Most current research analyzing traffic crashes is done at either the spot level or the regional level. Less attention is placed at the community level. In addition, the effects of changes in land use, population growth, and transportation networks on community traffic safety have not been systematically studied. Although a number of studies have defined some variables to describe the influence of the built environment on traffic crashes, no research has looked at this problem through a comprehensive framework of relevant built-environment variables. This study explored a geographic information system–based community-level method to understand the effects of the built environment on traffic crashes. The census block group was selected as the analysis unit for the study. The framework of D transportation variables, including the dimensions of density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit, was used to characterize the built environment. The crash and built-environment data were processed in a geographic information system, and the negative binomial model was applied. The results showed that density had little influence on any type of crash; however, the mixed land use was positively associated with all crash categories. Furthermore, street length and number of segments under the design variables resulted in positive coefficients. However, the number of intersections was negative to all crash types. Moreover, whereas the number of bus stops showed a positive influence on crashes, the coefficient that designated the distance of crashes from bus stops and commercial sites was negative.
In 1969, 48% of students walked or biked to school. By 2001, that proportion had fallen to 15%. Increasing children's active travel to school is important for a variety of reasons, including the rising rates of childhood obesity and increasing fuel costs. Recent studies indicate that elements of the built environment affect the amount of time people engage in physical activity. This study evaluates two indicators of the urban form as measures of walkability potential: street connectivity and residential density around elementary schools in Pasco and Hillsborough counties in Florida. By means of controlling for school age on the basis of the growth management legislation history in Florida, four growth eras are compared. Pedestrian sheds of ½- and 1-mi radii around school points are used as study areas. These indicators offer insight into the evolution of the urban form around elementary schools and its implications for students’ ability to walk to school. Preliminary findings suggest that walkability indicators in the vicinity of elementary schools built before 1950 exhibited high levels of street connectivity and residential density. These values declined consistently until stricter school planning legislation was enacted, when values started to increase and sometimes approached pre-1950 levels. This pattern is stronger, however, in Hillsborough County.
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