Daniel Piatkowski, PhD Candidate in Design and Planning, and Wesley Marshall, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering and Co-Director of the ACT group have just published new research on New Urbanism in Denver, Colorado. 

The paper is titled: 'New' versus 'Old' Urbanism: A comparative analysis of travel behavior in large-scale New Urbanist communities and older, more established neighborhoods in Denver, Colorado. Abstract below: 


New Urbanist development is often characterized by higher densities, mixed land uses and various transportation options – characteristics often evidenced by older, pre-automobile neighborhoods. This is no accident; New Urbanism aims to closely approximate many qualities of ‘old urbanist’ neighborhoods to support, among other things, increased transportation options beyond the automobile. However, existing research is mixed as to whether new urbanist developments are reaching their transportation goals. This study employs multiple methods to examine the degree to which travel behavior in New Urbanist neighborhoods is comparable to that of old urbanist neighborhoods in the same region. Mode choice models show distance to work as a significant predictor of walking and cycling, while availability of free parking at work significantly predicts driving. Despite the fact that the New Urbanist neighborhoods are further from the central business district (CBD) than the old urbanist neighborhoods, average distance to work is similar across all neighborhoods – suggesting that employment locations are decentralized. We conclude that while New Urbanist communities may not currently be reaching their transportation goals, they have the ability to provide a supportive context for parking policy reforms and transit investments that disincentive auto travel and prioritize walking, cycling and transit.


The full paper can be found online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/udi/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/udi201330a.html

ACT member Rachael Bronson presented the preliminary steps of her transportation resiliency research at the Bicycle Urbanism Symposium in Seattle, WA. The goal of this portion of her research is to build the foundation of a transportation resiliency assessment by measuring the quality and quantity of two mode choice options—bicycling and walking—in Denver, CO. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), all Denver streets where bicycling and walking is permitted are measured by bicyclist/pedestrian tolerance of traffic stress. This tolerance is classified into four levels of traffic stress (LTS) 1-4. The results of the GIS analysis suggest that although the availability of multi-modal transportation facilities of various stress levels are present throughout the city, these facilities lack the connectivity necessary to make the network accessible to individuals of lower stress tolerance. This methodology offers a way to measure the quantity and quality of bike/ped mode options, which will inform the second part of her research, the resiliency assessment.

In the resiliency assessment, various variables (including the LTS levels) will be factored into a multinomial logistic regression mode choice model to determine the percentage of the population that will switch to a different transportation mode under various disruptive event scenarios. The cost savings of the mode shift will be measured to assess the change in transportation costs for neighborhoods/households.

Rachael was able to complete this work with the support of her advisor, Dr. Wesley Marshall ( This study was made possible thanks to data from the City and County of Denver. Funding for this work is provided by the Mountain-Plains Consortium, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

ACT members Dan Piatkowski and Rachael Bronson presented a poster evaluating the Denver Regional Bike to Work Day event at the Bicycle Urbanism Symposium in Seattle, WA last week. The poster was completed with the support of ACT faculty Director Dr. Kevin Krizek and Co-Director Dr. Wes Marshall.

The goal of the research was to understand the impact of Bike to Work Day (BTWD), and to analyze whether this motivation and impact is different for different types of cyclists. This research used data from a survey of participants in the 2012 Bike to Work Day event in Denver, Colorado. The survey was administered online by the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). In total, 1,018 surveys were completed, a 32 percent response rate. BTWD participants were classified into four groups (year-round commuter, frequent commuter, occasional commuter, and only on BTWD commuter) based upon response to question: Please take a moment to think about how often you bicycle to work, and then choose the category that best describes you.

Statistical analyses included ANOVA, desctiptives and t-tests, and findings include the following:

• Statistically-significant differences were found in who participates in BTWD across the following behavior categories: # years participating in BTWD, one-way trip distance, and gender (ie. women are associated with increased odds of not bicycling to work)
• 55.7% of year-round bicycle commuters state that they participate in BTWD to raise awareness
• 58.6% (of those who only ride on BTWD) state that they participate in the event because it is “a fun thing to do”
• Within each behavior category, large proportions stated that BTWD motivated some degree of additional bicycling
• In all groups except the “only commute on BTWD” group, there is a modestly significant, positive impact on days/month bicycled to work
• Only the “frequent” and “occasional” populations reported increased non-work, non-recreational (e.g., shopping) trips

In conclusion, BTWD impacts diverse cycling populations differently, and this may be its greatest strength. It provides a supportive and fun climate for those who do not regularly cycle to try it, and sustains the behavior of those who currently bicycle to work.

Thanks to DRCOG for providing ACT Research Group the opportunity to access the survey and evaluate the impacts of BTWD. Thanks also to Drs. Marshall and Krizek for their support and guidance.

Kara Luckey has been selected as a 2013-2014 Eisenhower Fellow, a grant fellowship awarded by U.S. DOT for students pursuing Master's and doctoral degrees in transportation-related fields with the objective of enhancing the careers of transportation professionals and retaining top talent in the transportation industry. Kara is grateful for the support and excited to interact with other Eisenhower Fellows at the 2014 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting.

Kara Luckey's invited review of Planning as if People Matter: Governing for Social
Equity by Marc Brenman and Thomas Sanchez (2012, Island Press) has been published in the current (May 2013) issue of Journal of Planning Literature.  Her review can be downloaded here.

ACT members Kara Luckey (PhD Design and Planning) and Rachael Bronson (MS Civil Engineering) have been selected by the Eno Center for Transportation to serve as Eno Fellows at the 2013 Eno Leadership Development Conference.  In addition, Kara was awarded the Dr. Thomas D. Larson Fellowship in acknowledgement of her committment to the pursuit of excellence in the transportation field. 

Kara and Rachael will join 18 other top transportation graduate students in Washington, D.C. in June 2013, where they will gain a first-hand look at how transportation policy is developed and implemented.  They will have the opportunity to meet with top government officials, members of Congress and their staff, and leaders of national transportation associations.  We're excited for the opportunity, and that ACT and the University of Colorado Denver represents 10% of this year's Eno Fellows!

Two ACT Members were honored last Thursday (2/21/13) with scholarship awards from the Women's Transportation Seminar Colorado chapter presented at their annual awards gala. Lisa Truong, recipient of the Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship, and Rachael Bronson, recipient of the Leadership Legacy Graduate Scholarship, are both seeking their Master's of Civil Engineering from UC Denver. Lisa will be graduating in May of 2013 and is completing her thesis on how park and rides affect greenhouse gas emissions. Rachael will be graduating in May of 2014, and is studying how bicycling, walking and transit support transportation system's resiliency. Both Lisa and Rachael work with Dr. Wesley Marshall, Co-Director of ACT. They are both extremely honored by these awards and look forward to the ways that these opportunities will better allow them to arrive at their personal and academic goals.

Just announced: the Active Communities / Transport (ACT) Research Group will be hosting its first “Scholarly Workshop;” Daniel Rodriguez, PhD, of UNC-Chapel Hill will be the first distinguished scholar. The workshop will be held April 18-19 on the Boulder/Denver campuses, and is intended to provide insights and feedback on research currently being pursued or proposed by student and faculty members. Students will present their well-developed research proposals to ACT faculty and student members, as well as to Dr. Rodriguez, and receive feedback from the group.

The central purpose of the event is to learn from close interactions with a proven scholar, and to elevate the quality and depth of the group’s work through constructive and critical feedback. In addition, there will be opportunity to reflect on perspectives and experiences about transportation-land use research and scholarship. 

COUNTING BICYCLISTS

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Subcommittee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) hosted a Workshop entitled Factoring Bicycle and Pedestrian Data on Sunday, January 13. Krista Nordback spoke on the topic of estimating Annual Average Daily Bicyclists (AADB) and how long should bicyclists be counted in order to minimize error.  The analysis resulted in specific recommendations:
- Install more than 5 permanent bicycle counters per factor group.
- Short-term counts: 
    Are best collected May through October in northern climates.
    Optimal length is 7 days (24 hrs per day), but shorter counts can still be useful.

  Her complete presentation may be downloaded below.

BICYCLIST SAFETY

On Monday, January 14, Dr. Nordback presented on the topic of bicyclist safety at urban intersections and presented the first bicyclist safety performance function for a city in the United States.  The analysis shows that individual bicyclist risk of collision with a motorist is substantially lower at intersections with more than 250 bicyclist per day (AADB) passing through the intersection in the study city, Boulder, Colorado.  In other words, cyclists are safer in numbers.  The presentation can be downloaded below.

Alejandro Henao and Wesley Marshall presented their research entitled, "Parking at Sporting Event Stadiums in Denver, Colorado" (paper #13-5043) on Wednesday, January 16 at the 2013 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. The lectern presentation was included in the session 715 - Evaluating Drivers' Response to Urban Parking Parameters sponsored by the Transportation Demand Management Committee (ABE50). Alejandro Henao spoke on the topic of parking supply and utilization for stadiums during games and non-event activities.Please feel free to contact Alejandro for more information.