policy brief

Perceptions of Neighborhood Change in a Latinx Transit Corridor

Abstract

Understanding how residents feel about neighborhood changes due to new development along transit corridors (often referred to as transit-oriented development) remains understudied despite growing concerns over displacement and gentrification. Studies that examined these concerns are largely based on analyzing land use, housing values, and socio-economic shifts (i.e., who is moving in and out of neighborhoods), and do not provide conclusive evidence that transit-oriented development (TOD) is linked to neighborhood gentrification and displacement. Prior surveys of residents living near transit indicate a generally positive assessment of TOD in terms of improved walkability and accessibility but also express concerns over pedestrian safety and parking related to increased traffic and new commercial development. However, recent studies counter this relatively positive assessment of TOD, particularly among activists and community organizers in low-income communities of color.

published journal article

The Promise and Pitfalls of Early Project Notification Meetings: Illuminating Santa Ana’s Sunshine Ordinance

Abstract

Despite the promise that early public participation could enhance transparency and information access, little is known about which public engagement processes and techniques are most effective at the initial stages of plan development and whether development notification meetings enhance inclusion for impacted residents. Responding to these uncertainties, we analyzed the promise and potential pitfalls of early public notification meetings by reviewing posted development information and interviewing resident leaders and planners involved in the City of Santa Ana’s Sunshine Ordinance development notification meetings for proposed residential and mixed-use projects. Findings confirmed early notification increased access to information and created a more transparent process, but indicated the lack of inclusive practices generated community distrust and opposition and spurred residents to take insurgent actions when meetings offered few specifics and limited collaboration. Findings inform efforts of local jurisdictions and advocates seeking to establish or improve early participation initiatives.

published journal article

Will COVID-19 Jump-Start Telecommuting? Evidence from California

Abstract

Health concerns and government restrictions have caused a surge in work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a sharp increase in telecommuting. However, it is not clear if it will perdure after the pandemic, and what socio-economic groups will be most affected. To investigate the impact of the pandemic on telecommuting, we analyzed a dataset collected for us at the end of May 2021 by Ipsos via a random survey of Californians in KnowledgePanel©, the largest and oldest probability-based panel in the US. Structural equation models used in this research account for car ownership and housing costs to explain telecommuting frequency before, during, and possibly after the pandemic. Research findings point to an additional 4.2% of California workers expect to engage in some level of telecommuting post-pandemic, which is substantial but possibly less than suggested in other studies. Some likely durable gains can be expected for Californians who work in management, business / finance / administration, and engineering / architecture / law / social sciences. Workers with more education started telecommuting more during the pandemic, a trend expected to continue post-pandemic. Full time work status has a negative impact on telecommuting frequency, and so does household size during and after the pandemic.

website

Dividing Highways

published journal article

Dividing Highways: Barrier Effects and Environmental Justice in California

Abstract

We examine the barrier effects of freeways in California. We analyze the association between freeways and nearby street network connectivity and quantify the frequency and quality of crossings—underpasses or bridges that enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross the freeway. We find that barrier effects are most pronounced in communities of color. We also find that even where crossings exist, they are unpleasant or even hazardous for pedestrians and cyclists because of high-speed traffic on on- and off-ramps, and because large volumes of traffic are funneled through a small number of crossings rather than being distributed over a wider network.

policy brief

Lessons Learned from Abroad: Potential Influence of California High-Speed Rail on Economic Development, Land Use Patterns, and Future Growth of Cities

Abstract

As California is in the process of building its high-speed rail (HSR) network, reviewing the experience from other established HSR networks abroad can help understand the potential economic and development impacts of HSR and the prerequisites to realize them. HSR systems involve large financial investments and infrastructure projects, which have the potential to deeply change the regions where they are deployed. However, little attention has focused on the potential of the California HSR (Figure 1) to impact economic activities and urban development. This study reviews relevant literature and analyzes case studies from HSR station-cities in France (Le Creusot, Vendôme, Le Mans, Reims), Spain (Galicia Corridor, Valladolid, Zaragoza), and Italy (Reggio Emilia) to provide insights into these topics.

research report

Parking, Working from Home, and Travel Behavior

Abstract

Drawing on the California Household Travel Survey, the research demonstrates strong associations between choosing to drive and having free parking at work or home. The research team found that the median household vehicle in California spends 22 hours a day parked and that households with parking included in the rent or purchase price of their homes are more likely to drive and less likely to use transit. The team further found that employees with free parking at work are more likely to drive for their commutes. Regressions were estimated that analyzed the decision to work from home. Largely for data reasons, these regressions are less conclusive.

published journal article

Going Nowhere Fast: Are Changing Activity Patterns Behind Falling Personal Travel?

Abstract

The inexorable rise in personal travel in the 20th century has given way to stagnation in the 21st, a phenomenon some call “peak travel.” We use 2003–2019 data from the American Time Use Survey to explore whether and why personal travel per capita has stopped growing. We show that time spent on personal travel has been dropping consistently over these years, and suggest that one important cause is likely a dramatic and ongoing decline in the time Americans spend on out-of-home activities. We find significant changes in time spent on many of the 34 activities conducted inside and outside of the home that we examine. Many of these changes appear related to advances in information and communications technology (ICT), as this period saw the quality of in-home ICT continually rising and its real cost falling, resulting in ever-improving gaming, surfing, watching, and streaming options. For example, our data suggest that out-of-home work and shopping time fell significantly during our study period, while in-home time spent on work and education rose. Game playing (presumably mostly computer games) and TV watching in the home both increased dramatically, while attendance at live entertainment, arts, and sports activities fell. Reading and writing fell substantially both inside and outside the home, perhaps replaced by electronic communication. Our findings suggest that increased in-home ICT use may have been associated with 25–30% of the reduction of out-of-home time. We also find a significant increase in sleeping and a decrease in time spent eating and drinking both inside and outside of the home. Although we deliberately chose to examine time use and travel prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we suspect that, even as the pandemic fades, the trend toward more time at home and less time spent traveling may well increase further.

policy brief

The Future of Working Away from Work

Publication Date

March 14, 2023

Author(s)

Samuel Speroni, Brian D. Taylor, Mark Garrett

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic turned American work life outside-in. Before March 2020, nearly all workers worked outside of the home all or most of the time. In the spring of 2020, at least half worked at home as a result of stay-at-home recommendations and orders1 and enabled by advances in online video-communication technologies. Telecommuting is not new; it grew slowly in the four decades leading up to the outbreak. From 1980 the share of California’s workforce working primarily at home rose from just under 2% to 6% (see blue line in Figure 1), similar to national trends (red line). It peaked at 62% in May 2020, but was back down to 37% by the end of the year. But fully two years later the average was roughly 30%, a five-fold increase over pre-pandemic levels.2 Remote work appears here to stay.This dramatic shift has profound implications for transportation as much of the system is designed to carry morning and evening commuters into and out of downtowns and other office centers. While vehicle traffic, which plummeted in the early months of pandemic, has since rebounded, public transit ridership has yet to fully recover – with most systems stuck at about under three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels. Researchers at the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies have analyzed the extensive research literature and more recent reports on working-from-home and travel to determine how it affects travel and what a future of elevated remote work means for our transportation systems.