ITS Berkeley

A Spatial Analysis of Health-Related Resources in Three Diverse Metropolitan Areas

Smiley, MJ
Roux, AV Diez
Brines, SJ
Brown, DG
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
2010

Few studies have investigated the spatial clustering of multiple health-related resources. We constructed 0.5 mile kernel densities of resources for census areas in New York City, NY (n=819 block groups), Baltimore, MD (n=737), and Winston-Salem, NC (n=169). Three of the four resource densities (supermarkets/produce stores, retail areas, and recreational facilities) tended to be correlated with each other, whereas park density was less consistently and sometimes negatively correlated with others. Blacks were more...

Disaggregate Land Uses and Walking

McConville, ME
Rodriguez, DA
Clifton, K
Cho, G
Fleischhacker, S
2011
Although researchers have explored associations between mixed-use development and physical activity, few have examined the influence of specific land uses. This study analyzes how the accessibility, intensity, and diversity of nonresidential land uses are related to walking for transportation. Multinomial logistic regression(link is external) was used to investigate associations between walking for...

Travel Behavior, Residential Preference, and Urban Design: A Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis

Greene, J
Larco, N
Yang, Y
Schlossberg, M
Rodriguez, D
McDonald, N
2011

This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. We compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study,...

Identifying Walking Trips Using GPS Data

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, DA
Evenson, KR
2011

This study developed and tested algorithms to identify outdoor walking trips from portable global positioning system (GPS) units in free-living conditions. Methods: The study included a calibration and a validation phase. For the calibration phase, we determined the best algorithm from 35 person-days of data. Measures of agreement regarding the daily number and duration of diary-reported and GPS-identified trips were used. In the validation phase, the best algorithm was applied to an additional and separate 136 person-days of diary and GPS data. Results: The preferred algorithm in the...

A Spatial Agent-Based Model for the Simulation of Adults' Daily Walking Within a City

Yang, Y
Roux, AV Diez
Auchincloss, AH
Rodriguez, DA
Brown, DG
2011

Environmental effects(link is external) on walking behavior(link is external) have received attention in recent years because of the potential for policy interventions to increase ...

Barriers to Municipal Planning for Pedestrians and Bicyclists in North Carolina

Evenson, KR
Aytur, SA
Satinsky, SB
Rodriguez, DA
2011

The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends implementing community- and street-scale urban design, as well as land use policies and practices, to promote walking and bicycling. To better understand barriers to municipal walking and bicycling projects and policies, we surveyed municipal staff in North Carolina. methods We surveyed all 121 municipalities with at least 5,000 persons, and 62% responded. We also surveyed 216 of 420 municipalities with less than 5,000 persons, and 50% responded. The municipal staff member most knowledgeable about walking and bicycling planning was...

Can Information Promote Transportation-Friendly Location Decisions? A Simulation Experiment

Rodriguez, DA
Levine, J
Agrawal, AW
Song, J
2011
Where people live, work, shop, and recreate fundamentally determines their local travel options. Yet, information problems such as the cost of conducting comprehensive searches and cognitive load have been shown to limit decision-making. In the context of residential decision-making, information problems are likely to influence which locations get chosen. This study examines whether providing people seeking a rental home with map-based information about the transit and...

Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning in Rural Communities: Tools for Active Living

Aytur, SA
Satinsky, SB
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
2011

Pedestrian and bicycle planning has traditionally been viewed from an urban design perspective, rather than a rural or regional planning perspective. This study examined the prevalence and quality of pedestrian and bicycle plans in North Carolina according to geography, regional planning, and sociodemographics. Plan prevalence was lower, but plan quality tended to be higher, in rural areas compared with urban areas. Correlations between plan prevalence and active commuting were strongest in lower-income rural areas. By engaging in the planning process, rural residents and other...

A Systematic Review of Fast Food Access Studies

Fleischhacker, SE
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
Ammerman, AS
2011

The frequent consumption of energy-dense fast food is associated with increased body mass index. This systematic review aims to examine the methodology and current evidence on fast food access and its associations with outcomes. Six databases were searched using terms relating to fast food. Only peer-reviewed studies published in English during a 10-year period, with data collection and analysis regarding fast food access were included. Forty articles met the aforementioned criteria. Nearly half of the studies (n = 16) used their own set of features to define fast food....

Household Excess Travel and Neighbourhood Characteristics: Associations and Trade-offs

Fan, Y
Khattak, A
Rodriguez, D
2010

This study proposes an alternative approach to estimate excess travel using activity diaries, extending it to non-work travel and capturing interhousehold variation. Central to this approach is a residential relocation exercise that helps to decompose the amount of travel by a household into two types of travel: required and excess travel. An empirical demonstration of the approach in North Carolina shows that on average 30 per cent of households’ travel in the study area is in excess. Furthermore, lower levels of required and excess travel are found among households living in...