Land-use and Transportation Interactions through the Lenses of Two-Worker Households, Rising Commuting Costs and Transit-Oriented Development

Integrated land-use and transportation planning is critical for dealing with the challenges of urbanization and for ensuring the social, economic and environmental sustainability of our cities. Effective planning requires a proper understanding of land-use and transportation interactions. To improve this understanding, the research conducted in this dissertation includes empirical studies to examine interactions in the contexts of two-worker households, rising commuting costs and transit-oriented development. First, econometric models are developed to examine the relationship between factors related to the transportation network and the land-use configuration of two-worker households. Geometrical variables are utilized as descriptors of the land-use configuration and are used to draw relationships with commuting modal accessibility and commuting trade-offs. Second, discrete choice models are developed to examine household choices concerning land-use configuration in the event of significant increases in commuting costs. A discrete choice model is also developed to examine the direction of home location choice relative to the workplace. Framing the model in this manner enables the identification of factors that may contribute to urban sprawl. Third, empirical models are developed to examine travel behaviour in the context of transit-oriented development. Trip generation models for rail trips with walk access/egress are developed to identify the influence of station-level attributes and characteristics of the surrounding environment. The Living Near Transit survey is then designed to collect disaggregate household-level data from households who reside within a walking catchment area of GO Transit rail stations. The collected data is used to develop a behavioural model that identifies specific demographic factors and transit-oriented development characteristics that influence mode choices. The empirical studies in this dissertation contribute to the existing body of literature by revealing new findings of land-use and transportation interactions in the three noted contexts and have corresponding policy implications.Ph.D