Should I stay or should I go? A survey analysis of neighborhood change and residential mobility concerns around new light rail stations in Charlotte,NC

In this article, we examine the effects of rail transit investments on residents' stated mobility intentions and perceptions of neighborhood changes using a survey analysis in Charlotte, North Carolina. We ask residents in neighborhoods along a new light rail line about their reasons for residing in their current neighborhood, thoughts about moving and the light rail's effect on their neighborhood. To control for city-wide housing market pressures, responses from one station-adjacent neighborhood are compared to responses from residents in a similar neighborhood elsewhere in the city while controlling for individual characteristics. Using a mixed-methods research approach, we find that while residents attribute some changes in their property values and rents to the light rail, it is only one of many factors affecting their neighborhood. Light rail also does not appear to affect residents' stated propensity to move out of these neighborhoods. Survey respondents' view of the light rail's effect on their neighborhood is also positive, on average. We find that the stated likelihood of moving is not related to the distance to the station nor to how frequently a resident uses the light rail. This article contributes to debates on transit-induced displacement and gentrification and provides context to neighborhood-scale quantitative analyses from residents' perspective.     

Streetcar projects as spatial planning: A shift in transport planning in the United States

Currently dozens of U.S. cities are in the midst of planning and building modern streetcar systems. Though seemingly mobility investments, the intended impacts of these streetcar projects reach beyond transportation and represent a strong turn toward strategic spatial planning through transportation infrastructure. Proponents of modern streetcars argue that they are tools of placemaking as much as if not more than improvements for transit services. Unlike transit investments of a century ago, when privately operated streetcars were a decentralizing force that helped disperse overcrowded central city cores and open new land for real estate development, current streetcar projects in the United States are expected to concentrate activity and economic development in select corridors. The majority of these new systems rely on transit technologies that are significantly improved over the carriages of old, with modern features, smooth rides and quiet operations. Yet for all the improvements to the vehicles and services, new streetcar investments no longer primarily improve transit accessibility. Rather, modern streetcars are part of strategic amenity packages cities use to achieve real estate and economic development goals. This use of transportation infrastructure as an amenity for a particular location is a shift away from traditional transportation planning processes, and the expected benefits, in particular, stand apart as being deliberately spatial. We use planning documents and data from ballot box initiatives to evaluate expected transportation benefits relative to indirect benefits through economic development. We find that approximately three-quarters of all expected benefits from streetcar projects accrue to property development with the remaining expected benefits assigned to transportation. However, we do not find sufficient empirical evidence in the literature to support such certain claims of positive effects on property values and the built environment. We argue that the increasing tendency of cities to leverage streetcar projects for non-transportation purposes represents a turn to the use of infrastructure as a tool of spatial planning.     

The influence of residential dissonance on physical activity and walking: evidence from the Montgomery County,MD, and Twin Cities,MN, areas

This study investigates to what extent a mismatch between residential preferences and actual residential locations is associated with residents’ physical activity and walking. The residents of Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, were classified into four residential subgroups, and their walking and physical activity outcomes were compared. The results showed that, for transport activity and walking outcomes, participants living in a urban location and preferring a urban environment were more likely to be active than those who lived in a suburban location and preferred a suburban environment. In a highly dense region, the influence of preferences might be overridden by the characteristics of neighborhood locations. With respect to recreation activity, no significant associations were found regarding neighborhood locations or preference for neighborhood environment.     

Support for innovative on-street parking policies: empirical evidence from an urban neighborhood

Municipalities and planners often hesitate to implement restrictive parking policies because residents regularly oppose any changes to on-street parking space. Residential parking is one key factor of parking management because its location and availability influence a household's car ownership and use. Moreover, as more residents regularly use other means of transportation that need space and infrastructure in the urban realm, and as parking takes up a vast amount of land, municipalities are considering the reuse of on-street parking space for other purposes. As public acceptability is a precondition for the successful implementation of a proposed policy, our empirical analysis investigates to what extent residents support restrictive and demand-oriented on-street parking policies in the dense, highly urbanized neighborhood of Frankfurt-Bornheim, Germany (N = 1027). Surprisingly, despite some variations, the majority of the residents in our survey are in favor of the policy options suggested. Support for the demand-oriented policies (extension of bicycle infrastructure, improved sharing supply and mobility hubs, neighborhood garages, and improved public transit supply) is higher than the acceptance of the restrictive policies, and of policies that are a combination of restrictive and demand-oriented policies. However, surprisingly, a majority is still in favor of many of these (extension of parking fees and parking restrictions, and reuse of parking space for better livability). Furthermore, we classify residents who live in a household with private cars into the stage model of self-regulated behavior change to analyze their intention towards a reduction in private car use. Results from linear regression analyses indicate that residents who have intentions to change their behavior towards car use reduction assess the policy options more similarly to car-free households and regular bike users, and not like the other car-owning households. The findings suggest that while the residents support financial-related policies the least, they are more receptive towards parking policies than policy makers and planners assume if the reuse of parking lots creates space for other users or if it increases the quality of life, for instance, by adding bike lanes, wider sidewalks or greenery. Hence, a combination of restrictive and demand-oriented on-street parking policies results in high acceptance among residents, and the communication from municipalities regarding the implementation of the different policies needs to vary depending on the kind of household.     

Attitudes towards transit-oriented development: Resident experiences and professional perspectives

Transit-oriented development (TOD) provides highly efficient access to transit facilities and, when implemented in concert with streetscape changes, improves neighborhood walkability. In some regions, TOD has generated controversy, seen as impinging on the local populations' preferences for single-family housing, as well as the desire of developers to build that category of housing. In New Jersey, however, there has been increased policy support for TOD. The question addressed here is how, if at all, TOD and TOD-proximate residents' perceptions of the benefits and shortcomings of TOD are perceived and addressed by professionals involved with TOD planning and development. A qualitative research approach was used, with focus groups with residents and structured interviews with professionals. A relatively well-fitting correspondence was found: There was broad agreement by residents and professionals on the value of transit and TOD for increased accessibility and walkability. Problems were identified with retail development and traffic problems; the latter expressed as a congestion problem by professionals but as a pedestrian safety problem by residents. This information provides useful insight for planners and developers seeking to deliver TOD designs that match the preferences of residents and potential residents, and for new avenues of research on how best to achieve this.     

Light rail development with or without gentrification?: Neighborhood perspectives on changing sense of place in Denver,Colorado

The growing and continued popularity of light rail transit systems in major United States metropolitan areas is leading to growing research on land use impacts, value generation, and contributions to gentrification. While various studies explore the fiscal and environmental influences of light rail transit development in the Denver Metropolitan Area, only recently have scholars turned their attention to gentrification and social influences. This paper analyzes how one station shapes residents' sense of place, providing more nuanced understandings of the role light rail and transit-oriented development affects perceptions of neighborhood character and place attachment. We argue that gentrification can be measured and understood not only quantitatively, but also by how people feel light rail influences their attachment to place. Residents within half a mile of the Evans Light Rail Station were randomly and anonymously surveyed with a series of demographic questions and asked to provide their experiences, observations, and opinions. With 166 household responses, we examine residents' perceptions of Evans Station and sense of place to investigate relationships between factors such as race, age, income, education, length of residency, and walking distance from the light rail station. Analysis of their responses creates a more nuanced understanding of the ways that light rail contributes to positive, neutral, and negative emotions associated with gentrification ranging from appreciation of increased accessibility, younger residents, increased property values, and new commercial development to complaints about increased density, higher rents, traffic, noise, and loss of community.     

Charting the coast: spatial planning for tourism using public participation GIS

Coastal tourism continues to experience sustained growth on a global scale, leading to concerns regarding socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts. To-date, the explicit integration of tourism development with coastal management has lagged behind more traditional planning concerns, presenting an opportunity and challenge for managers. Spatial planning using public participation geographical information systems (PPGIS) offers one solution for integration that is cognisant of the centrality of place in tourism. PPGIS was used to document spatially explicit data on place values, activities and development preferences along the remote, Aboriginal-managed Port Smith (Purnturrpurnturr) coastline in Western Australia. The research was developed and implemented as a collaborative partnership between Aboriginal custodians and University researchers. Ninety-seven questionnaires containing participatory mapping were conducted with residents and visitors. The participatory mapping approach successfully identified areas of potential conflict and allows tourism planners and managers to implement spatial planning that explicitly recognises and accounts for visitor values and preferences. Tourism, as well as marine spatial planning, can be enhanced by a holistic approach that considers both tangible and intangible socio-spatial data. Such an approach is likely to foster a more nuanced appreciation of what is valued in the landscape, providing greater insights to support sustainable long-term planning.     

Long-term impact of network access to bike facilities and public transit stations on housing sales prices in Portland,Oregon

Planners and economists generally accept that housing market values increase with proximity to transportation facilities through the provision of improved access to activity locations. While the market benefits of rail station access are well-documented, inconsistent and insufficient methods have led to limited agreement on the true value associated with this locational amenity. Far fewer hedonic price studies have assessed the influence of bike facility access on housing sales prices, and those that have generally analyze cross-sectional data. In this study, we estimated a spatial hedonic model using a bootstrapped pseudo panel to determine the joint impact of network proximity to bike lanes and off-street multi-use paths, as well as light rail and streetcar stations, on housing sales in Portland, Oregon, from 2002 to 2013. Our findings revealed housing sales prices increased as network distance to the nearest light rail transit and streetcar station decreased. Likewise, owner-occupied single-family and multifamily housing sales rose in conjunction with reduced street network access to regional multi-use bike paths; however, improved proximity to on-street bike lanes negatively affected housing values. In sum, we believe these findings may help to inform non-automotive transportation infrastructure financing mechanisms that rely on rising property values.     

Evaluating the impacts of transit-oriented developments (TODs) on household transportation expenditures in California

This study evaluates the impact of transit-oriented development (TOD) on household transportation expenditures in California by comparing TOD households with two groups of control households that are identified by propensity score matching. When controlling for household demographics, TOD households own fewer and more fuel-efficient cars, drive fewer miles, and use transit more. On average, they save $1232 per year on transportation expenditures than non-TOD households with similar demographics, accounting for 18% of their total annual transportation expenditures. When controlling for both demographics and neighborhood environment, TOD households still own slightly fewer and more fuel-efficient cars and use transit more. But they drive similar amount of miles as non-TOD households do. TOD households save $429 per year on transportation expenditures than non-TOD households with similar demographics and neighborhood environment, accounting for about 6% of their total annual transportation expenditures. TOD households save money on transportation costs mainly because they own fewer cars than non-TOD households. About two thirds of the savings can be attributed to transit-friendly neighborhood environment and one third to their access to rail transit, suggesting the importance of integrating a rail transit system with supportive land use planning and neighborhood design.     

Rail-transit-induced gentrification and the affordability paradox of TOD

Numerous studies have shown that rail transit has a positive effect on raising property values and tax revenues. Such an effect is widely viewed as an economic benefit for property owners and is key to justifying the high cost of building rail transit infrastructure. In recent years, however, concerns have been raised about rail transit acting as a gentrification trigger and causing the affordability paradox. In this study, I evaluate whether rail transit in suburban Portland caused neighborhood gentrification and reduced home affordability through a longitudinal quasi-experimental design. I use the propensity score matching method to identify control neighborhoods for rail-transit-served neighborhoods. I then make pretest-posttest comparisons between rail-transit-served neighborhoods and their control neighborhoods at multiple observation points. In general, I did not find consistent evidence for rail-transit-induced gentrification in suburban Portland. I did not find evidence that rail transit reduced home affordability for tenants and home owners in rail transit-served neighborhoods either. I observed more changes in the neighborhoods served by the Eastside line (the oldest rail transit line in Portland) than their control neighborhoods in the past three decades: socially, they attracted older and less-educated population; physically, they experienced densification and faster increases of the share of rental units in their housing stock. Rail transit was more likely to be installed along low-income neighborhoods in suburban Portland, confirming the necessity of constructing appropriate control neighborhoods while evaluating the neighborhood and social effects of rail transit.     

Euston station redevelopment: Regeneration or gentrification?

The redevelopment of railways stations and their surrounding neighbourhoods offers many opportunities in terms of regeneration, yet there are also concerns over the potential gentrification of areas and displacement of the existing population and local businesses. The most prominent voice on these issues is typically from the project promoter, reflecting their position of power in the decision-making process, but there are other voices to be understood, including varied views from the local community.This paper uses Q methodology to develop discourses associated with the proposed High Speed Two project and redevelopment of Euston station and the surrounding neighbourhoods. 28 in-depth surveys are used with local residents, local employees, politicians, local government officers and academics, covering attitudes to the proposed Euston redevelopment. The Q method analysis highlights three major discourses: the ‘Community Activist’, the ‘Rail Promoter’, and the ‘Optimistic Practitioner’. Understanding these different discourses, and their components, is important for decision-makers in ensuring that investment strategies can better reflect the different viewpoints evident in the public domain. Ultimately, this can help to improve the social consequences of transport investment.     

Stakeholders' perceptions of tourism development in Cape Verde,Africa

The perceptions of tourism stakeholders regarding the effects of tourism development in their communities are essential in ensuring the proper design and implementation of sustainable tourism development strategies in an area. We designed a survey to gather data about the attitudes of three stakeholders: tourists, residents, and business owners. The respondents were from the island of Sao Vicente in the African archipelago of Cape Verde, which is currently under expansion. The results showed that the three groups positively view increased tourism development in the area, with virtually no differences found between business owners and the other groups, although tourists had a more favourable opinion than residents. Engaging the three groups is essential for the success of tourism development.     

Neighborhood characteristics and transport walking: Exploring multiple pathways of influence using a structural equation modeling approach

In studies of neighborhood effects on transport walking, residential preferences along with other personal characteristics (walking attitude, factors that affect decision to walk for transport) are important factors to consider. However, few studies have examined relationships between neighborhood characteristics and transport walking accounting for a complex suite of personal factors. This study employed a structural equation modeling approach to examine associations between neighborhood characteristics and transport walking behaviors by accounting for residential preferences, self-assessed factors that affect decision to walk for transportation, and socio-demographics; and to examine whether neighborhood effects were modified by walking attitude and residential preferences. Based on a cross-sectional phone and mail survey of 2848 residents of New York City, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Paul, and Winston Salem in 2011–12, we found neighborhood characteristics had significant independent associations with transport walking, even after adjusting for residential preferences and other personal factors. Neighborhood effects on transport walking did not differ significantly by walking attitude or residential preferences. Our findings highlight the importance of neighborhood effects in promoting transport walking, and suggest that while residential preferences are important factors, they do not obviate the neighborhood effects on transport walking.     

From farmers and shepherds to shopkeepers and hoteliers: constituency-differentiated experiences of endogenous tourism in the Greek Island of Zakynthos

The effects exerted by endogenous tourism investment on the developing Greek island of Zakynthos are examined, focusing in particular on whether the experiences among residents, tourist enterprises and local government are homogeneous, or whether they reflect varied attitudes related to sociodemographic, destination, development-process and tourist characteristics. Multivariate analysis shows that the main factors contributing to the variance in locals' experiences of and reactions to tourism development are the endogenous nature associated with the early ‘development’ phase of the evolution cycle, inhabitant constituency, carrying capacity and tourist nationality. In addition, the protection and conservation of natural and sociocultural resources are revealed as serious concerns of the island's local government. Management strategies for visitor-impact alleviation should focus on community-based planning where the hosts' collective wisdom is incorporated into the overall development process and tourism policies are compatible with the physical and human components of the local society. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of neighborhood environment and household travel interactions on school travel behavior: an exploration using geographically-weighted models

Professional and popular interest in active school transportation (walking and cycling) is matched by an emerging literature on this topic. This paper explores school travel behavior of 11-year old children in Toronto, Canada. In particular, the effects of the neighborhood environment and caregiver-child travel interactions on travel mode choice were studied. Results indicate that the built environment near both home and school locations was associated with the odds of walking. However, predicted built environment effects were less accurate in some neighborhoods. Availability of adults at the time of school travel likely encouraged driving. School transportation interventions that broadly consider school and neighborhood-oriented policies and enable independent mobility may increase walking rates. Presence of spatial autocorrelation in the prevalence of walking suggests that more research is required to understand inter-household similarities in behaviors that are spatially structured.     

Comparison of public perception and risk management decisions of aircraft noise near Taoyuan and Kaohsiung International Airports

This study uses multiple linear regression to identify factors contributing to perceived risk among residents near Taoyuan and Kaohsiung International Airports, the effect of perceived risk on their willingness to reduce risk, and consumption preferences that can reduce risk. Results indicated that residents' risk perception near Taoyuan Airport is lower than that near Kaohsiung Airport. Noise pollution experience, perceived probability of environmental contamination and negative effects, and perceived severity of catastrophic consequences significantly increase residents' perceived risks. Residents are willing to recognize and participate in mitigating the risks of aircraft noise pollution. The more risk residents perceive, the more willing they are to participate in disaster reduction and investigate means of improving the risk environment.     

Traffic exposure near the Los Angeles–Long Beach port complex: using GPS-enhanced tracking to assess the implications of unreported travel and locations

Traffic exposure assessments could misclassify the extent and locations of exposure if traditional recall surveys and self-reported travel diaries do not record all participant activities. The Harbor Communities Time Location Study (HCTLS) examines the nature, extent and implications of underreported locations/trips in a case study which used portable Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices to track the diurnal patterns and traffic exposure of 47 residents of communities near the Los Angeles–Long Beach port complex. Participants were similar to adults nationwide in time spent indoors, in-vehicle, and outdoors, but spent more time indoors at home (78% vs. 66%). Overall, participants did not report nearly half (49%) of the locations and trips identified in GPS-enhanced data on their activity diaries, resulting in about 3 h/day in unreported locations and 0.6 h/day in unreported trips. The probability of a location/trip being underreported was systematically correlated with participant and location/trip characteristics. Self-reported data missed about 50 min of heightened air pollution exposures during the 5 h/day on average participants spent in high-traffic areas and about 30 min during the 4 h/day near truck routes. GPS-enhanced methods provide opportunities to more precisely characterize exposure periods and tools to identify facility, roadway, and land use types of the greatest concern for mitigation efforts.