Questioning Assumptions 1. Do New Urbanists Walk More

New urbanism has been touted as a way to create walkable communities and decrease driving. This article discusses what effect new urbanist communities are truly having on walking and driving. Research indicates that there is indeed a strong correlation between neighborhood design and travel behavior. Residents of neighborhoods with higher densities, more mixing of land uses and shorter distances to potential destinations walk more and drive less than residents of conventionally designed suburban neighborhoods. However, additional walking trips do not entirely substitute for driving trips. Driving appears to be less dependent on neighborhood design than walking, but more dependent on the opportunities found outside the neighborhood. This suggests the need for a regional approach to community design and the need to provide transportation alternatives that are competitive with driving for destinations in the greater metropolitan area.