Search

Search Results

• 1. [Article] Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia

  Suburban multifamily housing is an often overlooked housing typology that is the fasted growing housing market in the country and holds strong potential for achieving smart growth goals in suburbia. This ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia Author: Larco, Nico Year: 2010 Suburban multifamily housing is an often overlooked housing typology that is the fasted growing housing market in the country and holds strong potential for achieving smart growth goals in suburbia. This housing type is ubiquitous throughout all regions in the nation, is a widespread example of density in suburbia, and is typically located next to commercial uses. The proximity between suburban multifamily housing and commercial uses creates the potential for nodes of concentrated activity, mixed use, and the possibility of substantial non-auto transport in suburbia. While this potential exists, the design of this housing type often follows an enclaved pattern of development, negating any synergy, minimizing the possibility of non-auto transport, and denying any potential for sustainable development. Through case studies of suburban multifamily development in Oregon, Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts, this report looks at the specific ways in which regulation, typical development practice, and design culture have shaped the current pattern of suburban multifamily development. Each case study includes graphic analysis of physical development patterns, interviews with planners, architects, property managers and developers who worked on the case study projects, regulatory analysis of case study jurisdictions, and surveys of residents. Title: Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia Author: Larco, Nico Year: 2010 Suburban multifamily housing is an often overlooked housing typology that is the fasted growing housing market in the country and holds strong potential for achieving smart growth goals in suburbia. This housing type is ubiquitous throughout all regions in the nation, is a widespread example of density in suburbia, and is typically located next to commercial uses. The proximity between suburban multifamily housing and commercial uses creates the potential for nodes of concentrated activity, mixed use, and the possibility of substantial non-auto transport in suburbia. While this potential exists, the design of this housing type often follows an enclaved pattern of development, negating any synergy, minimizing the possibility of non-auto transport, and denying any potential for sustainable development. Through case studies of suburban multifamily development in Oregon, Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts, this report looks at the specific ways in which regulation, typical development practice, and design culture have shaped the current pattern of suburban multifamily development. Each case study includes graphic analysis of physical development patterns, interviews with planners, architects, property managers and developers who worked on the case study projects, regulatory analysis of case study jurisdictions, and surveys of residents. Close

• 2. [Article] Travel Behavior, Residential Preference, and Urban Design: A Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis

  This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Travel Behavior, Residential Preference, and Urban Design: A Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis Author: Greene, Jessica, Larco, Nico, Yang, Yizhao, Schlossberg, Marc, Rodriguez, Daniel, McDonald, Noreen, Combs, Tabitha Year: 2011 This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. We compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and addressing transportation and health outcomes for diverse community designs. Title: Travel Behavior, Residential Preference, and Urban Design: A Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis Author: Greene, Jessica, Larco, Nico, Yang, Yizhao, Schlossberg, Marc, Rodriguez, Daniel, McDonald, Noreen, Combs, Tabitha Year: 2011 This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. We compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and addressing transportation and health outcomes for diverse community designs. Close

• 3. [Article] Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia, Phase II

  Comprising over 9 million units in this country, suburban multifamily housing is a widespread and overlooked example of density located within walking distance to commercial development in suburbia. This ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia, Phase II Author: Larco, Nico Year: 2011 Comprising over 9 million units in this country, suburban multifamily housing is a widespread and overlooked example of density located within walking distance to commercial development in suburbia. This report focuses on resident demographics, attitudes, and perceptions as they relate to mode choice in 14 suburban multifamily sites in Eugene, Oregon. Through site analysis and resident surveys, our study shows that site design and connectivity is a significant predictor of resident mode choice. Residents of more-connected developments walk and bike to their local commercial area for more than 40% of their trips, nearly twice the rate of residents of less-connected developments. The greater use of active transportation versus auto transport in well-connected developments has potential environmental benefits of reductions in green house gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and gas consumption and the health benefits of increases in exercise and calorie burning, and the social benefits of increases in independence of elderly and youth populations. Quantifying the degree to which site design, and specifically connectivity, makes a difference in residents’ mode choice is a first step to increasing the amount of active transportation in these areas. The results of this research provide planners and designers a basis for reevaluating suburban multifamily site design and zoning codes. Title: Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking Transportation Options in Suburbia, Phase II Author: Larco, Nico Year: 2011 Comprising over 9 million units in this country, suburban multifamily housing is a widespread and overlooked example of density located within walking distance to commercial development in suburbia. This report focuses on resident demographics, attitudes, and perceptions as they relate to mode choice in 14 suburban multifamily sites in Eugene, Oregon. Through site analysis and resident surveys, our study shows that site design and connectivity is a significant predictor of resident mode choice. Residents of more-connected developments walk and bike to their local commercial area for more than 40% of their trips, nearly twice the rate of residents of less-connected developments. The greater use of active transportation versus auto transport in well-connected developments has potential environmental benefits of reductions in green house gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and gas consumption and the health benefits of increases in exercise and calorie burning, and the social benefits of increases in independence of elderly and youth populations. Quantifying the degree to which site design, and specifically connectivity, makes a difference in residents’ mode choice is a first step to increasing the amount of active transportation in these areas. The results of this research provide planners and designers a basis for reevaluating suburban multifamily site design and zoning codes. Close

• 4. [Article] Improving Trip Generation Methods for Livable Communities

  Recent efforts to improve trip generation data available for transportation impact analysis of new development include the collection of multimodal trip generation data, development of models that account ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Improving Trip Generation Methods for Livable Communities Author: Clifton, Kelly J., Larco, Nico, Currans, Kristina Marie, Wettach-Glosser, Jael Year: 2017 Recent efforts to improve trip generation data available for transportation impact analysis of new development include the collection of multimodal trip generation data, development of models that account for the built environment, and new recommendations for practice. Building on a long line of research on transportation and built environment, many studies have identified important features of the surrounding built environment that most impact trip rates and mode shares, building on a long line of research on transportation and the built environment. Despite these improvements in data and methods, less attention is placed on identifying the conditions of the site itself and the immediate surrounding environment that influence trip generation and mode choice. To fill this gap, this study builds upon previous work (Contextual Influences on Trip Generation (Project Number: OTREC 2011-407), 2012), re-examines the information collected in that study, and includes new site-level observations. The objective of this study is to examine establishment multimodal trip generation more closely from a finer-grained scale and identify site-level attributes of the built environment that help explain multimodal trip generation. From this, we have the additional objective of developing a framework for trip generation analysis that takes findings from this study into consideration. We placed emphasis on those sites in our previous study with a discord between the expected travel patterns, based upon the larger urban context and built environment of the site, and the observed. The research approach will make use of mixed methods. In addition to using archived data from the previous study, site visits provided direct observation of the overall performance of the site, including travel patterns on and around the site as well as specific site configuration, urban design details and traffic operations. The analysis of this combination of data provided a more complete picture of site-level trip generation and our findings highlight the influence of: people living nearby and using the site; the nature of the land use on the site; the development along arterial roadways; site permeability and access; and the local culture around walking and cycling. Finally, this report ends by reflecting on the numerous concerns identified from practice, the research findings from various recent studies, and the need for a sustainable process for evaluating the transportation impacts of new land development. We present a potential framework to advance the methods for how site plans fit into neighborhood and regional planning, using locally defined standards and goals. Here, we de-emphasize the site and its immediate environs as the primary (and only) scale of analysis and lessen the reliance on the problematic methodologies for estimating site-level travel demand. Rather, we argue that transportation impact analysis would benefit by first taking a district, neighborhood or area-wide approach with attention to the urban context—the built and social environment—where a site is located. At this larger scale, there is a better ability to understand the various elements that work together to shape travel demand and allows for a better assessment of how a specific site proposal will integrate into this larger context. This effort involves several faculty from across the country, including Kelly Clifton (PSU Engineering) and Nico Larco (UO Architecture) from our consortium and Susan Handy (UC Davis Environmental Studies) and Robert Schneider (UW Milwaukee Planning) as consultants/advisors. Title: Improving Trip Generation Methods for Livable Communities Author: Clifton, Kelly J., Larco, Nico, Currans, Kristina Marie, Wettach-Glosser, Jael Year: 2017 Recent efforts to improve trip generation data available for transportation impact analysis of new development include the collection of multimodal trip generation data, development of models that account for the built environment, and new recommendations for practice. Building on a long line of research on transportation and built environment, many studies have identified important features of the surrounding built environment that most impact trip rates and mode shares, building on a long line of research on transportation and the built environment. Despite these improvements in data and methods, less attention is placed on identifying the conditions of the site itself and the immediate surrounding environment that influence trip generation and mode choice. To fill this gap, this study builds upon previous work (Contextual Influences on Trip Generation (Project Number: OTREC 2011-407), 2012), re-examines the information collected in that study, and includes new site-level observations. The objective of this study is to examine establishment multimodal trip generation more closely from a finer-grained scale and identify site-level attributes of the built environment that help explain multimodal trip generation. From this, we have the additional objective of developing a framework for trip generation analysis that takes findings from this study into consideration. We placed emphasis on those sites in our previous study with a discord between the expected travel patterns, based upon the larger urban context and built environment of the site, and the observed. The research approach will make use of mixed methods. In addition to using archived data from the previous study, site visits provided direct observation of the overall performance of the site, including travel patterns on and around the site as well as specific site configuration, urban design details and traffic operations. The analysis of this combination of data provided a more complete picture of site-level trip generation and our findings highlight the influence of: people living nearby and using the site; the nature of the land use on the site; the development along arterial roadways; site permeability and access; and the local culture around walking and cycling. Finally, this report ends by reflecting on the numerous concerns identified from practice, the research findings from various recent studies, and the need for a sustainable process for evaluating the transportation impacts of new land development. We present a potential framework to advance the methods for how site plans fit into neighborhood and regional planning, using locally defined standards and goals. Here, we de-emphasize the site and its immediate environs as the primary (and only) scale of analysis and lessen the reliance on the problematic methodologies for estimating site-level travel demand. Rather, we argue that transportation impact analysis would benefit by first taking a district, neighborhood or area-wide approach with attention to the urban context—the built and social environment—where a site is located. At this larger scale, there is a better ability to understand the various elements that work together to shape travel demand and allows for a better assessment of how a specific site proposal will integrate into this larger context. This effort involves several faculty from across the country, including Kelly Clifton (PSU Engineering) and Nico Larco (UO Architecture) from our consortium and Susan Handy (UC Davis Environmental Studies) and Robert Schneider (UW Milwaukee Planning) as consultants/advisors. Close

• 5. [Article] Urbanism Next: How Technology is Changing Our City

  Advances in technology such as the advent of autonomous vehicles (AV’s), the rise of E-commerce, and the proliferation of the sharing economy are having profound effects not only on how we live, move, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Urbanism Next: How Technology is Changing Our City Author: Larco, Nico Year: 2017 Advances in technology such as the advent of autonomous vehicles (AV’s), the rise of E-commerce, and the proliferation of the sharing economy are having profound effects not only on how we live, move, and spend our time in cities, but also increasingly on urban form and development itself. These new technologies are changing the ease of transport, the role of transit, and the places we spend our time. These changes will have profound effects on cities including large shifts in land use, changes in street design, a potential reduction on the need for parking, a shift on where we choose to live, and challenges for urban density, the extent of sprawl, and the vitality of urban areas. While there has been a focused effort of research on the technological aspects of autonomous vehicles and systems themselves, there has been a shortage of systematic exploration on their secondary effects on city development, form, and design, with implications for sustainability, resiliency, equity, cost, and general livability. SCI’s Urbanism Next initiative focuses on the ramifications of changes in technology on the design and planning of our cities. This presentation will provide an overview to the initiative, research that has been done, and future objectives. Title: Urbanism Next: How Technology is Changing Our City Author: Larco, Nico Year: 2017 Advances in technology such as the advent of autonomous vehicles (AV’s), the rise of E-commerce, and the proliferation of the sharing economy are having profound effects not only on how we live, move, and spend our time in cities, but also increasingly on urban form and development itself. These new technologies are changing the ease of transport, the role of transit, and the places we spend our time. These changes will have profound effects on cities including large shifts in land use, changes in street design, a potential reduction on the need for parking, a shift on where we choose to live, and challenges for urban density, the extent of sprawl, and the vitality of urban areas. While there has been a focused effort of research on the technological aspects of autonomous vehicles and systems themselves, there has been a shortage of systematic exploration on their secondary effects on city development, form, and design, with implications for sustainability, resiliency, equity, cost, and general livability. SCI’s Urbanism Next initiative focuses on the ramifications of changes in technology on the design and planning of our cities. This presentation will provide an overview to the initiative, research that has been done, and future objectives. Close

• 6. [Article] designBridge: Integrating Transportation into Service Learning Design/Build Projects

  This proposal develops transportation-related projects through the work of designBridge. This active, student-based organization is composed of members from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: designBridge: Integrating Transportation into Service Learning Design/Build Projects Author: Brode, Juli, Larco, Nico, Roswell, John Year: 2012 This proposal develops transportation-related projects through the work of designBridge. This active, student-based organization is composed of members from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts working cooperatively with participants from the UO’s Planning, Public Policy and Management, Landscape Architecture, Geography, and Art departments. The program provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable, real-world experience by encouraging them to explore significant design issues in the community, to seek appropriate solutions to transportation problems, and to develop professional skills. Students are engaged in all phases of the design and building process, from the first client meeting through construction and on to the ribbon cutting. designBridge has established a precedent within the community for developing successful transportation solutions. Collaboration between college students, parents, children, university partners, and professional associates has led to the successful design and completion of one local bike shelter and another is scheduled to begin construction in the spring term. These shelters have encouraged alternative transportation, reduced congestion during peak drop-off hours, educated both designBridge members and community participants about the health and environmental benefits of biking to school, and promoted a noteworthy increase in ridership at the schools. In the fall of 2008, the Harris and Eastside elementary schools, upon becoming included in the Safe Routes to Schools program, realized an increased need for appropriate bike storage and security. The funding from this proposal would allow designBridge to develop a bike shelter for Harris/Eastside. designBridge and the parents at Harris/Eastside see an opportunity to increase elementary school ridership by integrating the service-learning module of designBridge with the unique project-based learning infrastructure of Harris/Eastside. The partnership of these two organizations will result in even more cross-disciplinary collaboration and community participation than in earlier bike-shelter projects. This ultimately will lead to greater ridership, an improved school environment, and healthier children and communities. The proposed grant would create an opportunity for designBridge members to work in tandem with a variety of community and educational contacts and increase collective knowledge about the benefits of alternative transportation. By building on the knowledge gained from completed precedents, designBridge will be given the chance to craft ever-better solutions to growing transportation and planning issues in local neighborhoods. Title: designBridge: Integrating Transportation into Service Learning Design/Build Projects Author: Brode, Juli, Larco, Nico, Roswell, John Year: 2012 This proposal develops transportation-related projects through the work of designBridge. This active, student-based organization is composed of members from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts working cooperatively with participants from the UO’s Planning, Public Policy and Management, Landscape Architecture, Geography, and Art departments. The program provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable, real-world experience by encouraging them to explore significant design issues in the community, to seek appropriate solutions to transportation problems, and to develop professional skills. Students are engaged in all phases of the design and building process, from the first client meeting through construction and on to the ribbon cutting. designBridge has established a precedent within the community for developing successful transportation solutions. Collaboration between college students, parents, children, university partners, and professional associates has led to the successful design and completion of one local bike shelter and another is scheduled to begin construction in the spring term. These shelters have encouraged alternative transportation, reduced congestion during peak drop-off hours, educated both designBridge members and community participants about the health and environmental benefits of biking to school, and promoted a noteworthy increase in ridership at the schools. In the fall of 2008, the Harris and Eastside elementary schools, upon becoming included in the Safe Routes to Schools program, realized an increased need for appropriate bike storage and security. The funding from this proposal would allow designBridge to develop a bike shelter for Harris/Eastside. designBridge and the parents at Harris/Eastside see an opportunity to increase elementary school ridership by integrating the service-learning module of designBridge with the unique project-based learning infrastructure of Harris/Eastside. The partnership of these two organizations will result in even more cross-disciplinary collaboration and community participation than in earlier bike-shelter projects. This ultimately will lead to greater ridership, an improved school environment, and healthier children and communities. The proposed grant would create an opportunity for designBridge members to work in tandem with a variety of community and educational contacts and increase collective knowledge about the benefits of alternative transportation. By building on the knowledge gained from completed precedents, designBridge will be given the chance to craft ever-better solutions to growing transportation and planning issues in local neighborhoods. Close