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• 1. [Article] Factors Associated with the Bicycle Commute Use of Newcomers: Analysis of the 70 Largest U.S. Cities

  Bicycling is known to produce benefits for cities, in regards to reducing levels of congestion, generating positive health outcomes, and providing affordable transportation options to low-income families. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Factors Associated with the Bicycle Commute Use of Newcomers: Analysis of the 70 Largest U.S. Cities Author: Dann, Ryan Year: 2015 Bicycling is known to produce benefits for cities, in regards to reducing levels of congestion, generating positive health outcomes, and providing affordable transportation options to low-income families. Conventional analysis of urban bicycle commuting does not currently consider the importance of separating migrant, or “newcomer,” bicycle commute use from pre-existing resident bicycle commute use. The goal of this paper is to provide additional information on individual, social, and environmental factors that influence newcomer bicycle use for commuting purposes. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey (5-year Estimates) to analyze the bicycle commute use of newcomers in the 70 largest U.S. cities. Relationships between newcomer bicycle commute use and socio-demographic, physical environment, and social environment factors were explored. Newcomer bicycle commute use has a strong positive association with pre-existing city-wide levels of bicycle commute use and a weak positive association with city-wide levels of bicycle infrastructure. After controlling for the built environment, cities with very high levels of pre-existing bicycle use are associated with a 690% higher likelihood of a newcomer’s bicycle commute use when compared to cities with low levels of pre-existing bicycle use. The results suggest that a newcomer’s bicycle use is related to demographics characteristics and pre-existing bicycle use, and that bicycle infrastructure has a relatively negligible influence. The findings may be useful for city planners and policymakers attempting to attract bicycle users to their cities. Title: Factors Associated with the Bicycle Commute Use of Newcomers: Analysis of the 70 Largest U.S. Cities Author: Dann, Ryan Year: 2015 Bicycling is known to produce benefits for cities, in regards to reducing levels of congestion, generating positive health outcomes, and providing affordable transportation options to low-income families. Conventional analysis of urban bicycle commuting does not currently consider the importance of separating migrant, or “newcomer,” bicycle commute use from pre-existing resident bicycle commute use. The goal of this paper is to provide additional information on individual, social, and environmental factors that influence newcomer bicycle use for commuting purposes. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey (5-year Estimates) to analyze the bicycle commute use of newcomers in the 70 largest U.S. cities. Relationships between newcomer bicycle commute use and socio-demographic, physical environment, and social environment factors were explored. Newcomer bicycle commute use has a strong positive association with pre-existing city-wide levels of bicycle commute use and a weak positive association with city-wide levels of bicycle infrastructure. After controlling for the built environment, cities with very high levels of pre-existing bicycle use are associated with a 690% higher likelihood of a newcomer’s bicycle commute use when compared to cities with low levels of pre-existing bicycle use. The results suggest that a newcomer’s bicycle use is related to demographics characteristics and pre-existing bicycle use, and that bicycle infrastructure has a relatively negligible influence. The findings may be useful for city planners and policymakers attempting to attract bicycle users to their cities. Close

• 2. [Article] Metropolitan Centers Mean Smart Growth

  In this study, a multidisciplinary team from the University of Oregon and the University of Utah examined regional metropolitan center programs and policies in the Salt Lake City and Denver regions. The ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Metropolitan Centers Mean Smart Growth Author: Margerum, Richard D., Lewis, Rebecca, Bartholomew, Keith Year: 2017 In this study, a multidisciplinary team from the University of Oregon and the University of Utah examined regional metropolitan center programs and policies in the Salt Lake City and Denver regions. The goal of the study was to examine this topic on two levels. First, to learn how and why local governments have adopted the concepts of metropolitan centers over time and the related supporting and constraining factors. Second, to understand how demographics, land use, and transportation choices have changed over time in the designated centers. Title: Metropolitan Centers Mean Smart Growth Author: Margerum, Richard D., Lewis, Rebecca, Bartholomew, Keith Year: 2017 In this study, a multidisciplinary team from the University of Oregon and the University of Utah examined regional metropolitan center programs and policies in the Salt Lake City and Denver regions. The goal of the study was to examine this topic on two levels. First, to learn how and why local governments have adopted the concepts of metropolitan centers over time and the related supporting and constraining factors. Second, to understand how demographics, land use, and transportation choices have changed over time in the designated centers. Close

• 3. [Article] Webinar, Part I: Americans' Views of Transportation and Livable Communities

  The National Association of Realtors® and Portland State University conducted a nationwide survey in the 50 largest metropolitan areas, asking Americans about where they live, where they want to live, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Webinar, Part I: Americans' Views of Transportation and Livable Communities Author: Dill, Jennifer, Morris, Hugh Year: 2015 The National Association of Realtors® and Portland State University conducted a nationwide survey in the 50 largest metropolitan areas, asking Americans about where they live, where they want to live, and their travel habits. This webinar will present the key findings from that survey, including people’s preferences to live in mixed-use, walkable communities and what may help them walk, bicycle, and take transit more. The large sample (3,000) allows us to look at demographic differences, including between the generations (Millennials, Baby Boomers, etc.). Title: Webinar, Part I: Americans' Views of Transportation and Livable Communities Author: Dill, Jennifer, Morris, Hugh Year: 2015 The National Association of Realtors® and Portland State University conducted a nationwide survey in the 50 largest metropolitan areas, asking Americans about where they live, where they want to live, and their travel habits. This webinar will present the key findings from that survey, including people’s preferences to live in mixed-use, walkable communities and what may help them walk, bicycle, and take transit more. The large sample (3,000) allows us to look at demographic differences, including between the generations (Millennials, Baby Boomers, etc.). Close

• 4. [Article] Do People’s Perceptions of Neighborhood Bikeability Match “Reality”?

  Do people perceive the built environment the same as we objectively measure it? If not, what are the relative roles of the objective versus the perceived environment on bicycling behavior? This study, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Do People’s Perceptions of Neighborhood Bikeability Match “Reality”? Author: Ma, Liang, Dill, Jennifer Year: 2017 Do people perceive the built environment the same as we objectively measure it? If not, what are the relative roles of the objective versus the perceived environment on bicycling behavior? This study, based on data from Portland, Oregon, explored the match or mismatch between the objective and perceived bicycling environment and how it affects people’s bicycling behavior. The descriptive analysis indicated a fair agreement between perceived and objective measures. Older adults, women having children, less-educated and lower-income persons, and those who bicycle less tended to perceive their high-bikeable environment (measured objectively) as being a low-bikeable environment. In addition to the socio-demographics, this study also found that the social environment can play a role in the relationship between the objective and perceived environment. Finally, results of this study indicated that both the actual and perceived built environment are associated with bicycling behavior, particularly for utilitarian bicycling. For recreational bicycling, the objective environment attributes measured in this study are not significant factors, while perceptions do matter Title: Do People’s Perceptions of Neighborhood Bikeability Match “Reality”? Author: Ma, Liang, Dill, Jennifer Year: 2017 Do people perceive the built environment the same as we objectively measure it? If not, what are the relative roles of the objective versus the perceived environment on bicycling behavior? This study, based on data from Portland, Oregon, explored the match or mismatch between the objective and perceived bicycling environment and how it affects people’s bicycling behavior. The descriptive analysis indicated a fair agreement between perceived and objective measures. Older adults, women having children, less-educated and lower-income persons, and those who bicycle less tended to perceive their high-bikeable environment (measured objectively) as being a low-bikeable environment. In addition to the socio-demographics, this study also found that the social environment can play a role in the relationship between the objective and perceived environment. Finally, results of this study indicated that both the actual and perceived built environment are associated with bicycling behavior, particularly for utilitarian bicycling. For recreational bicycling, the objective environment attributes measured in this study are not significant factors, while perceptions do matter Close

• 5. [Article] The Theory of Travel Decision-Making: A Conceptual Framework of Active Travel Behavior

  We present a unifying conceptual framework of active travel behavior called the theory of travel decision-making. It integrates seminal travel-related concepts from economics, geography, and psychology ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Theory of Travel Decision-Making: A Conceptual Framework of Active Travel Behavior Author: Singleton, Patrick Allen Year: 2015 We present a unifying conceptual framework of active travel behavior called the theory of travel decision-making. It integrates seminal travel-related concepts from economics, geography, and psychology with active travel behavior theories and empirical research. The framework abstracts an individual’s thought process around short-term travel decisions and explains the roles of activities, built environment factors, socio-demographics, attitudes and perceptions, and habit. Our primary objective is to inform travel behavior research by meeting the need for a theoretical framework capable of guiding studies on active transportation. The framework could also support active transportation planning and analysis methods by informing the development of travel forecasting tools that better represent the unique influences on walking and bicycling. This presentation summarizes the theoretical foundations of active travel behavior; presents and describes the conceptual framework and its components in detail; notes research needs; and assesses the contributions of the framework to active travel behavior theory, research, and practice. Title: The Theory of Travel Decision-Making: A Conceptual Framework of Active Travel Behavior Author: Singleton, Patrick Allen Year: 2015 We present a unifying conceptual framework of active travel behavior called the theory of travel decision-making. It integrates seminal travel-related concepts from economics, geography, and psychology with active travel behavior theories and empirical research. The framework abstracts an individual’s thought process around short-term travel decisions and explains the roles of activities, built environment factors, socio-demographics, attitudes and perceptions, and habit. Our primary objective is to inform travel behavior research by meeting the need for a theoretical framework capable of guiding studies on active transportation. The framework could also support active transportation planning and analysis methods by informing the development of travel forecasting tools that better represent the unique influences on walking and bicycling. This presentation summarizes the theoretical foundations of active travel behavior; presents and describes the conceptual framework and its components in detail; notes research needs; and assesses the contributions of the framework to active travel behavior theory, research, and practice. Close

• 6. [Article] The Objective vs. the Perceived Environment: What Matters for Active Travel

  This study aims to explore the relationship between the objective (actual) environment and people's perceptions of the environment, and their relative effects on active travel behavior, particularly bicycling ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Objective vs. the Perceived Environment: What Matters for Active Travel Author: Ma, Liang Year: 2014 This study aims to explore the relationship between the objective (actual) environment and people's perceptions of the environment, and their relative effects on active travel behavior, particularly bicycling behavior. This is an important research gap in the current literature linking the built environment and active travel. Better understanding this relationship will help to explore the mechanism underlying the built environment- behavior relationship and identify potential interventions to promote active travel. Relying on the data from Portland, OR, this study investigated the following four research questions: (1) How does the objectively measured environment correspond to the perceived environment? And what factors contribute to the mismatch between the objective and perceived environment? (2) What are the different effects of the perceived and objective environment on active travel behavior? (3) Do perceptions mediate the effects of the objective environment on active travel behavior? (4) Do changes in the built environment change perceptions, and in turn change travel behavior? Through various statistical methods, this study found that there was a mismatch between perceptions and objectively measured environment, and such factors as socio-demographics, attitudes, social environment, and behavior could contribute to this mismatch. This study also found the perceived environment and objective environment had independent effects on bicycling. Further, this study found the objectively measured bicycling environment had only an indirect effect on bicycling behavior through influencing one's perceptions of the environment. Finally, this study found changes in the actual built environment may change the perceptions of the walking environment, but not the perceptions of the bicycling environment, at least in the short term. Title: The Objective vs. the Perceived Environment: What Matters for Active Travel Author: Ma, Liang Year: 2014 This study aims to explore the relationship between the objective (actual) environment and people's perceptions of the environment, and their relative effects on active travel behavior, particularly bicycling behavior. This is an important research gap in the current literature linking the built environment and active travel. Better understanding this relationship will help to explore the mechanism underlying the built environment- behavior relationship and identify potential interventions to promote active travel. Relying on the data from Portland, OR, this study investigated the following four research questions: (1) How does the objectively measured environment correspond to the perceived environment? And what factors contribute to the mismatch between the objective and perceived environment? (2) What are the different effects of the perceived and objective environment on active travel behavior? (3) Do perceptions mediate the effects of the objective environment on active travel behavior? (4) Do changes in the built environment change perceptions, and in turn change travel behavior? Through various statistical methods, this study found that there was a mismatch between perceptions and objectively measured environment, and such factors as socio-demographics, attitudes, social environment, and behavior could contribute to this mismatch. This study also found the perceived environment and objective environment had independent effects on bicycling. Further, this study found the objectively measured bicycling environment had only an indirect effect on bicycling behavior through influencing one's perceptions of the environment. Finally, this study found changes in the actual built environment may change the perceptions of the walking environment, but not the perceptions of the bicycling environment, at least in the short term. Close

• 7. [Article] Issues in Trip Generation Methods for Transportation Impact Estimation of Land Use Development: A Review and Discussion of the State-of-the-Art Approaches

  As agencies develop more robust planning objectives for creating sustainable and livable communities, the research community has continued developing supportive tools and methods to provide more accurate ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Issues in Trip Generation Methods for Transportation Impact Estimation of Land Use Development: A Review and Discussion of the State-of-the-Art Approaches Author: Currans, Kristina Marie Year: 2017 As agencies develop more robust planning objectives for creating sustainable and livable communities, the research community has continued developing supportive tools and methods to provide more accurate and robust means for estimating transportation impacts for site-level development review. This paper is a review of the state-of-the-art trip generation methods for land use transportation impact estimation. First, it provides an overview of the more recent available and peer-reviewed estimation methods. Second, the authors offer a discussion of the successes of state-of-the-art approaches using common themes of research to identify corresponding consistency with theories of travel behavior and urban economics. These themes include: (a) the ability to estimate overall amounts of activity; (b) built environment and multimodal estimation; (c) socio-and economic demographics; (d) mixed and/or multiuse methods; and (e) land use (dis)aggregation. The main objective of this paper is to, throughout the discussion and conclusions, identify the largest and potentially problematic gaps in the state-of-the-art methods available for practice in order to allow researchers, agencies, and practitioners to both be aware of these limitations and forge forward new innovations to solve these on-going problems Title: Issues in Trip Generation Methods for Transportation Impact Estimation of Land Use Development: A Review and Discussion of the State-of-the-Art Approaches Author: Currans, Kristina Marie Year: 2017 As agencies develop more robust planning objectives for creating sustainable and livable communities, the research community has continued developing supportive tools and methods to provide more accurate and robust means for estimating transportation impacts for site-level development review. This paper is a review of the state-of-the-art trip generation methods for land use transportation impact estimation. First, it provides an overview of the more recent available and peer-reviewed estimation methods. Second, the authors offer a discussion of the successes of state-of-the-art approaches using common themes of research to identify corresponding consistency with theories of travel behavior and urban economics. These themes include: (a) the ability to estimate overall amounts of activity; (b) built environment and multimodal estimation; (c) socio-and economic demographics; (d) mixed and/or multiuse methods; and (e) land use (dis)aggregation. The main objective of this paper is to, throughout the discussion and conclusions, identify the largest and potentially problematic gaps in the state-of-the-art methods available for practice in order to allow researchers, agencies, and practitioners to both be aware of these limitations and forge forward new innovations to solve these on-going problems Close

• 8. [Article] Accessibility, Income, and Person Trip Generation: Multilevel Model of Activity at Food Retail Establishments in Portland, Oregon

  In the past decade, the methods for estimating multimodal transportation impacts of urban land use development have improved substantially. One assumption commonly made in these new methods is that overall ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Accessibility, Income, and Person Trip Generation: Multilevel Model of Activity at Food Retail Establishments in Portland, Oregon Author: Currans, Kristina Marie, Clifton, Kelly Year: 2017 In the past decade, the methods for estimating multimodal transportation impacts of urban land use development have improved substantially. One assumption commonly made in these new methods is that overall person-trip rates at similarly-sized establishments of the same land use do not vary across a region. This is an assumption of convenience to permit the adjustment of ITE Trip Generation vehicle trip rates for use in different urban environments. However, this assumption is inconsistent with theories of urban economics, which recognize that businesses pay a premium to locate in areas with high levels of accessibility to attract more customers. In addition, most transportation impact analyses have ignored income effects, even though socio-economics are a proven driver of travel behavior. To test this assumption and understand the effects of accessibility and income on levels of activity at the establishment level, we examine transaction counts for 97 grocery and convenience markets in Portland, Oregon. In a multilevel negative binomial regression, we test the relationship of regional accessibility, local accessibility, and income on weekly and daily transaction rates. While there was not enough evidence to suggest a significant relationship between accessibility and transaction rates, the results indicated a significant relationship with median income of the surrounding area. The implications point to the need to consider area-wide socio-demographics in site-level transportation impact analysis. The study also provides some important discussion about the use of transaction as a proxy for person-trip rates. Title: Accessibility, Income, and Person Trip Generation: Multilevel Model of Activity at Food Retail Establishments in Portland, Oregon Author: Currans, Kristina Marie, Clifton, Kelly Year: 2017 In the past decade, the methods for estimating multimodal transportation impacts of urban land use development have improved substantially. One assumption commonly made in these new methods is that overall person-trip rates at similarly-sized establishments of the same land use do not vary across a region. This is an assumption of convenience to permit the adjustment of ITE Trip Generation vehicle trip rates for use in different urban environments. However, this assumption is inconsistent with theories of urban economics, which recognize that businesses pay a premium to locate in areas with high levels of accessibility to attract more customers. In addition, most transportation impact analyses have ignored income effects, even though socio-economics are a proven driver of travel behavior. To test this assumption and understand the effects of accessibility and income on levels of activity at the establishment level, we examine transaction counts for 97 grocery and convenience markets in Portland, Oregon. In a multilevel negative binomial regression, we test the relationship of regional accessibility, local accessibility, and income on weekly and daily transaction rates. While there was not enough evidence to suggest a significant relationship between accessibility and transaction rates, the results indicated a significant relationship with median income of the surrounding area. The implications point to the need to consider area-wide socio-demographics in site-level transportation impact analysis. The study also provides some important discussion about the use of transaction as a proxy for person-trip rates. Close

• 9. [Article] Can Protected Bike Lanes Help Close the Gender Gap in Cycling? Lessons from Five Cities

  Even in areas with increased levels of bicycling, there remains a significant “gender gap” in bicycling in the United States, in contrast to many other countries with high rates of bicycling. The primary ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Can Protected Bike Lanes Help Close the Gender Gap in Cycling? Lessons from Five Cities Author: Dill, Jennifer, Goddard, Tara, Monsere, Christopher, McNeil, Nathan Year: 2014 Even in areas with increased levels of bicycling, there remains a significant “gender gap” in bicycling in the United States, in contrast to many other countries with high rates of bicycling. The primary objective of this paper was to explore whether protected bike lanes could help reduce the gender gap. To do so, the authors used survey data from a comprehensive evaluation of protected bike lanes in five large U.S. cities (Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC) that included survey responses of 1,111 intercepted bicyclists and 2,283 residents. Both men and women overwhelmingly felt that the lanes increased their safety while riding in them. On several measures of safety and comfort, women bicyclists using the lanes did have significantly more positive associations with the protected lanes than men. A survey of residents, which included people who do and do not bicycle, revealed that women generally feel less comfortable than men bicycling on roadways, though the addition of some physical separation to a striped bike lane, does increase stated levels of comfort to a level that might increase rates of bicycling. Overall, women were also more likely to indicate that the new protected lane had increased their overall levels of bicycling. Analysis of the demographics of the intercepted bicyclists revealed differences between men and women that point to the challenge of increasing women’s rates of bicycling, primarily that the women intercepted bicycling were much less likely than men to have children. Title: Can Protected Bike Lanes Help Close the Gender Gap in Cycling? Lessons from Five Cities Author: Dill, Jennifer, Goddard, Tara, Monsere, Christopher, McNeil, Nathan Year: 2014 Even in areas with increased levels of bicycling, there remains a significant “gender gap” in bicycling in the United States, in contrast to many other countries with high rates of bicycling. The primary objective of this paper was to explore whether protected bike lanes could help reduce the gender gap. To do so, the authors used survey data from a comprehensive evaluation of protected bike lanes in five large U.S. cities (Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC) that included survey responses of 1,111 intercepted bicyclists and 2,283 residents. Both men and women overwhelmingly felt that the lanes increased their safety while riding in them. On several measures of safety and comfort, women bicyclists using the lanes did have significantly more positive associations with the protected lanes than men. A survey of residents, which included people who do and do not bicycle, revealed that women generally feel less comfortable than men bicycling on roadways, though the addition of some physical separation to a striped bike lane, does increase stated levels of comfort to a level that might increase rates of bicycling. Overall, women were also more likely to indicate that the new protected lane had increased their overall levels of bicycling. Analysis of the demographics of the intercepted bicyclists revealed differences between men and women that point to the challenge of increasing women’s rates of bicycling, primarily that the women intercepted bicycling were much less likely than men to have children. Close

• 10. [Article] Development of a Pedestrian Demand Estimation Tool: a Destination Choice Model

  There is growing support for improvements to the quality of the walking environment, including more investments to promote pedestrian travel. Planners, engineers, and others seek improved tools to estimate ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Development of a Pedestrian Demand Estimation Tool: a Destination Choice Model Author: Muhs, Christopher D., Clifton, Kelly, Singleton, Patrick Allen, Schneider, Robert J. Year: 2015 There is growing support for improvements to the quality of the walking environment, including more investments to promote pedestrian travel. Planners, engineers, and others seek improved tools to estimate pedestrian demand that are sensitive to environmental and demographic factors at the appropriate scale in order to aid policy-relevant issues like air quality, public health, and smart allocation of infrastructure and other resources. Further, in the travel demand forecasting realm, tools of this kind are difficult to implement due to the use of spatial scales of analysis that are oriented towards motorized modes, vast data requirements, and computer processing limitations. To address these issues, a two-phase project between Portland State University and Oregon Metro is underway to develop a robust pedestrian planning method for use in regional travel demand models. The first phase, completed in 2013, utilizes a tool that predicts the number of walking trips generated with spatial acuity, based on a new measure of the pedestrian environment and a micro-level unit of analysis. Currently, phase two is building upon this tool to predict the distribution of walking trips, connecting the origins predicted in phase one to destinations. This presentation will focus on phase two, which is one of the first studies to focus on destination choices among pedestrians separately from other modes. The approach can be extended to identify the spatial extent of potential pedestrian paths to these destinations. Ultimately, the products developed from the research can estimate various aspects of pedestrian demand – trip generation, trip distribution, and areas of potential pedestrian activity. These tools will add to the analytical methods available for transportation modeling, pedestrian and safety analysis, health assessments, and other pedestrian planning applications. Title: Development of a Pedestrian Demand Estimation Tool: a Destination Choice Model Author: Muhs, Christopher D., Clifton, Kelly, Singleton, Patrick Allen, Schneider, Robert J. Year: 2015 There is growing support for improvements to the quality of the walking environment, including more investments to promote pedestrian travel. Planners, engineers, and others seek improved tools to estimate pedestrian demand that are sensitive to environmental and demographic factors at the appropriate scale in order to aid policy-relevant issues like air quality, public health, and smart allocation of infrastructure and other resources. Further, in the travel demand forecasting realm, tools of this kind are difficult to implement due to the use of spatial scales of analysis that are oriented towards motorized modes, vast data requirements, and computer processing limitations. To address these issues, a two-phase project between Portland State University and Oregon Metro is underway to develop a robust pedestrian planning method for use in regional travel demand models. The first phase, completed in 2013, utilizes a tool that predicts the number of walking trips generated with spatial acuity, based on a new measure of the pedestrian environment and a micro-level unit of analysis. Currently, phase two is building upon this tool to predict the distribution of walking trips, connecting the origins predicted in phase one to destinations. This presentation will focus on phase two, which is one of the first studies to focus on destination choices among pedestrians separately from other modes. The approach can be extended to identify the spatial extent of potential pedestrian paths to these destinations. Ultimately, the products developed from the research can estimate various aspects of pedestrian demand – trip generation, trip distribution, and areas of potential pedestrian activity. These tools will add to the analytical methods available for transportation modeling, pedestrian and safety analysis, health assessments, and other pedestrian planning applications. Close