DETERMINATION OF FUNCTIONAL SUBREGIONS WITHIN AN URBAN AREA FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

It is axiomatic that large urban areas are not spatially homogeneous with respect to transportation demand, supply, and impact phenomena. This paper addresses this heterogeneity in terms of the transportation planning process. A technique for using areawide travel, land use, and population data to divide an urban area into a set of functional subregions is presented. Each subregion represents a planning area, and interregion planning is proposed on a different scale of analysis. The technique is based on the statistical decomposition of origin-destination flow matrices. The decomposition method can be considered a generalized type of factor analysis in which raw data observations are used as opposed to variable correlations. The units can be any spatial aggregation of people and activities, such as census tracts or minor civil divisions, and the travel can be trips for any specific purpose or a composite of all trips. Selection in both cases depends on the objectives of the planning process. Multiple discriminant and regression analyses are then used to define the subregions in terms of differences in population and land use characteristics. Results from an application of the technique in the Detroit area are presented as a case study. Six subregions, composed of groups of minor civil divisions and central city subcommunities, were found and successfully described for home-based work travel in this urban area. The results support urban economic theories of a central city core area, suburban industrial centers, and satellite cities.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1974/526/526-002.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=DETERMINATION+OF+FUNCTIONAL+SUBREGIONS+WITHIN+AN+URBAN+AREA+FOR+TRANSPORTATION+PLANNING&author=T.+Golob&author=S.+Hepper&author=J.+Pershing&publication_year=1974
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Passenger Travel Demand Forecasting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

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• Authors:
  • Golob, Thomas F
  • Hepper, Salvatore J
  • Pershing Jr, John J
• Conference:
  • 53rd Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1974-1-21 to 1974-1-25
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 16-25
• Monograph Title: TRAVEL DEMAND FORECASTING
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 526
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Cluster analysis; Discriminant analysis; Land use; Mathematical matrices; Origin and destination; Population; Regional transportation; Regression analysis; Statistical analysis; Suburbs; Transportation planning; Travel demand; Urban areas; Urban transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Discriminate analysis; Functional organization; Outlying areas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00096442
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309023734
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 15 1981 12:00AM