John L. Renne

From transit-adjacent to transit-oriented development

Downtown Berkeley, Hayward, and Fremont are three Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations with different surrounding built environments. Berkeley is located in a downtown setting, whereas Hayward and Fremont are located in the suburbs. Fremont is the most auto-dominated, whereas Hayward is a hybrid between being a transit-oriented and transit-adjacent development. Downtown Berkeley exemplifies the aims of many planners across the USA who are working to promote transit-oriented development (TOD). This study helps to confirm the importance of a quality built environment upon travel behaviour and vehicle ownership through an analysis of the three BART stations listed above. This article presents a transit-adjacent development – TOD spectrum that may help planners and policy makers better understand what is and what is not a TOD.

Where does walkability matter the most? An environmental justice interpretation of New Jersey data

Physical inactivity contributes to a growing proportion of premature mortality and morbidity in the United States, and the last decade has been the focus of calls for action. Analysis of 340 residents of New Jersey found that 15%–20% reported multiple problems with using their immediate neighborhoods for physical activity. These respondents were disproportionately African Americans living in neighborhoods that they regard as only of fair or poor quality. Neighborhood walkability is a second-wave environmental justice issue meriting carefully designed research and ameliorative actions in concert with other neighborhood-level redevelopment activities.

Physical activity and use of suburban train stations: An exploratory analysis

Physical inactivity contributes to a growing proportion of illness and premature death in the United States. Only about 45% of Americans meet the recommended national standard for physical activity. Yet, analysis of 300 surveys collected from train riders at three walkable New Jersey suburban train stations showed that 78% met their activity guidelines. A new train station that allows these riders to save time in their commute have attracted new risers and has led existing commuters to change their commute. One third of those surveyed reported additional physical activity primarily because they walked more after leaving the train in mid-town New York City. Only 8% reported less physical activity. The analysis revealed that the new public transit station and personal factors associated with a greater likelihood of using public transit led to more physical activity.

Challenge of Evacuating the Carless in Five Major U.S. Cities: Identifying the Key Issues

The 2007 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of the most successful in U.S. history with more than 1.2 million people evacuating the region by car during a 48-h period. It was also one of the most unsuccessful evacuations for a carless society–-those without access to cars or those without the physical or economic means to evacuate who were stranded below sea level. Reasons for the successful car-based evacuation stem from local, regional, and interstate collaboration of transportation professionals, emergency managers, and state police to establish a highway contra-flow traffic management system. Evacuating carless and special needs populations requires collaboration of various stakeholders, including transportation planners, emergency managers, health-care providers, and others. This discussion is based on stakeholder focus groups across five U.S. regions, including Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; New Orleans; New York; and San Francisco, California. The paper concludes with a discussion of overall themes emerging from the focus groups around coordinating emergency preparedness at a regional scale.

Carless and Special Needs Evacuation Planning: A Literature Review

The objective of this study was to research how state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), transit agencies, and local governments are considering, in the context of their emergency preparedness planning, the unique needs of minority, low-income, elderly, disabled, and limited English proficient (LEP) persons, especially for households without vehicles (referred to as “carless” in this report). This study provides guidance to ensure that future evacuations efficiently and effectively accommodate disadvantaged populations, including people who for any reasons lack access to private automobile transportation. For this review the authors scanned several sources including state DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, and local government emergency preparedness planning for information on the evacuation of carless residents, including minority, low-income, elderly, disabled and residents with limited mobility and health problems. The review includes scholarly, professional, and government sources, highlighting best practices, and identifying areas of weakness within the field of emergency preparedness with respect to the target population of this study. This review discusses different needs for different types of natural and human-induced disasters. It also discusses the role for an integrated, multi-modal approach for evacuation planning so all levels of government can assist with evacuating people in the most efficient manner possible. This literature review serves to characterize the current state of thinking and practice on the subject of carless and special needs evacuation planning.For this review, we included a wide range of literature related to emergency preparedness planning and information on the evacuation of carless residents, including minority, low income, elderly, disabled, and residents with limited mobility and health problems. The review includes sources that highlight best practices, and identify areas of weakness within the field of emergency preparedness with respect to the target population of this study. This review discusses different needs for different types of natural and human-induced disasters. It also discusses the role for an integrated, multimodal approach for evacuation planning to assist with evacuating people in the most efficient manner possible. This literature review serves to characterize the current state of thinking and practice on the subject of carless and special needs evacuation planning. The focus of the literature review is on the role of government and public agencies. Overall, the literature related to carless evacuation planning is multidisciplinary and wide ranging. The events surrounding Hurricane Katrina motivated this review of existing research and provided an opportunity to synthesize other earlier related research. The process is important for finding gaps in the contemporary understanding of these issues, especially given more recent evacuations.

Smart growth and transit - oriented development at the state level: Lessons from California, New Jersey, and Western Australia

The states of California and New Jersey in the United States and Western Australia in Australia encourage smart growth through the employment of transit-oriented development (TOD). This paper documents each state’s approach and highlights importance of interagency cooperation at the state-level and intergovernmental cooperation between state and local governments. The paper discusses the importance of state government participation in the planning and creation of policy to facilitate TOD and recommends elements for a model state TOD program.

How Affordable Is HUD Affordable Housing

Abstract This article assesses the affordability of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rental assistance properties from the perspective of transportation costs. HUD housing is, by definition, affordable from the standpoint of housing costs due to limits on the amounts renters are required to pay. However, there are no such limitations on transportation costs, and common sense suggests that renters in remote locations may be forced to pay more than 15% of income, a nominal affordability standard, for transportation costs. Using household travel models estimated with data from 15 diverse regions around the United States, we estimated and summed automobile capital costs, automobile operating costs, and transit fare costs for households at 8,857 HUD rental assistance properties. The mean percentage of income expended on transportation is 15% for households at the high end of the eligible income scale. However, in highly sprawling metropolitan areas, and in suburban areas of more compact metropolitan areas, much higher percentages of households exceed the 15% ceiling. This suggests that locational characteristics of properties should be considered for renewal when HUD contracts expire for these properties, based on location and hence on transportation affordability.

The Cost and Affordability Paradox of Transit-Oriented Development: A Comparison of Housing and Transportation Costs Across Transit-Oriented Development, Hybrid and Transit-Adjacent Development Station Typologies

Abstract This study presents a comparison of housing and transportation costs (H+T) in 4,399 fixed-route transit station areas across the United States. Each station area is classified as a transit-oriented development (TOD), hybrid, or transit-adjacent development (TAD) based on walkability and housing density targets. Station areas with a Walk Score of 70 or greater and a gross housing density of 8 units per acre or more are classified as TOD. Station areas that meet just one of these criteria are classified as hybrids, and those that do not meet either of these criteria are categorized as TAD. The findings reveal a paradox that whereas TOD are more expensive places to buy and rent housing, they are more affordable than hybrids and TAD because the lower cost of transportation offsets housing costs. We argue that policies to increase the density and walkability of hybrid and TAD station areas, which account for two thirds of all station areas across the United States, should be a top priority for both housing and transportation officials.

The Pent-Up Demand for Transit-Oriented Development and Its Role in Reducing Oil Dependence

Contributors to this book have discussed America’s oil dependence and have offered some creative solutions that focus on making transportation systems more sustainable and oil-free. However, as some authors in the book have noted, transportation-only solutions are not enough; we also need to create communities that facilitate transit use, walking, and bicycling through the design of the built environment. This chapter focuses on the role of transit-oriented development (TOD) in reducing oil dependence.

Giving parks back to people: a transportation study of New Orleans City Park with implications for improving public health

Park planning, once at the root of the profession during the nineteenth century, can again provide cities with a means to improve public health through restricting access to automobiles. This intercept study, conducted in New Orleans City Park, found that two-thirds of users support weekend street closures to automobiles. Widespread support (63%) exists even among the 72% of people who arrived by automobile. This study also found measurable stated benefits from restricting car access. For more than 53% of the sample that stated that they would walk more in a car-free zone, respondents noted that they would walk nearly 30 min more per month. These findings suggest that planners and policy-makers have a cost-effective option to improve cities and public health – taming the automobile in urban parks.