Sustainability

An integrated assessment of factors affecting modal choice: towards a better understanding of the causal effects of built environment

Samira Ramezani
Barbara Pizzo
Elizabeth Deakin
2018

This paper discusses the methodological challenges in understanding causal relationships between urban form and travel behavior and uses a holistic quasi-experimental approach to investigate the separable marginal influence of each of several urban form factors on mode choice as well as the complex relationships between those factors and a wide range of personal traits. Data analysis and models are used to reveal the effect of such interactions on mode choice for both work and non-work trips in Rome, Italy. It is found that population density does not have a significant marginal positive...

Perception-Based Walkability Index to Test Impact of Microlevel Walkability on Sustainable Mode Choice Decisions

Sungjin Park
Elizabeth Deakin
Jae Seung Lee
2014

This pilot study had two major research goals. The first goal was to develop a perception-based composite walkability index, with which researchers could evaluate the microlevel quality of the walking environment in an objective and systematic way. The second goal was to test the impact of microlevel walkability on mode choices, including walking as a travel option. For the development of a perception-based composite walkability index, a case study was conducted in the station area near the downtown of Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Three surveys were conducted:...

Transforming High-Speed Rail Stations to Major Activity Hubs: Lessons for California

2009

This paper presents findings from domestic and international case studies of developments around high-speed rail stations and derives from these findings some lessons for station area development for California’s high-speed rail system. The paper reviews the case for high-speed rail as a complement to air and highway systems in addressing congestion and providing needed additional services as the population of the State continues to grow. Review of domestic and international experiences reveals that well-planned station-area developments can result in desirable impacts on the communities...

Including climate change considerations in Latin American urban transport practices and policy agendas

Carolyn McAndrews
Elizabeth Deakin
Lee Schipper
2013

In this research we sought to understand how actors in urban transportation adopt climate change considerations into their work, including the techniques they use to address it, such as planning, design, analysis and advocacy in project planning and implementation. Through interviews with transportation practitioners at the World Bank, working in Latin America, we found that efforts to include climate change mitigation in the urban transportation policy agenda encountered major challenges such as lack of support for interventions that slow motorisation. In response, these transportation...

Climate Change and Urban Transportation in Latin America: Analysis of Recent Projects

Carolyn McAndrews
Elizabeth Deakin
Lee Schipper
2010

Urban transportation investments present an opportunity to mitigate climate change while supporting effective, clean, safe, and equitable transportation. This study reports on the response of a set of urban transportation investments in Latin America to climate change. A sample of recent transportation projects funded by an international bank was analyzed to learn what kinds of infrastructure, plans, and policies were being pursued and to assess whether projects developed specifically to address climate change differed from other projects. Loans and grants supported a mix of infrastructure...

Inhalation Intake of Ambient Air Pollution in California's South Coast Air Basin

Julian Marshall
Patrick Granvold
Abigail Hoats
Thomas McKone
Elizabeth Deakin
William Nazaroff
2006

Reliable estimates of inhalation intake of air pollution and its distribution among a specified population are important for environmental epidemiology, health risk assessment, urban planning, and environmental policy. We computed distributional characteristics of the inhalation intake of five pollutants for a group of ∼25,000 people (∼29,000 person-days) living in California's South Coast Air Basin. Our approach incorporates four main inputs: temporally resolved information about people's location (latitude and longitude), microenvironment, and activity level; temporally and spatially...

Transfer of Innovative Policies between Cities to Promote Sustainability: Case Study Evidence

Greg Marsden
Karen Frick
Anthony May
Elizabeth Deakin
2010

This paper describes how cities approach the challenging task of identifying, considering, and adopting innovative transport policies. Drawing on political science literature, the paper begins by establishing a framework for analyzing the process of policy transfer and policy learning. Cities were selected on the basis of their reputation for having adopted innovative policies. Data were collected from project reports and in-depth interviews with 40 professionals comprising planners, consultants, and operators in 11 cities across North America and northern Europe. This paper presents the...

Reviving public transit ridership to downtowns and employment centers: Case Studies of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, and Walnut Creek

Elizabeth Deakin
Egon Terplan
Maya Najjar
Kathryn Exon Smith
2024

This paper examines transit ridership and its role in downtowns in five San Francisco Bay Area cities pre- and post-COVID. We analyze transit ridership data from 2019 and 2022-24, review transit agency responses to COVID’s consequences, and examine the plans and proposals for downtowns adopted by the cities and those developed by business improvement districts (BIDs). We draw upon focus groups we held with transit users and interviews we conducted with key stakeholders to gain additional information and insights. We found that trips to, from and within our five case study downtowns account...

Review of Statewide Transportation Plans for California

Elizabeth Deakin
Chun Ho Chow
2021

California has adopted ambitious goals for its transportation systems. The state has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels and by 80 percent by 2050, and has also committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. With transportation a major emitter, substantial changes in transportation vehicles, fuels, operations, and user choices must be achieved to meet these goals. As pressing as climate change goals must be, other goals remain important. California has pledged to maintain its transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair, provide...

Introduction: Transportation Planning as an Integral Part of Urban Development: The Emerging Paradigm

Elizabeth Deakin
2008

Transportation planners and engineers often focus on specific areas of expertise, such as particular modes of transport, or air quality effects of transportation. Increasingly, however, Californians are reminded that such focused specializations, while valuable, are insufficient by themselves. Current efforts to meet stringent greenhouse gas reduction targets while accommodating growth and counteracting economic downturn show just how complex and interconnected urban development issues are. The emerging paradigm is one that integrates transportation planning into a broader metropolitan...