scholarly journals The Moderating Effect of Distance on Features of the Built Environment and Active School Transport

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 7856
Author(s):  
Allison Ross ◽  
Josephine Godwyll ◽  
Marc Adams
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Parent Survey ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
Safe Routes To School ◽  
Intersection Density ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Walking And Biking

Despite growing research supporting the impact of the built environment on active school transport (AST), distance persists as the most powerful predictor of walking and biking to school. There is a need to better understand how environmental features interact with distance to affect AST, and whether the influence of environmental factors persist across different distance thresholds. Multilevel models using cluster-robust standard errors were used to examine for interactions between objectively measured macroscale environmental features and several reported distances from home to school (up to ¼, ¼ up to ½, ½ up to 1, 1+ miles) on the likelihood of parent reported AST for children grades 3–8 (n = 2751) at 35 schools who completed a Safe Routes to School Parent Survey about Walking and Biking to School (SRTS Parent Survey). An interaction between both intersection density and food-related land use with distance was observed. The likelihood of AST decreased as intersection density and distance increased (i.e., 31.0% reduced odds among those living within ¼ mile compared to 18.2% using ½–1-mile criterion). The likelihood of using AST were reduced as food-related land use and distance increased (i.e., 43.67% reduced odds among those living under ¼ mile compared to 19.83% reduced odds among those living ½–1 mile). Programs and infrastructure improvements focused on overcoming environmental barriers to promote AST may be most effective when targeting neighborhoods within ¼ mile of schools.

The Impact of Zoning and Built Environment Characteristics on Transit, Biking, and Walking

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-129
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Mueller ◽  
Daniel J. Trujillo
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Mode Choice ◽  
Land Use Regulation ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact

This study furthers existing research on the link between the built environment and travel behavior, particularly mode choice (auto, transit, biking, walking). While researchers have studied built environment characteristics and their impact on mode choice, none have attempted to measure the impact of zoning on travel behavior. By testing the impact of land use regulation in the form of zoning restrictions on travel behavior, this study expands the literature by incorporating an additional variable that can be changed through public policy action and may help cities promote sustainable real estate development goals. Using a unique, high-resolution travel survey dataset from Denver, Colorado, we develop a multinomial discrete choice model that addresses unobserved travel preferences by incorporating sociodemographic, built environment, and land use restriction variables. The results suggest that zoning can be tailored by cities to encourage reductions in auto usage, furthering sustainability goals in transportation.

Evaluating the Impact of Socioeconomics, Land Use, Built Environment, and Road Facility on Cyclist Safety

2017 ◽  
Vol 2659 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Osama ◽  
Tarek Sayed
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Severe Injuries ◽  
Bayesian Techniques ◽  
The Road ◽  
Safety Models ◽  
Light Pole ◽  
The Impact

With the increasing demand for sustainability, the use of cycling as an efficient active mode of transportation is being encouraged. However, the vulnerability of cyclists to severe injuries in crashes can discourage road users from cycling. Therefore, the study of the factors that affect the safety of cyclists is important. This paper describes an investigation of the relationship between cyclist–motorist crashes and various traffic zone characteristics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The goal was to assess the impacts of socioeconomics, land use, the built environment, and the road facility on cyclist safety through the use of macrolevel collision prediction models. The models were developed by generalized linear regression and full Bayesian techniques. An actual bike exposure indicator (the number of bike kilometers traveled) and the number of vehicle kilometers traveled were used as exposure variables in the models. The safety models showed that cyclist–motorist crashes were nonlinearly associated with an increase in bike, vehicle, and transit traffic as well as socioeconomic variables (i.e., population, employment, and household densities), variables related to the built environment (transit stop, traffic signal, and light pole densities), commercial area density, and the proportion if arterial–collector roads. The models revealed, however, a decline in cyclist–motorist crashes in association with an increase in the proportions of local roads and off-street bike links and an increase in recreational and residential area densities. The spatial effects were accounted for in the full Bayes models and were found to be significant; such a finding implies the importance of consideration of the spatial correlation in the development of macrolevel cyclist safety models.

scholarly journals A GIS-BASED PROCEDURE FOR MEASURING THE EFECTS OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ON URBAN FLASH FLOODS

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Chunlu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
Flood Inundation ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
The Impact

Urban flooding has been a severe problem for many cities around the world as it remains one of the greatest threats to the property and safety of human communities. In Australia, it is seen as the most expensive natural hazard. However, urban areas that are impervious to rainwater have been sharply increasing owing to booming construction activities and rapid urbanisation. The change in the built environment may cause more frequent and longer duration of flooding in floodprone urban regions. Thus, the flood inundation issue associated with the effects of land uses needs to be explored and developed. This research constructs a framework for modelling urban flood inundation. Different rainfall events are then designed for examining the impact on flash floods generated by land-use changes. Measurement is formulated for changes of topographical features over a real time series. Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies are then utilised to visualise the effects of land-use changes on flood inundation under different types of storms. Based on a community-based case study, the results reveal that the built environment leads to varying degrees of aggravation of urban flash floods with different storm events and a few rainwater storage units may slightly mitigate flooding extents under different storm conditions. Hence, it is recommended that the outcomes of this study could be applied to flood assessment measures for urban development and the attained results could be utilised in government planning to raise awareness of flood hazard.

scholarly journals Built Environment and HIV Linkage to Care in Rural South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 0272684X2110065
Author(s):  
Nosipho Shangase ◽  
Brian Pence ◽  
Sheri A. Lippman ◽  
Mi-Suk Kang Dufour ◽  
Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Linkage To Care ◽  
Risk Difference ◽  
Residential Density ◽  
Universal Test And Treat ◽  
Effect Measure Modification ◽  
Hiv Linkage To Care

Background We assessed built environment (residential density, landuse mix and aesthetics) and HIV linkage to care (LTC) among 1,681 (18–49 years-old) residents of 15 Mpumalanga villages, South Africa. Methods Multilevel models (linear-binomial) were used for the association between built environment, measured using NEWS for Africa, and LTC from a clinical database of 9 facilities (2015–2018). Additionally, we assessed effect-measure modification by universal test-and-treat policy (UTT). Results We observed, a significant association in the adjusted 3-month probability of LTC for residential density (risk difference (RD)%: 5.6, 95%CI: 1.2–10.1), however, no association for land-use mix (RD%: 2.4, 95%CI: −0.4, 5.2) and aesthetics (RD%: −1.2, 95%CI: −4.5–2.2). Among those diagnosed after UTT, residents of high land-use villages were more likely to link-to-care than those of low land-use villages at 12 months (RD%: 4.6, 95%CI: 1.1–8.1, p < 0.04), however, not at 3 months (RD%: 3.0, 95%CI: −2.1–8.0, p > 0.10). Conclusion Findings suggest, better built environment conditions (adequate infrastructure, proximity to services etc.) help facilitate LTC. Moreover, UTT appears to have a protective effect on LTC.

scholarly journals Research on the Difference Between Recreational Walking and Transport Walking Among the Elderly in Mega Cities With Different Density Zones: The Case of Guangzhou City

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Zang ◽  
Hualong Qiu ◽  
Fei Xian ◽  
Xiang Zhou ◽  
Shifa Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Street Connectivity ◽  
Guangzhou City ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Land Use Mix ◽  
Recreational Walking ◽  
Intersection Density

Walking is the easiest method of physical activity for older people, and current research has demonstrated that the built environment is differently associated with recreational and transport walking. This study modelled the environmental characteristics of three different building density zones in Guangzhou city at low, medium, and high densities, and examined the differences in walking among older people in the three zones. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to investigate the recreational and transport walking time of older people aged 65 years and above for the past week, for a total of three density zones (N = 597) and was analysed as a dependent variable. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to identify 300, 500, 800, and 1,000 m buffers and to assess differences between recreational and transport walking in terms of the built environment [e.g., land-use mix, street connectivity, Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data]. The data were processed and validated using the SPSS software to calculate Pearson's correlation models and stepwise regression models between recreation and transit walking and the built environment. The results found that land use mix and NDVI were positively correlated with transport walking in low-density areas and that transport walking was negatively correlated with roadway mediated centrality (BtE) and Point-of-Interest (PoI) density. Moreover, recreational walking in medium density areas was negatively correlated with self-rated health, road intersection density, and PoI density while positively correlated with educational attainment, population density, land use mix, street connectivity, PoIs density, and NDVI. Transport walking was negatively correlated with land-use mix, number of road crossings while positively correlated with commercial PoI density. Street connectivity, road intersection density, DNVI, and recreational walking in high-density areas showed negative correlations. Moreover, the built environment of older people in Guangzhou differed between recreational and transport walking at different densities. The richness of PoIs has different effects on different types of walking.

scholarly journals Understanding walkable areas: applicability and analysis of a walkability index in a Brazilian city

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Cristina Nishikawa Motomura ◽  
Larissa Casaril da Fontoura ◽  
Milena Kanashiro
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Floor Area Ratio ◽  
Walkability Index ◽  
Environment Variables ◽  
Land Use Mix ◽  
Intersection Density

Abstract Considering the growing of chronic non-communicable diseases worldwide, many studies have pointed out the role of the built environment as a support for walking. These studies are being applied in metropolitan and county regions or in specific areas of larger citiesof developed countries. Nevertheless, there is noevidences of the application of the walkability index in an entire Brazilian city. The main objective of this study is to understand walkable areas in a Brazilian medium sized city such as Cambé - PR, based on the walkability variables defined by Frank et al. (2010). The index systematizes four built environment variables: net residential density, retail floor area ratio, intersection density and land use mix. The results show that higher walkability areas are located in downtown and in three areas in the outskirts of Cambé, which were formerly designed to attend social housing projects. The transformations of land use mix and the urban layout characteristics of these areas improved the walkability level. This paper contributes to enlighten the characteristics of walkable areas and highlights a different outcome when considering a city of a developing country such as Brazil.

The impact of urban regrowth on the built environment

Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (12) ◽  
pp. 2683-2700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Wolff ◽  
Annegret Haase ◽  
Dagmar Haase ◽  
Nadja Kabisch
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Spatial Effects ◽  
Similar Density ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

After several decades, an increasing number of European cities have been experiencing population growth after a longer phase of decline. This new growth represents not just a quantitative phenomenon but also has qualitative implications for the urban space and the built environment. A juxtaposition of re- and de-densification, as well as changes in land use, in the form of a small-scale spatial mosaic, can be observed. A crucial factor for estimating the relationship between the built environment and demand for it is population density. Increasing population densities may put pressure on sustaining a certain quality of life and on ecological recovery spaces. In this vein, an indicator concept for re- and de-densification will be applied to the city of Leipzig, one of the most illustrative examples of a regrowing city, in order to shed light on the complex relationship between changing human housing demands and their impact on land use. The concept involves measuring population density. Our study has demonstrated that, although similar density changes can be observed in different periods in different parts of the city, they are dominated by different drivers, leading to the formation of different spatial patterns. The results of our study emphasise that regrowth should be understood as a distinctive process because it is distributed very heterogeneously within the city area, with a variety of spatial effects and impacts. The concept allows us to draw conclusions about processes that mitigate, drive or reinforce regrowth, and therefore contributes to a better understanding of this phenomenon and its implications for land use.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Impact of Built Environment on Coastline Ecosystem Services and Values

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-63
Author(s):  
Mkama Thomas Manyama ◽  
Cuthbert Leonard Nahonyo ◽  
Aloyce Shaban Hepelwa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Dar Es Salaam ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Anthropogenic Systems ◽  
The Impact

The degradation of any ecosystem services (ES) and the benefits human being enjoy from nature freely involve multifaceted processes such as those in built environment. The ecological security and multiple functions of the coastal zone of Dar es Salaam is of paramount importance to the sustainability of its natural and anthropogenic systems. Therefore, permanent/temporary conversion of a piece of land for construction space provisions profoundly affects the functionality and connectedness of nature–anthropogenic ecosystem. This study quantified land use landcover changes from Landsat satellite imageries, then evaluated the changes using recognizable coefficients for ecosystem services values (ESV). Applying Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques, the impacts of built environment on ESV were analysed using land use landcover change (LULCC) transfer matrix, carbon stock dynamics and soil erosion influence on soil fauna. The results revealed expansive BE from 10.6 percent in 1995 to 22.8 percent in 2016. Loss of forest by 64.5 percent in the study period explained the declining total ESV by 56.1 percent and per capita recreation potential by 2.3 percent. Similarly, decreasing forest cover led to high carbon dioxide emission, notably, the 353.24 t CO2 ha-1 yr-1 in the period between 1995 and 2005. Furthermore, in 1995 bushland experienced high soil erosion while in 2016 built environment displayed a similar trend as the rest of the land use landcover (LULC) classes. From geospatial analysis, the southern area displayed significant vegetation cover change as compared to the built environment dominant in the northern section of Dar es Salaam coastline. Initiative to reducing built environment by 1 percent saves forest loss by 5.28 percent and carbon sequestration at a tune of 28.95 t CO2 ha-1 yr-1; hence improves ecological services values by 4.60 percent.

scholarly journals Vehicle miles traveled and the built environment: New evidence from panel data

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-48
Author(s):  
Keith Ihlanfeldt
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Vehicle Miles Traveled ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact ◽  
New Evidence

There has been considerable interest in the impact that the built environment has on vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While this issue has been extensively researched, due to the heavy reliance on cross-sectional data, there remains uncertainty regarding how effective local land-use planning and regulation might be in reducing VMT. Based on a 13-year panel of Florida counties, models are estimated that relate VMT to new measures of the spatial distribution of alternative land uses within counties and county urban expansion. Identification of causal effects is established by including year and county fixed effects, along with an extensive set of control variables, and instrumenting those land uses that may be endogenous. Incremental annual changes in the spatial concentration of alternative land uses are found to affect VMT. The policy implication is that appropriate land-use policy can reduce VMT and should be considered part of the strategy for dealing with the problem of global warming.

scholarly journals Exploring the Impact of Urban Built Environment on Public Emotions Based on Social Media Data: A Case Study of Wuhan

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 986
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Ma ◽  
Yunzi Yang ◽  
Hongzan Jiao
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Healthy City ◽  
Urban Construction ◽  
The Impact

In the era of public participation in government, public emotions and expectations are important considerations influencing urban construction, planning, and management. A desirable urban environment can make people feel at ease and comfortable and contribute to promoting positive public emotions. However, in the process of rapid urban development, the high-density and overloaded urban built environment has triggered people’s mental tension and anxiety and has contributed to negative emotions. Thus, this study aimed to explore the spatial distribution of public emotions and urban built environments in cities and to thoroughly investigate the correlation between urban built environments and public emotions. Considering the lack of dynamic elements analysis and emotions spatial analysis in previous studies, this study takes Wuhan City as an example, uses social media big data as the basis for text emotion analysis, introduces dynamic traffic elements, and establishes a multidimensional urban built environment measurement index system from five aspects: land use, spatial form, road and traffic, green space and open space, and daily life service facilities. Subsequently, the spatial distribution characteristics of public sentiment and urban built environment elements in Wuhan were analyzed. Finally, a geographically weighted regression method was used to analyze the degree of influence of different urban built environment elements on public emotions. The results showed that public emotions in Wuhan are not homogeneously distributed in terms of score and space and that there are significant differences. The urban built environment has a significant influence on public emotions. Higher land use mix, higher road network density, higher number of public transportation facilities, higher number of public open spaces, lower traffic congestion, and impact of freight transportation play important roles in promoting positive emotions. Therefore, in the process of urban construction, planners and decision makers should purposefully improve the quality of the built environment. Measures can include improving the mix of land functions, alleviating traffic congestion, avoiding the negative effects of freight traffic, rationally constructing green and open spaces, and improving various living facilities. This can help contribute toward improving urban functions and urban environments, and promote the construction of a people-oriented healthy city.

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