policy brief

Compact, Accessible, and Walkable Communities Help Support Gender Equality

Abstract

In California, Senate Bill 375 mandates regional planning organizations align their transportation plans with sustainable land use and development strategies to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In response, the Southern California Association of Governments’ 2016 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Community Strategy directs nearly 50% of housing and employment growth between 2010 and 2040 into walkable and compact neighborhoods within a one-half mile walking distance from well-serviced transit stops. This approach to land use development can encourage shorter driving trips, greater transit usage, and increased walking and cycling as a result of daily activity destinations being clustered near residential and work locations.1Another bi-product and benefit of compact and accessible communities may be improving gender equality related to travel and activity patterns. Prior research shows segregated and dispersed land uses (i.e., suburban sprawl) can exacerbate gender disparities in daily household travel by separating the public and private realms, and can also constrain women to their immediate neighborhoods.2,3 In contrast, neighborhoods with pedestrian accessible mixes-use centers have been shown to help counter social isolation of women in suburbia.4In addition, compact communities with denser land use and better transit service has been shown to reduce the disproportionate amount of chauffeuring women conduct on behalf of the household.

research report

Delayed Mobility and Retirement: Final Report

Publication Date

June 1, 2019

Author(s)

Andrew Schouten, Evelyn Blumenberg, Martin Wachs, Miriam Pinski

Abstract

This report examines whether being more mobile is associated with decisions by older people to remain in the active workforce after normal retirement age. Mobility includes having access to and the capacity to drive cars being transit accessible or being able to walk to work or work at home. The report presents findings in three sections and concludes, based on research conducted thus far, that there are indications of causal associations between mobility and delayed retirement. The report includes a review of the literature linking mobility, travel by the elderly, and retirement decision-making. Following the review of the literature is a quantitative analysis of data from the California Household Travel Survey, including mathematical models of relationships between mobility and the propensity of older Californians to remain in the active workforce. The final component of the research findings is a summary of the results of qualitative research consisting of focus groups and interviews. While the findings are not conclusive they show relationships that indicate that further research, particularly using longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data, are warranted. After presenting findings, the report concludes with recommendations for further research.

policy brief

Transit Investments are Having an Impact on Land Use Beyond the Half-Mile Mark

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in transit-
oriented development (TOD) and other transit-centered
initiatives. It has been widely presumed that transit investment
can significantly contribute to curbing sprawl and creating
a more compact (and thus more sustainable) pattern of
urban land use, while providing a broader range of travel
options. However, little is known about how investments in
the public transit system modify urban land use patterns and
the geographical extent of impacts. Prior research tends to
assume transit lines and stations are homogeneous and have
similar impacts without careful consideration of development
history, service quality, or other variations. In addition, prior
research and current practice often assume transit impacts
are concentrated within a half-mile, which has limited the
understanding of how transit investments impact the broader
vicinity.

policy brief

Electric Assisted Bikes (e-bikes) Show Promise in Getting People Out of Cars

Abstract

For over a decade, California has offered incentives towards the purchase of zero-emission vehicles as part of the state’s broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Expanding California’s incentive program for zero-emission vehicles to include electric assisted bikes (e-bikes) has been a point of recent discussion. The following summarizes the existing evidence on the effects e-bicycling has on car travel, characteristics of e-bike incentive programs, and opportunities for increasing e-bicycling in California.

policy brief

Mobility Challenges Facing Older Adults: A Contra Costa County Case Study

Publication Date

April 1, 2019

Author(s)

David Ragland, Sarah Doggett, Tracy McMillan

Abstract

Meeting the mobility needs of an aging population is one of the most substantial challenges facing California in the coming decades. The number of residents age 60 and above will grow to 13.9 million by 2050, representing over 25% of the state’s population. Meanwhile, the number of residents age 85 and above is expected to increase by over 70% between 2010 and 2030. Many older adults, who have primarily been auto dependent, will reduce or stop driving due to medical and non-medical reasons. Declines in age-related physical functions may also reduce the ability to walk to access goods and services, and can make using public transportation more difficult. These reductions in mobility can have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of seniors.

published journal article

Use of Ride-Hailing Services among Older Adults in the United States

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey to examine the factors influencing the adoption and the frequency of use of on-demand ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft among older adults. Using a zero-inflated negative binomial model (ZINB), the results indicate that the determinants of adoption of on-demand ride-hailing services (users versus non-users) are different from the determinants of the frequency of use of these services among older adult users. Seniors who are younger, living alone, in urban dwellings, more highly educated, more affluent, or male with a medical condition that results in asking others for rides are more likely to be adopters of ride-hailing services. However, seniors who are middle elderly, less educated, or are carless older adults, are more likely to be frequent users of on-demand ride-hailing services as long as they adopt these services. In addition, smartphone possession plays an important role in the adoption behavior of on-demand ride-hailing services among older adults. Results of bivariate analysis showed that older adult ride-hailing users make more transit trips than their non-user counterparts, suggesting that ride-hailing services have the potential to serve as a complementary form of public transportation for older adults. The findings of this research will help ride-hailing operators in identifying potential market segments of their services and in developing campaign strategies for potential adopters.

research report

Assessing and Addressing the Mobility Needs of an Aging Population

Publication Date

April 1, 2019

Author(s)

David Ragland, Grace Felschundneff, Kara MacLeod, Sarah Doggett, Tracy McMillan

Abstract

The mobility needs of an aging population is one of the most substantial challenges facing California in the coming decades. The number of residents aged 65 and older is expected to double between 2012 and 2050, and the number aged 85 and above is expected to increase by over 70% between 2010 and 2030. Declines in physical function related to age may reduce mobility options dramatically. A survey of 510 residents aged 55 and older in Contra Costa County was conducted to determine mobility patterns and limitations related to age and other factors. Results of the survey indicate that a majority of seniors are car-dependent. However, some older adults miss important activities due to mobility limitations associated with increasing age, poorer health, living alone, not having a licensed driver in the household, and having a disability. Mobility options are also limited in some geographic areas and demographic groups. Importantly, older adults want to “age in place.” Based on these findings and those in related studies, the travel options and the quality of life for older adults, now and in the future, can be greatly enhanced if efforts are made to develop mobility solutions beyond the use of private vehicles. The findings support the recommendations of recent regional plans such as the Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan (2018), adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) of the San Francisco Bay Area, which recommends supporting a range of mobility options centered around shared mobility and accessibility for populations at risk for limited mobility.

research report

Regional Industrial Land Preservation: Perspectives from San Francisco Bay Area Cities on a Priority Production Area Program

Abstract

This report lays the groundwork for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission – Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG-MTC) as they develop a Priority Production Area (PPA) program. The PPA program will include locally designated industrial zones and seek to identify resources for these areas while recognizing the need to balance land uses and that creating housing across the Bay Area is of primary importance. This study initiated outreach and engagement with local jurisdictions and experts to gain a better understanding of how local jurisdictions define their industrial space, how well current zoning works for their industrial land users, and the degree to which a PPA designation could help with business operations, retention or shaping the area’s future development. This report synthesizes input received as part of this engagement. Given that the PPA program is an action item of Plan Bay Area that integrates transportation and land use management into its long-range plan in an effort to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets, addressing the transportation needs associated with industrial lands could be a central component of the PPA program. Therefore, this report also explores both goods movement and worker accessibility challenges mentioned by city staff and experts and recommends how this PPA program could address these issues. Going forward, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission – Association of Bay Area Governments will need to prioritize the suggestions and ideas generated through this initial outreach process and determine which challenges and needs can feasibly be addressed with the PPA program.

policy brief

Creating a Regional Program for Preserving Industrial Land: Perspectives from San Francisco Bay Area Cities

Abstract

Industrial land plays a vital role in supporting the regional economy in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides the operating space and support services for export sectors and other important local clusters, maintains linkages between businesses and sustains a local supply chain, provides diverse employment opportunities for people with a broad range of skills (including those with lower educational attainment), and supports a high share of middle-wage job opportunities. However, the Bay Area’s current inventory of industrial land (and associated jobs) is at risk due to increasing pressure from housing and mixed-use construction1. In addition, the region’s state-mandated Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) for the nine-county area (Plan Bay Area) does little to address the needs of businesses that are not located in retail or office space. In response, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board unanimously recommended that ABAG staff develop a Priority Production Area (PPA) program for industrial areas. The PPA program, if adopted, will include locally designated zones where production, distribution, and repair (PDR) services would receive priority in determining future land use, and would be a designation that cities can voluntarily adopt. ABAG-MTC anticipates completing a final draft of the PPA program no later than the end of 2019 for incorporation into Plan Bay Area 2050.

policy brief

Considerations for Mitigating Vehicle Miles Traveled under SB 743

Abstract

Pursuant to Senate Bill 743 (Steinberg, 2013), which reformed the process for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of transportation impacts to align with greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research identified vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as the key metric to measure transportation impacts of new developments under CEQA.
As a result, project developers will now have to reduce VMT to mitigate significant transportation impacts. While methods for reducing VMT impacts are well understood, implementing VMT reduction measures thatare directly linked or near to individual developments may be difficult in some situations. As a result, broader and more flexible approaches to VMT mitigation may be necessary, such as VMT mitigation “banks” or “exchanges.” In a mitigation bank, developers would commit funds instead of undertaking specific on-site mitigation projects, and then a local or regional authority could aggregate funds and deploy them to top-priority projects throughout the jurisdiction. Similarly, in amitigation exchange, developers would be permitted to select from a list of pre-approved mitigation projects throughout the jurisdiction (or propose their own), without needing to mitigate their transportation impacts on-site.
To understand how VMT banks or exchanges could be implemented in California, researchers from UC Berkeley assessed the structural and legal considerations of VMT banks and exchanges to determine which approach and scope would be most appropriate for each implementing jurisdiction (i.e., city, county, region, state). Key research findings are presented in this brief