Gis; Transportation; Accessibility; Mixed Land Use; Neighborhood; Urban Design
Hurvitz, Philip M.; Moudon, Anne V.; Kang, Bumjoon; Fesinmeyer, Megan D.; Saelens, Brian E. (2014). How Far from Home? The Locations of Physical Activity in an Urban US Setting. Preventive Medicine, 69, 181 – 186.
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Abstract
Little is known about where physical activity (PA) occurs, or whether different demographic groups accumulate PA in different locations. Method. Objective data on PA and location from 611 adults over 7 days were collected in King County, WA in 2008-2009. The relative amounts of time spent in sedentary-to-low and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were quantified at three locations: home (1666 m). Differences in MVPA by demographics and location were examined. The percent of daily time in MVPA was estimated using a mixed model adjusted for location, sex, age, race/ethnicity, employment, education, BMI, and income. Results. Most MVPA time occurred in nonhome locations, and disproportionately near home; this location was associated with 16.46% greater time in MVPA, compared to at-home activity (p< 0.001), whereas more time spent at away locations was associated with 3.74% greater time in MVPA (p< 0.001). Location was found to be a predictor of MVPA independent of demographic factors. Conclusion. A large proportion of MVPA time is spent at near locations, corresponding to the home neighborhood studied in previous PA research. Away locations also host time spent in MVPA and should be the focus of future research. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
Keywords
Accelerometer Data; Built Environment; United-states; Neighborhood Walkability; Exercise Intensity; Time Use; Land-use; Walking; Health; Behavior; Physical Activity; Objective Measurement; Gps; Accelerometry; Gis
Ge, Yue ‘gurt’; Lindell, Michael K. (2016). County Planners’ Perceptions of Land-Use Planning Tools for Environmental Hazard Mitigation: A Survey in the US Pacific States. Environment And Planning B-planning & Design, 43(4), 716 – 736.
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Abstract
Land-use planning tools have been extensively applied in the U.S. to achieve environmental sustainability and disaster resiliency for local communities. An important issue related to land-use planning tools is planners' beliefs about the ways in which these tools differ from each other and, thus, how planners choose among these tools for environmental hazard mitigation. A web-based survey collected data from planners in counties (or boroughs) in the five U.S. Pacific states (where county land-use planning is limited to unincorporated areas). The results indicate that planners substantially, but not completely, agreed in their perceptions of planning tools, that planners' perceptions of planning tools are minimally related to their personal characteristics and those of their jurisdictions, and that planners' perceptions of planning tools are significantly correlated with the capacity of their planning agencies. Planners viewed effectiveness (a desirable attribute) as positively correlated with economic costs and other impediments (which are undesirable attributes) so they must make trade-offs among these attributes and choose the most appropriate tool when formulating a growth management strategy.
Keywords
Interrater Reliability; Local Commitment; Management; Agreement; Index; Planners' Perceptions; Plan-making Processes; Land-use Planning Tools; Environmental Hazard Mitigation; Us Pacific States
Kang, Bumjoon; Moudon, Anne V.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Saelens, Brian E. (2017). Differences in Behavior, Time, Location, and Built Environment between Objectively Measured Utilitarian and Recreational Walking. Transportation Research: Part D, 57, 185 – 194.
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Abstract
Objectives: Utilitarian and recreational walking both contribute to physical activity. Yet walking for these two purposes may be different behaviors. We sought to provide operational definitions of utilitarian and recreational walking and to objectively measure their behavioral, spatial, and temporal differences in order to inform transportation and public health policies and interventions. Methods: Data were collected 2008-2009 from 651 Seattle-King County residents, wearing an accelerometer and a GPS unit, and filling-in a travel diary for 7 days. Walking activity bouts were classified as utilitarian or recreational based on whether walking had a destination or not. Differences between the two walking purposes were analyzed, adjusting for the nested structure of walking activity within participants. Results: Of the 4905 observed walking bouts, 87.4% were utilitarian and 12.6% recreational walking. Utilitarian walking bouts were 45% shorter in duration (-12.1 min) and 9% faster in speed (+0.3 km/h) than recreational walking bouts. Recreational walking occurred more frequently in the home neighborhood and was not associated with recreational land uses. Utilitarian walking occurred in areas having higher residential, employment, and street density, lower residential property value, higher area percentage of mixed-use neighborhood destinations, lower percentage of parks/trails, and lower average topographic slope than recreational walking. Conclusion: Utilitarian and recreational walking are substantially different in terms of frequency, speed, duration, location, and related built environment. Policies that promote walking should adopt type-specific strategies. The high occurrence of recreational walking near home highlights the importance of the home neighborhood for this activity.
Keywords
Walking; Utilitarianism; Recreation; Behavioral Assessment; Built Environment; Physical Activity Measurement; Accelerometer; Active Transportation; Gps; Home And Non-home Based Walking; Pedestrian; Physical-activity; Us Adults; Accelerometer Data; Trip Purpose; Urban Form; Travel; Neighborhood; Distance; System