Impact of University Campus Form on Commuting Behavior of Students and Staff
This research highlights the impact of campus form on one of the main universities’ sustainability objectives: promoting more transit and active travel mode choice among students and employees. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with the sample of 103 universities with high research activities in the United States of America, the author found significant association between certain environmental dimensions of campus with more sustainable modes of commute. The results show that a higher percentage of students living on campus, is strongly associated with a higher percentage of students who walk or bike to class and a lower percentage of students who commute with only the driver in the vehicle. In addition, considering control variables, the findings indicate that both degrees of ‘urbanism’ and ‘greenness’ of campus have significant positive association with the percentage of students and the percentage of employees using transit, and significant negative association with the percentage of students who commute with only the driver in the vehicle. This finding can shed light on a classic debate among campus planners and designers about the dichotomy of a green and pastoral campus versus an urban campus. The results show that campuses and their surroundings must have a fair amount of both qualities to support more sustainable modes of commute.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB10 Standing Committee on Traveler Behavior and Values. Alternate title: The Impact of University Campus Form on the Commuting Behavior of Students and Staff.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Hajrasouliha, Amir
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Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC, United States
- Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
- Date: 2016
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 26p
- Monograph Title: TRB 95th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bicycling; Campuses; College students; Commuting; Employees; Environmental design; Public transit; Single occupant vehicles; Sustainable development; Sustainable transportation; Walking
- Uncontrolled Terms: Urban form
- Geographic Terms: United States
- Subject Areas: Design; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Public Transportation;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01595667
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 16-2070
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Apr 2 2016 4:01PM