A neighborhood land use pattern designed to accommodate the most frequently taken nonwork trips within an acceptable distance from home was developed. Instead of starting from a specified set of land uses and studying the travel characteristics, mixed land use patterns that fit the observed trip-making behavior of people were formulated. The result is called a reverse-engineered neighborhood, or REN. The REN was tested against a Euclidean development that had separated land uses. Results show a substantial reduction in nonwork trip lengths (in terms of both travel time and distance) in the REN compared with the Euclidean development. The efficiency of the REN is the result of having more trip destination choices available to residents at acceptable distances. The procedures in the analysis are described and demonstrated, the results of the analysis are presented, and directions for further study are suggested.
Abstract