Travel by Design: The Influence of Urban Form on Travel (Spatial Information Systems)

Review

"Travel by Design makes a welcome contribution to the discussion on the influence of urban form on travel behavior. This is a useful book: not only does it offer a critical analysis of the underlying rationale of new urban designs, but it translates that analysis into a behavioral model and goes on to give a methodological elaboration of that model."--Journal of Houseing and the Built Environment"The authors, Marlon Boarnet and Randall Crane, do the field a favor by raising important methodological concerns and offering a normative platform for probing how built environments shape travel demand. ... I find myself in agreement with the overall conclusion of this book--namely, we still have a lot to learn about how the design of neighborhoods, communities, and regions shape travel behavior. The authors are to be applauded for elevating the debate by introducing critical issues about research design. While they offer a reality check about the promises of New Urbanism, they never rule out the possibility that urban design might influence travel behavior. Indeed, they keep the door open and even suggest that planners leave a place for urban design strategies in their 'suite of policy tools.' Although this book is not the last word on how cities shape travel, its mark on how we think about and study relationships will prove indelible."--APA Journal

Book Description

As a systematic assessment of attempts to solve transportation problems through urban design, this book asks and answers three questions: Can such efforts work? Will they be put into practice? Are they a good idea?