Measuring Land Use Patterns for Transportation Research

Abstract

Density and land use mix are focused on as the two primary variables for characterization of land use in transportation research. As commonly constructed, these variables do not capture well actual development patterns on the ground, thus obscuring a potentially strong relationship between land use and transportation behavior. To overcome these limitations, parcel-level data and geographic information system software were used to identify and measure attributes of land use. These data are at a level of resolution that closely corresponds to the spatial distribution of development patterns. A method for location of concentrations of medium- to high-density housing and commercial development in suburban areas identified in previous research is described. The method includes the use of metrics derived from landscape ecology to model these development patterns and, specifically, their shapes and their functional and spatial