The Effect of Land Fragmentation on Internal Urban Circulation in Boca Raton, Florida

Abstract

The homogeneous plain is dead! Location theorists such as Von Thunen, Christaller, and their more modern counterparts used the homogeneous plain assumption, of course, only to focus on what they felt were basic location factors. Yet for more practical research work on circulation systems, deviations from the homogeneous plain may greatly impair the efficiency of transportation patterns. Hence, transportation planners need to know the amount and locations of deviations from a homogeneous circulation plain. This study proposes a measure of urban land fragmentation ( one type of deviation from the homogeneous plain) and examines its eifects on student travel patterns to three elementary schools (one type of circulation system) in Boca Raton, Florida. LAND FRAGMENTATION. The map of Transportation Obstacles illustrates what is perhaps an extreme case of urban land fragmentation (see Figure 1). Large land users, water bodies, and railroads were selected as the major travel inhibitors in this city. Drainage canals domi­ nate the western part of the city, while the Intracoastal Waterway and residential canals dominate the eastern part. Two longitudinal railways further compartmentalize the city, thereby making east-west travel difficult. Several large land users also cause transportation detours and at the same time take land away from usual urban commercial and service functions. Even though bridges, rail crossings, and service roads sometimes provide breaches through these obstacles, an assumption was made that all are absolute barriers to transportation. This assumption seems justified because the major focus of the analysis is methodological in nature. Simple adjustments to the procedure could be made to solve a specific practical circulation problem. The question now arises about a suitable measure of land fragmentation to determine its relationship to intraurban circulation patterns. A simple azimuthal and linear measurement device was constructed to examine the possibilities for travel within the city. School district boundaries form the regions within which possible circulation was measured, because it is the actual travel pattern of elementary school students which will be compared to the theoretical measure of possible •Dr. Tata is associate professor of geography at Florida Atlantic University. The