Connectivity: The Effect of Street Network Design on Walking and Biking | SACOG

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A transportation system that is based on multiple options for travel is generally thought to bring many benefits including increased efficiency, enhanced flexibility, and equity for all users (1).
The ability to choose the right travel mode for the right situation helps reduce congestion as well as reduce economic and environmental costs. In addition, a transportation system with a diverse set of travel options tends to be more flexible, in that it can accommodate sudden and
unanticipated problems or situations such emergency evacuations or abrupt jumps in oil prices. More travel choices also helps improve equity, not only by offering mobility to young people and the elderly, but also by providing options for people that may not be able to afford automobiles (2).

As we begin planning for a more diverse set of travel options in the U.S., it is increasingly important that we research and understand those factors that will facilitate the ready adoption of non-motorized and public transit travel. In this research we focus on how one aspect of the built environment, the street network, affects mode choice. The objective of the study is to assess how street network characteristics – in terms of street connectivity, street network density,
and street patterns – influence mode choice in 24 California cities.

Link: 

Connectivity: The Effect of Street Network Design on Walking and Biking | SACOG

MoBikeFed comment: The approach is evaluating connectivity of the transportation network for people who walk and bicycle, and adopting policies that promote greater connectivity, seems very promising.