Is Support for Traditionally Designed Communities Growing? Evidence From Two National Surveys

Traditionally designed communities, featuring mixed residential and commercial land uses and pedestrian connections between these uses, offer many potential environmental, social, and health benefits. Although adoption of policies that encourage traditionally designed communities depends in part on public support, evidence on the extent and nature of such support has been largely anecdotal. This study seeks to assess trends in public support for traditionally designed communities and to provide insights into factors associated with that support. The study uses data from comparable surveys of nationally representative samples of American households in 2003 and 2005. In the surveys, a traditionally designed community was described. Respondents were then asked, “How much would you support the development of communities like this in your area?” The surveys also included questions on sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes on a variety of issues, expectations about the likelihood traditionally designed communities would have certain characteristics, and how important these characteristics were to them. Results showed that in 2003, 44% of respondents expressed support for developing traditionally designed communities in the areas where they lived. This support increased significantly to 59% in 2005. Support was strong among all groups except rural residents, and increased among all groups between 2003 and 2005. This support was positively related to expectations that such communities would be child-friendly and negatively related to expectations that they would have space limitations. Respondents also perceived such communities as likely to allow older people to live independently, and they rated this characteristic as highly important. These findings indicate that public support for developing traditionally designed communities is strong, growing and widespread.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1080/01944360802010418
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/4626214
• Authors:
  • Handy, Susan L
  • Sallis, James F
  • Weber, Deanne
  • Maibach, Ed
  • Hollander, Marla
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 209-221
• Serial:
  • Journal of the American Planning Association
  • Volume: 74
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: American Planning Association
  • ISSN: 0194-4363
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjpa20/current

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Communities; Demographics; Land use; Public opinion; Social factors; Surveys; Trend (Statistics)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01105205
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 28 2008 2:07PM