The influence of the built environment on household vehicle travel by the urban typology in Calgary, Canada

Abstract

Most land use and travel studies have addressed the area-wide impact of land use and transportation policies on vehicle travel, yet few studies have examined the varying impact of those policies on vehicle travel in different spatial settings. The aim of this study is to investigate how land use and transportation factors influence household vehicle travel in Calgary according to the city's urban typology, defined by its development form and functions in Calgary's Municipal Development Plan (MDP). This study employed a segmented regression method, also known as a piecewise regression, to examine the impact of various land use and transportation characteristics on household vehicle kilometers of travel (VKT) in four areas of the city including the center city, inner city, established area, and greenfield sector. The main data sources for the study include the 2011 Calgary and Region Travel and Activity Survey (CARTAS) in conjunction with spatial datasets from the City of Calgary. There is no additional benefit of VKT reduction in the center city found by the intensification efforts tested in this study. However, densification and provision of light rail transit (LRT) may be key to reducing household vehicle travel in the established area and greenfield sector of Calgary. The study results also suggest that households tend to drive significantly more as they live further from the center city, where more than half of the city's employment is clustered. This implies the need to have sub-centers across the city.