Human Activity Systems in the Metropolitan United States

Abstract

Science at Chapel HiIL His recent research work centers on the study of activity systems as these relate to land use systems. RICHARD K. BRAIL is Assistant Professor at the Center forUrban Studies of the University of Chicago. His current interests center on modeling systems for the simulation of urban phenomena, and he has recently developed prototype models for the simulation of human activity systems.Out of the confusion surrounding the many complex and critical problems besetting the urban scene in the US today, one development has occurred which offers some hope that these problems may some day be brought under control. This development is the shift from conceiving these problems in isolated and segmental form to approaching them in an urban systems framework, inclusive of both a behavioral and an environmental perspective. In this paper, we review a rationale which we believe offers possibilities of relating environment and behavior in a systems framework; we then draw on the results of a recent sampling survey of metropolitan United States residents to make some tentative observations about these concepts based on a first stage analysis of our data. This approach stresses the importance of linking two traditional emphases-one being that of the environmentalist who takes an interest in behavior as a form of response when environment is allowed to vary, and the other being that of the behavioralist who is preoccupied with variables that regulate behavior and who usually prefers to hold environment constant. The environmentalist would be happy to work with one homogenized subject, and the behavioralist would be happy to work with one standard environment. As will soon be discovered, we propose an approach which recognizes that there is continuous variation in both.

The impact of married women's employment on household travel patterns: A Swedish example

“…The constraints Of gender roles and employment were early recognized as important determinants of observed time allocation patterns. Study after study has documented that of all the population groups observed, women who hold full-time jobs outside the home have the least amount of time to allocate to discretionary activities such as social visits or recreation (Meissner et al, 1975;Brail and Chapin, 1973;Chapin and Brail, 1969;Chapin and Logan, 1969;Von Rosenbladt, 1972;Szalai, 1972). One extensive study that examined the time budgets of individuals from twelve countries concluded:…”

Elderly People and the Environment

“…According to Havighurst (1961, p. 341) the tempo of activity also slows down in old age and "older people fill their time with less action than younger people do." The locational context of activity behavior also becomes more restricted in old age, with dwelling-centered activities becoming more likely (Chapin & Brail, 1969;De Grazia, 1961;Gordon & Gaitz, 1976). Findings from the National Center for Health Statistics (1974) also point to the more limited activity space of older people.…”

An Assessment of the Action Component Of Action Space

“…Substituting these values into (7) for each group of action spaces results in a representative expression of the two collective action spaces. For example, the 1968 action space is Figure 7 shows the superimposed graphic representation of the collective CAS's constructed from the values of (8) and (9). An inspection of Figure 7 reveals the general spatial differences and presents an impression of the changes between 1968 and 1973 which supplement the interpretations of (8) and (9).…”

“…For example, the 1968 action space is Figure 7 shows the superimposed graphic representation of the collective CAS's constructed from the values of (8) and (9). An inspection of Figure 7 reveals the general spatial differences and presents an impression of the changes between 1968 and 1973 which supplement the interpretations of (8) and (9). The inspection also shows that these graphic collective action spaces possess only a general form and that they do not contain all the intricate spatial irregularities of an individual action space as in Figures 4 and 5 because precise location, structure, and visual contact zone data are not involved.…”