Various land use factors can affect travel behaviour. These factors include population density, regional accessibility, mix of land use types, and the connections between walkways and roads (see table below). This information can be used for planning land use development and transportation decisions, as well as achieving objectives such as reducing greenhouse gases, improving community livability, and reducing travel costs.[i]
Generally, residents of urban neighbourhoods tend to walk and take public transit more than residents of sprawled locations.[ii] Increased vehicle congestion or parking fees may affect people’s travel behavior by causing them to consolidate trips, use local services more, and shift to alternative modes.
[i] From Litman, Todd, 2012, “Land Use Impacts on Transport: How Land Use Factors Affect Travel Behavior”, Victoria Transport Policy Institute.
[ii] From Litman, 2012, p. 8
Land Use Factor
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Definition
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Travel Impacts
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Population density
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The number of people or jobs per unit of land
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Reduces vehicle ownership and travel, and increases use of alternative modes.
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Mix of land use types
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The mixture of housing, commercial and institutional land use
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Greater mix tends to reduce vehicle travel and increase use of alternative modes, especially walking. E.g. a neighbourhood with housing only results in more people using cars to get to shops and facilities compared with a neighbourhood where these shops and facilities exist together with housing.
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Regional accessibility
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The location of development relative to a regional urban centre
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This reduces per capity vehicle mileage. The further a resident or employee is from the centre, the more they tend to drive.
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Connections between walkways and roads
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The degree to which walkways and roads are connected
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Increased roadway connectivity can reduce vehicle travel, and improved walkway connectivity increases non-motorized travel. Lack of connectivity in suburban streets (cul de sac development), typically designed to reduce through traffic, makes these developments impossible to serve efficiently by public transit.
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Parking supply and management
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Number of parking spaces per building unit or acre, and how parking is managed and priced
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Putting an end to "free parking" tends to reduce vehicle ownership and use, and increase use of alternative modes.
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Site design
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Oriented for auto or multi-modal accessibility
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More multi-modal site design can reduce automobile trips. E.g. a building with a main entrance directly accessible from a sidewalk and/or bus stop encourages walking or transit more than a building whose main entrance is accessible through a parking lot.
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