Browsing by Subject "Commuting"
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Item ChalkTalk : a participatory design framework for designing resilient sustainable transportation infrastructures(2019-06-19) Degeal, Jacob Edward; Park, Jiwon, M.F.A.American cities looking to reduce car congestion, improve air quality, and increase safety on the road are focused on shifting car commutes to sustainable “human-scaled” transportation modes like biking, and walking. As studies show though, 51% of car commuters cite safety concerns for their reluctance to bike on the road. This feeling of safety is either created or impeded by the quality of cycling infrastructure. Due to declining federal and state funding for municipal transportation improvements, more and more cities are looking towards local tax-based funding options like mobility bonds to build this type of infrastructure. These bond packages require significant public input, communication, and buy-in. However, emerging transportation technologies like ride-hailing and micromobility, in addition to fraught histories of grass-roots advocacy, have challenged the way cities communicate with their neighborhoods and residents about sustainable transportation. Contemporary practices of holding open houses, utilizing online commenting systems, and partnering with local advocacy groups help to disseminate information, but still fall short in encouraging active participation and engagement from the public, resulting in a failure to attract the 51% of commuters mentioned above. It is my hypothesis that public life studies, participatory democracy, and tactical urbanism are by nature methods of observation, ideation, and rapid prototyping and iterating respectively that can be used to adapt design thinking to the transportation sector. By using the ChalkTalk framework, designers, residents, and planning professionals alike can collaborate on an innovative way to capture evolving transportation patterns, and create a rich set of qualitative data that lays the groundwork for a better participatory design practice.Item A classification taxonomy and empirical analysis of work arrangements(2004-12-18) Yeraguntla, Aswani Kumar; Bhat, Chandra R. (Chandrasekhar R.), 1964-The work-related characteristics of an individual act as pegs around which other non-work activities of an individual are scheduled on a day-to-day basis. This study identifies four dimensions of the medium-to-long range work arrangements that are important to day-to-day temporal and spatial characteristics of work patterns (and hence to day-to-day activity-travel schedules). The four dimensions are: (1) Full-time versus part-time employment, (2) Teleworking or not, (3) Inflexible or flexible work schedules, and (4) Regular or alternate shifts. The study then develops a comprehensive taxonomy of work arrangements in each of these four dimensions and empirically analyses the factors impacting the work arrangement decisions along three of these dimensions. The data used for the empirical analysis is drawn from a web-based survey of Austin area commuters conducted between December 2003 and March 2004. The results emphasize the importance of socioeconomic and work-related characteristics of employees in understanding work arrangement decisions. Specifically, the study indicates that young adults and women with children are more likely than other individuals to be in part-time employment. Also, women workers with children in their households, well-educated workers, and medium-to-high income earners are more likely than the overall worker population to telework. Finally, adults in households with very young children (less than 5 years of age) and individuals working in high employment density work locations have a higher propensity than other individuals to have work schedule flexibilityItem Determinants of environmental behavior : the effect of social context(2018-05-04) Atshan, Samer; Rai, Varun; Bixler, R. Patrick (Richard Patrick)Individual behavior plays a significant role in the use of natural resources and the promulgation of environmental degradation. Environmentally-responsible behavior constitutes practices that generally contribute to environmental well-being. Models that explain why individuals act in an environmentally-responsible way have seen success, but few of them incorporate the effect of the social context of the decision. The objective of this thesis is to investigate some causal pathways through which social capital affects environmentally-responsible behavior. By building on previous models, this thesis conceptualizes a path model that explores the impacts of community participation, social trust, and strong relationships on behaviors such as commuting, environmental boycotting, and behavior on Ozone Action Days. The model also includes environmental concern and internal locus of control as mediating variables between social capital and these environmental behaviors. Structural equation modeling is used to explore associations. Results show that there are valid relationships between social capital and some of the behaviors.Item Jobs-housing balance : the right ratio for the right place(2013-08) Wu, Qian, active 2013; Zhang, Ming, 1963 April 22-CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) is undergoing a revision of the regional transportation plan for Central Texas. The key goal of the plan is achieving sustainable development through integrating a multimodal transportation system with dense mixed land use. The CAMPO Plan has incorporated the growth management tool of jobs-housing balance to guide future land use development. To improve jobs-housing proximity and encourage compact growth, the concept of an activity center connected by high capacity transit corridors was employed in the plan, targeting the accommodation of 31 percent of the population and 38 percent of employment in Central Texas by 2035 (CAMPO 2035 Plan 2010). At the time when CAMPO was attempting to define appropriate ratios of jobs-housing balance for the activity centers, critical questions arose: what is a good ratio? Further, how should jobs-housing balance be quantified for guiding land use development? And to what extent could jobs-housing ratio be effectively used as an intervention instrument? This report attempts to provide theoretical and empirical evidence of jobs-housing balance and examine the applicability of jobs-housing balance ratio for different planning purpose in local context. Based on a rich literature review, the report removed the "deceptive simple concept" (Cervero 1991, p. 10) of jobs-housing balance on the surface and gathered insights on jobs-housing balance from existing exemplary studies. Absent a single consensus of a good jobs-housing balance ratio, the goal of this report is to present the possible ways of measuring and defining jobs-housing balance in complex urban development. This report analyzed existing jobs-housing balance of the Austin Region, presenting the truth of commute distance and jobs-housing balance ratio. Local municipalities might consider more factors in terms of the application of jobs-housing balance ratio in local context.Item Programmatic and fixed variables and their effects on commuting by bicycle in two cities : a descriptive case study(2007-05) Barrera, Nadia Mojica; McMillan, Tracy E.Rapid growth and congestion within the City of Austin amplify the need to plan for and incorporate multi-modal infrastructure, facilities and policies. According to the 2005 US Census sample, the City of Austin falls short of many other bicycle-friendly cities in the number of commuters riding bicycles to work. Experiencing the achievements towards a more diverse modal share in other cities prompted the author to evaluate programmatic bicycle planning and fixed variables (geographic, demographic, and climatic conditions) in a descriptive multiple-case study. Data was collected from the City of Austin and the City of Tucson; both with significant university populations, and descriptive comparisons were made between the two cities. Findings show that the City of Tucson met most of the predicted values of ideal demographic, climatic, and programmatic variables. In addition, the City of Tucson has a well-staffed bicycle and nationally recognized regional bicycle program. Recommendations for the City of Austin include improving upon all programmatic variables (education, engineering, evaluation, enforcement and encouragement) through a new local and regional bicycle plan, and a legally mandated focus on supportive bicycle legislation, policies and enforcement.Item Trip chaining: linking the influences and implications(2008-05) Bricka, Stacey; McMillan, Tracy E.Transportation analysts have monitored with interest the emergence of trip chaining, or multi-purpose trip making, which is becoming a common method of travel for many households. As of 2001, 61% of all working age adults trip chained. From a policy perspective, this warrants attention as these 61% of adults who trip chain generate 68% of average daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In addition, most trip chaining is accomplished by automobile and generally alone or with other family members. Trip chaining research has focused predominantly on travel by workers and findings suggest that one reason for its increase is that workers are scheduling non-work activities into their work commute, largely to support household needs (primarily childcare but also for shopping and personal business). Since the 1990s, significant federal funding has supported programs to improve air quality through reduced emissions. These include employer-based programs that seek to reduce VMT through ride sharing and the use of transit, along with incentives for doing so. The success of these programs is based on the flexibility of the commuter to change his/her work mode. As indicated above, however, trip chaining is typically associated with decreased flexibility and almost in direct conflict with programs that encourage alternative commute modes. This research identifies household, demographic, work, and activity setting factors that influence trip chaining in order to understand the related policy implications for employer-based programs that seek to reduce VMT through encouraging alternative commute modes. Using the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, a market segmentation identified trip chaining influencers. These were primarily the presence of children under the age of 16, worker status, more than one household adult, a high vehicle-to-worker ratio, and educational attainment above the high school level. The findings indicate that while between 30 and 42% of workers commute in the traditional manner, employer-based programs can achieve greater returns if increased focus is placed on improving employer amenities. In addition, further VMT reduction can be achieved through new programs that target the household instead of the employer, as evidenced by the TravelSmart program in Australia and SmartTrips program in Portland, OR.