Browsing by Subject "Density"

Now showing 1 - 18 of 18

Apple Valley Sustainability Master Plan
(Minneapolis: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, 2010) Cedarleaf Dahl, Erik; Jerabek, Erin; Schwartz, J Daniel; Spaulding, Bob; Turner, Mackenzie; Walding, Shawn; Younkin, Kara
Book Review: Triumph of the City, Edward Glaeser
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2013) Good, Max; Derrible, Sybil
The authors review the book Triumph of the City by Edward Glaeser (Penguin Press, 2011).
Community design and how much we drive
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2012) Marshall, Wesley; Garrick, Norman
The preponderance of evidence suggests that denser and more connected communities with a higher degree of mixed land uses results in fewer vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT). However, there is less agreement as the size of the effect. Also, there is no clear understanding as to the aspects of community design that are most important in contributing to lower VKT. One reason why there is some confusion on this point is that past studies have not always made a clear distinction between different community and street network design characteristics such as density, connectivity, and configuration. In this research, care was taken to fully characterize the different features of the street network including a street pattern classification system that works at the neighborhood level but also focuses on the citywide street network as a separate entity. We employ a spatial kriging analysis of NHTS data in combination with a generalized linear regression model in order to examine the extent to which community design and land use influence VKT in 24 California cities of populations from 30,000 to just over 100,000. Our results suggest that people living in denser street network designs tended to drive less. Connectivity, however, played an adverse role in performance.
Defining land use intensity based on roadway level of service targets
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2011) Iravani, Hamid; Mirhoseini, Arash; Rasoolzadeh, Maziar
Traditionally, master planners develop an initial land use scenario for an undeveloped site, which is then forwarded to transportation planners for modeling purposes. On the basis of travel demand forecast, several alternatives are provided to master planners and, accordingly, different land use proposals are examined until, finally, a preferred option is chosen. Such trial and error process is inherently cumbersome, time consuming and an optimal outcome is rarely achieved. Usually, by increasing land use intensity, roads will be overly congested, beyond acceptable levels, and under-utilized when lower levels of land use intensity is planned. Hence, defining optimum land use intensity to target traffic level of service on roads is never achieved. The aim of this paper is to introduce an innovative approach, based on a “reverse engineering” process, to define final land use intensity based on desired target volume on roads. This method significantly reduces the number of model runs required for “what if” analysis. It also brings the results of travel demand forecast models closer to the desired outcome.
Developing densely: Estimating the effect of subway growth on New York City land uses
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2011) King, David
In the early twentieth century, New York City’s population, developed land area, and subway network size all increased dramatically. The rapid expansion of the transit system and land development present intriguing questions as to whether land development led subway growth or if subway expansion was a precursor to real estate development. The research described in this article uses Granger causality models based on parcel-level data to explore the co-development of the subway system and residential and commercial land uses, and attempts to determine whether subway stations were a leading indicator of residential and commercial development or if subway station expansion followed residential and commercial construction. The results of this study suggest that the subway network developed in an orderly fashion and grew densest in areas where there was growth in commercial development. There is no evidence that subway growth preceded residential development throughout the city. These results suggest that subway stations opened in areas already well-served by the system and that network growth often followed residential and commercial development. The subway network acted as an agent of decentralization away from lower Manhattan as routes and stations were sought in areas with established ridership demand.
Financing transportation with land value taxes: Effects on development intensity
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2012) Junge, Jason; Levinson, David
A significant portion of local transportation funding comes from the property tax. The tax is conventionally assessed on both land and buildings, but transportation increases only the value of the land. A more direct and efficient way to fund transportation projects is to tax land at a higher rate than buildings. The lower tax on buildings would allow owners to retain more of the profits of their investment in construction, and would be expected to lead to higher development intensity. A partial equilibrium simulation is created for Minneapolis, Richfield and Bloomington, Minnesota to determine the intensity effects of various levels of split-rate property taxes for both residential and nonresidential development. The results indicate that split-rate taxes would lead to higher densities for both types of development in all three cities.
Finding food: Issues and challenges in using Geographic Information Systems to measure food access
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2010) Forsyth, Ann; Lytle, Leslie; Van Riper, David
A significant amount of travel is undertaken to find food. This paper examines challenges in measuring access to food using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), important in studies of both travel and eating behavior. It compares different sources of data available including fieldwork, land use and parcel data, licensing information, commercial listings, taxation data, and online street-level photographs. It proposes methods to classify different kinds of food sales places in a way that says something about their potential for delivering healthy food options. In assessing the relationship between food access and travel behavior, analysts must clearly conceptualize key variables, document measurement processes, and be clear about the strengths and weaknesses of data.
How density, diversity, land use and neighborhood type influences bus mobility in the Swedish city of Karlstad: Mixing spatial analytic and typo-morphological approaches to assess the indirect effect of urban form on travel
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Stojanovski, Todor
In the research on the effect of urban form on travel, a set of D-variables (density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, etc.) describes land use. Typo-morphology studies the historical emergence and evolution of urban patterns and their elements. In the typo-morphological approach, land use is an underlying element of neighborhood type. Neighborhood type defines urban areas that are relatively similar according to a range of attributes, such as building types, lot sizes, street layouts and land uses. This paper juxtaposes these two approaches to investigate the effect of density and diversity, land use and neighborhood type on bus mobility in the Swedish city of Karlstad. The results show that the number of residents and jobs in standard 400-meter walksheds around bus stops explains a third of the variation in bus ridership, which corresponds to previous studies in Sweden. The scatter plots with neighborhood types indicate that bus patronage variables and the D-variables cluster in intervals. This information about ranges and maximums in bus patronage in different neighborhood types is particularly important for urban designers and planners who work with typologies, form-based codes (FBCs) or transit-oriented development (TOD).
The impact of access to rail transportation on agricultural improvement: The American Midwest as a test case, 1850–1860
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2011) Atack, Jeremy; Margo, Robert
During the 1850s, the amount of farmland in the United States increased by 40 million hectares (100 million acres), or more than one-third. Moreover, almost 20 million hectares, an area almost equal to that of the states of Indiana and Ohio combined, were converted from their raw, natural state into productive farmland. The time and expense of transforming this land into a productive agricultural resource represented a significant fraction of domestic capital formation at the time and was an important contributor to American economic growth. Even more impressive, however, was the fact that almost half of these total net additions to cropland occurred in just seven Midwestern states, which constituted somewhat less than one-eighth of the land area of the country at that time. Using a new GIS-based transportation database linked to county-level census data, we estimate that at least a quarter (and possibly two-thirds or more) of this increase in cultivable land can be linked directly to the coming of the railroad to the Midwest. Farmers responded to the shrinking transportation wedge, which raised agricultural revenue productivity, by rapidly expanding the area under cultivation and these changes, in turn, drove an increase in farm and land values.
Is bigger better? Metropolitan area population, access, activity participation, and subjective well-being
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Morris, Eric A.; Mondschein, Andrew; Blumenberg, Evelyn
Researchers have posited that larger, denser metropolitan areas have important consumption advantages. We examine this using Cragg two-part hurdle and ordinary least square (OLS) regression models employing data from the American Time Use Survey. We test whether: 1) large metropolitan area residents participate in more out-of-home activities because these activities are more plentiful, richer, and/or easier to access, 2) large metropolitan areas have lower travel times because of higher densities, and 3) activities in larger metropolitan areas have more positive associations with subjective well-being than those in smaller places. We reject all three hypotheses. Metropolitan area population size is largely unrelated to time spent outside the home, excluding travel. Large-metropolitan-area residents participate in more arts and entertainment activities and eat and drink out more often, but they socialize, volunteer, and care for others outside the home less. Larger metropolitan areas are associated with dramatically more travel time. We find no evidence that large metropolitan area activities contribute any more or less to life satisfaction or affect than activities in smaller places. We also find that life satisfaction does not covary with metropolitan area size. In sum, living in a large metropolitan area may primarily involve a tradeoff of (travel) time for money (higher wages), with little net change in welfare.
Non-linear influences of the built environment on transportation emissions: Focusing on densities
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2017) Hong, Jinhyun
Compact development is often recommended to reduce auto-dependency thereby decreasing related energy consumptions and transportation emissions. However, there could be a non-linear relationship between density and transportation emissions because of a possible non-linear association between density and vehicle miles travelled (VMT); low travel speed due to congestion; and the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and vehicle characteristics (e.g., vehicle type and age). In addition, the self-selection issue can exist in the land use-transportation emissions analysis because transportation emissions are often estimated based on travel behavior. Using the 2006 Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Household Activity survey, the follow-up stated preference survey, the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) data, and the GIS network data, this study investigates the non-linear effects of densities on CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions with the consideration of self-selection. Specifically, quadratic forms of population and employment densities, different population density group indicators, and attitudinal factors are employed in the regression models. The results indicate that people living in denser neighborhoods tend to generate fewer CO2e emissions. However, this effect becomes insignificant as population density reaches a certain level.
Quality Control Of Grouting For Post-Tensioned Tendons: In-Line Density Measurements
(2019-03) Bray, Jacob
Cementitious grout has proven to be an effective corrosion protection method in post-tensioning systems. While successful grouting has been used in numerous post-tensioned (PT) bridges, quality control of the material and placement in the field remains a challenge. During the grouting process on-site, ensuring that the grout being placed in the tendon is representative of the intended grout design is critical for the performance of the system. Inconsistencies in the placed grout can be attributed to varying mixing procedures used in the field (such as the addition of water above the design value). In some cases, grout passing the laboratory tests differs significantly from grout placed in the field. To alleviate these discrepancies, it is imperative that the PT industry improves quality control to ensure materials and products meet project requirements throughout production and placement - not just during the grout’s initial qualification. Advancements in the quality of in-place grouts can be made by refining specifications and developing a procedure to continuously measure the density of the grout as it is pumped into the tendon. The objective of this research is to develop a quality control measure that can be used during pumping to ensure suitable and consistent grout quality. Continuous monitoring and recording of the grout density will ensure the grout is of uniform quality throughout the project and meets the water content requirements provided by the grout manufacturer to meet project specifications. Recommendations for procedure and associated specification language is provided.
Simulation of urban development in the City of Rome: Framework, methodology, and problem solving
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2010) Di Zio, Simone; Montanari, Armando; Staniscia, Barbara
In Italy’s case, the implementation of the UrbanSIM model involved the territory of Rome, including the municipalities of Rome and Fiumicino. The main goal was to build scenarios regarding the future of economic deconcentration. Rome is the largest municipality in Europe, with an inhabited surface area only slightly smaller than that of Greater London and almost double that of the inner Paris suburbs (the Petite Couronne). The spatial distribution of buildings within the municipality is distinctive. Unbuilt areas comprise 73 percent of the territory. These voids are often farmland (paradoxically, Rome is the largest rural municipality in Italy) or areas with high environmental, historic or cultural value. Fiumicino, previously part of the municipality of Rome, became an independent municipality in 1991. Its autonomy, made all the more significant because Fiumicino hosts the international airport, marked the start of an extensive process of economic deconcentration along the route connecting Rome to the airport. In Italy’s case, the implementation of the UrbanSIM model posed several challenges, notably the availability, homogeneity and completeness of data. This paper uses four specific cases (land use, travel times, accessibility, and residential land values) to propose a general methodology to solve problems related to missing or non-homogeneous data. For the land use, we simply combine two different land use data sources, while for accessibility and travel time data, we propose the use of geostatistical methods in order to estimate missing and unavailable data, calculating also the accuracy of the predictions. For the residential land values, which are discrete data, we suggest the use of deterministic interpolation techniques. While it has not yet been possible to implement the calibration stage, some simulation outputs are presented.
Spaciousness & preference: a study in the perception of density in the suburban residential built environment
(2013-06) Lilli, Erin Elizabeth
As the country's population increases, it is worth determining what types of residential settings people currently residing in the low density suburbs environments would prefer- simply because those environments would need to increase their density to mitigate sprawl. To inform the creation of high density residential living, this study seeks to identify specific characteristics of a dense settlement most acceptable to people wanting suburban living. Residential suburban communities, as in the United States, often have low dwelling unit densities, as antidote to the congestion and crowding of the urban core environment. Primarily consisting of single family homes on individual plots of land with private yards and wide streets; these developments are becoming more ubiquitous despite the role of both the automobile and land conversion as major contributors to the high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The question this study asks is, `what residential physical and spatial configurations are a preferred environmental quality and/or are perceived as low density by people currently living in low density suburban environments?' In other words, can we design a desirable environment that is perceived as low density, while actually utilizing less land area, thus being denser than existing low density counterparts? To investigate this question four residential elements (housing typologies street width, set back depth, and tree coverage) were systematically configured in images of a street scene. These images were the subject of a survey sent to 400 randomly selected inhabitants of Beaverton, Oregon who were asked to choose the images they felt were the most spacious and most preferred from a sets of scenes using discrete choice modeling. Results indicated that the strongest predictors of preference and spaciousness lie in the relationship between tree coverage and setback depth- thus the areas where housing design may be used to increase density.
Template for a Toolkit: Community Growth Options for Farmington and Rosemount
(Minneapolis: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, 2010) Kayzar, Brenda; Manson, Steve
Urban form and travel behavior: Experience from a Nordic context
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2012) Næss, Petter
This article surveys the results of research carried out in the Nordic countries on the influence of various aspects of urban form and settlement patterns on travel behavior and discusses these results in the view of studies carried out in other European, American, Australian, and Asian countries. There is overwhelming evidence that urban spatial structures matter to travel behavior. However, whereas much of the research in America and parts of Europe has focused on the influences of local neighborhood characteristics on travel, the Nordic research shows effects on travel behavior mainly from urban form characteristics at a higher geographical scale: the overall population density within continuous urban areas and the locations of residences and workplaces relative to the city-level or metropolitan center structure.
A vehicle ownership and utilization choice model with endogenous residential density
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2014) Brownstone, David; Fang, Hao (Audrey)
This paper explores the impact of residential density on households’ vehicle type and usage choices using the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Attempts to quantify the effect of urban form on households’ vehicle choice and utilization often encounter the problem of sample selectivity. Household characteristics that are unobservable to the researchers might determine simultaneously where to live, what vehicles to choose, and how much to drive them. Unless this simultaneity is modeled, any relationship between residential density and vehicle choice may be biased. This paper extends the Bayesian multivariate ordered probit and tobit model developed in Fang (2008) to treat local residential density as endogenous. The model includes equations for vehicle ownership and usage in terms of number of cars, number of trucks (vans, sports utility vehicles, and pickup trucks), miles traveled by cars, and miles traveled by trucks. We carry out policy simulations that show that an increase in residential density has a negligible effect on car choice and utilization, but slightly reduces truck choice and utilization. The largest impact we find is a -.4 arc elasticity of truck fuel use with respect to density. We also perform an out-of-sample forecast using a holdout sample to test the robustness of the model.
Viewpoint: Triumph of the City
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2012) Glaeser, Edward
The inaugural meeting of the World Symposium on Transport and Land Use Research (WSTLUR) was held in Whistler, British Columbia, July 28–30, 2011. The conference brought together academics and practitioners at the intersection of economics, planning, and engineering in the fields of transport and land use.In addition to presentations based on rigorously peer-reviewed papers, the conference included a plenary presentation from Ed Glaeser, the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics with the Department of Economics, Harvard University, and author of the book Triumph of the City. Following are excerpts from Glaeser’s keynote address.

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