Abstract

New Methods to Measure Urban Ecologies
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Bruce Appleyard

Until recently, data, technology, and practice have limited travel behavior research in its ability to uniquely capture individual-level details of urban environments. While previous studies have relied primarily on aggregate, zonal averages homogeneously attributed to unique individuals, this dissertation presents methods to more closely align measures of the urban environment with the individual as the unit of analysis-in short, disaggregated data for disaggregated analyses.
Furthermore, previous studies have often focused on the immediate areas (1/4- to 1/2-mile radii) around trip origins and destinations, while little focus has been paid to the unique characteristics of the urban environment in between. In response, this research pioneers the use of a new spatial unit of analysis, the "individual access corridor" (IAC), to better understand how people may be influenced by certain urban design, land use, or transport characteristics experienced along their journey to a certain destination.