Trip Internalization and Mixed-Use Development: A Case Study of Austin Texas
Ming Zhang, Alexander Kone, Shaun Tooley, and Ryan Ramphul, University of Texas at Austin, December 2009, 123 pp. (169207-1)
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) in the Austin, TX region is incorporating a new regional growth concept, the Activity Centers for its Long-Range Transportation Plan. The planned Activity Centers would present such features as mixed uses, medium to high densities, and pedestrian-friendly environmental design, which are expected to influence travel. This study reports the needed local empirical evidence of trip making behavior in association with the Activity Centers’ attributes. From telephone interviews of local planners and work sessions with experts, the study identifies 42 mixed-use districts (MXDs) in the Austin area. In GIS, urban form indicators are derived for the MXDs and trip records from the 2005 Austin Activity Travel Survey are geocoded. The following analyses are then carried out for the MXD related travel: trip length distribution, trip generation rates and internal rate of capture, person miles of travel, vehicle ownership, departure time, and travel mode choice. With the empirical results, CAMPO models can be modified or refined to capture the potential effects of the Activity Centers growth strategy on regional travel.
Keywords: Activity Centers, Mixed-Use Development, Trip Generation, Travel Mode Choice, Austin, TX
ENTIRE REPORT (Adobe Acrobat File – 7.3 MB)