01139012

Component

The Rochester-Olmsted Council of Governments (ROCOG), located in Rochester, Minnesota, has conducted an analysis of the land use factors that influence the concentration of “neighborhood” commercial uses (NCUs) in traffic analysis zones (TAZs). The reason for this analysis is the desire to determine the feasibility of promoting NCUs as part of strategies to promote walkable communities, traditional neighborhood design, and smart growth, given the reality in our community of widespread low density residential development lacking mixed-use development. NCUs might be part of such a strategy as a means of providing worthwhile places to walk to. The analysis began by defining NCUs as including uses similar to the following: drug stores; grocery-type stores that sell food staples; bakeries; restaurants of all types; liquor stores; taverns; pawn shops; movie theaters; video rental stores; and fitness centers. By this definition, a convenience store that sells food staples (fruits, milk, and bread, for example) is a neighborhood commercial use, regardless of its location or the presence or absence of pedestrian access. To standardize measurement, structures with more than one qualifying business were counted as more than one NCU only if they had more than one entrance. The result makes possible a measure of the number and density per acre of NCUs per block or TAZ. The author first calculated the area of each TAZ. With the density of NCUs per TAZ as the dependent variable, TAZ residential and non-residential attributes were summarized to determine which combination of independent TAZ variables most influenced the density of NCUs. Out of a number of candidate variables, the variables that bore a statistically significant relationship to NCU density were traffic measures, residential density (the total of residential units divided by the area of residential land), and a non-residential floor area density measure. As a practical matter, it appears that walkable neighborhood commercial uses must be located in areas with relatively high vehicular traffic and high levels of non-residential activity. The key will be to provide for convenient access from residences while meeting the location needs of such uses.

01138544

English

10p

2008

11th National Conference on Transportation Planning for Small and Medium-Sized Communities

CD-ROM

Tables

Commercial strips; Land use planning; Mixed use development; Neighborhoods; Planning and design; Planning by facility or land use; Population density; Residential areas; Smart growth; Traffic analysis zones

Walkable communities

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB

Aug 24 2009 12:00PM