Multi-variable Relationships among Built-environment Factors that affect Vehicle Miles Traveled

Many studies on the relationship of the built environment and travel behavior refer to the “D” variables to denote key aspects of the built environment associated with travel patterns, namely development density, diversity, street design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit. The Ds framework also has been incorporated into practitioner tools used to predict the travel impacts and associated environmental effects of projects and plans. Research using the Ds framework often assumes that the variables exert independent effects on travel, but the variables are, in fact, interdependent both conceptually and on the ground. Based on review of empirical research findings, this paper considers shortcomings of the common approach of evaluating D-variable effects independently in accounting for three aspects of the travel-built environment relationship: overlap effects (a.k.a. proxy effects) among built-environment variables, interactive effects (a.k.a. synergies, denoting situations when combined effects of variables exceed the sum of their independent effects), and locational effects evaluated at wider-than-local scales. Finally, the paper discusses research strategies that may compensate for shortcomings of the conventional approach.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD30 Standing Committee on Transportation and Land Development.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Barbour, Elisa
  • Handy, Susan
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 16p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Built environment; Highway design; Literature reviews; Population density; Travel behavior; Travel patterns; Vehicle miles of travel
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697980
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-05289
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM