In recent times a substantial body of research and literature has appeared suggesting certain relationships between urban form and density and patterns of travel behaviour. Many who would make our cities more sustainable view a reduction in the need to travel, particularly by private car, as a necessary condition for this. Urban areas more likely to be supportive of public transport are held to be fairly compact, incorporating a variety of land uses and activities, and attractive to pedestrians. However, support for these assumed relationships between urban form and travel behaviour is neither unreserved nor unanimous. A wide range of variables other than density or mix of activities may be responsible for patterns of travel behaviour in different corridors or areas -in particular, the socio-economic characteristics of an area, levels of car ownership, as well as neighbourhood accessibility and connectivity factors. This paper provides an overview of some of the theoretical concepts and preliminary findings surrounding the land use and travel behaviour relationship. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E206301.
Samenvatting