EFFECT OF NEOTRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN ON TRAVEL CHARACTERISTICS

Neotraditional neighborhood design (NTND) developments receive increasing attention as an alternative community design to standard suburban developments. By altering the spatial relationships through changes in zoning and transportation systems, automobile use is expected to be reduced. NTND requires the close proximity of residential and nonresidential uses connected with a straight, interconnecting street system and a network of bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways. Changes to the geometric design of streets reduce vehicular speeds. NTND has much in common with traditional developments. Because few NTNDs are built the authors researched trip files to see if residents of traditional (e.g., pre-World War II) and suburban (e.g., post-World War II) residential developments exhibit differing travel habits. The effects of traditional and standard suburban community design on household trip rates are evaluated. The analysis uses data from a 1980 regional travel survey of San Francisco Bay Area households. The findings indicate that households in newer suburban tract communities use vehicles more, whereas households in traditional communities rely more on alternative modes of transportation. When considering the results of the study for NTND design, remember that not all mode choice factors that exist in older traditional-design communities would be duplicated in a modern NTND. The findings show that community design and urban form have a significant influence on travel behavior. However, more research is needed to identify the relative influences of household income, automobile ownership, and other socioeconomic factors on trip generation and mode choice.