Thesis (M.A. in anthropology)--Washington State University, May 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-133).

High-speed passenger rail is seen by many in the U.S. transportation policy and planning communities as an ideal solution for fast, safe, and resource-efficient mobility in high-demand intercity corridors. To expand the body of knowledge for high-speed intercity passenger rail in the U.S., the overall goal of this dissertation was to better understand the demand for high-speed intercity passenger rail services in small- or medium-sized intermediate communities and improve planners' ability to estimate such demand through traveler surveys; specifically, the use of different experimental designs for stated preference questions and the use of images to describe hypothetical travel alternatives in traveler surveys. In pursuit of this goal, an Internet-based survey was distributed to residents of Waco and Temple, two communities located along the federally-designated South Central High-Speed Rail Corridor in Central Texas. A total of 1,160 surveys were obtained from residents of the two communities. Mixed logit travel mode choice models developed from the survey data revealed valuable findings that can inform demand estimates and the design of traveler surveys for high-speed intercity passenger rail planning activities. Based on the analysis presented in this dissertation, ridership estimates for new high-speed intercity passenger rail lines that are planned to serve intermediate communities should not assume that residents of these communities have similar characteristics and values. The d-efficient stated preference experimental design was found to provide a mode choice model with a better fit and greater significance on key policy variables than the adaptive design and therefore is recommended for use in future surveys. Finally, it is recommended that surveys should consider the use of images of proposed train services to aid respondent decision-making for stated preference questions, but only if the images used in the survey depict equipment that could be realistically deployed in the corridor.

In this research the problem of incident congestion on surface street networks is addressed. Microscopic simulation is used to simulate incident scenarios on various corridors in the Tampa Bay area. The effect of the three factors, namely, network, speed and signal strategies on the traffic flow is studied. The network performance is based on Highway Capacity Manual specified measures of effectiveness prepared by the Transportation Research Board. Three inherently different city corridors, high, medium and low volume, are used to test the strategies developed. The strategies investigated include varying speed limits during incidents and using pre-timed and semi-actuated signals that respond to real time traffic volumes. The effectiveness measures are total delay in vehicle minutes, average speed in miles per hour and average travel time in seconds. Different facilities on a network include intersections; both signalized and unsignalized, local highways and arterials. The outputs from the simulation model is used to set up a factorial design to study the interaction between network type, signal strategy and speed strategy with the measures of effectiveness being the response variables. This type of corridor analysis is unique and provides decision support for local transportation planning departments for making corridor enhancements. In most city, state or county planning departments road planning is merely based on projected traffic demand using existing static models and does not factor necessary adjustments for incidents. Another unique aspect of this research is that variable speed limits are tested on surface streets. Such a test is not available in the literature. With dynamic message signs, next generation communication networks for traffic signal control and ITS technologies available, it is possible to implement the strategies suggested in this research.

After half a century of neglect and disinvestment, pub lic, private, and nonprofit developers are beginning to realize the potential of inner city retail. Accordingly, there have been tremendous redevelopment efforts in low income inner city neighborhoods over the last 15 years. While this development physically revitalizes commercial strips, it sometimes contributes to gentrification, driving out long-time neighborhood residents. However, redevelopment is not synonymous with displacement and when revitalization efforts seek to address community needs and concerns, neighborhoods and their residents benefit from positive change. / text

This thesis considers the potential of the suburban periphery to become an ecologically, socially and culturally productive site which supports local and regional public programs. It explores ways of creating connectivity across the hard boundaries of a suburban development, an expressway and an agricultural area in order to stimulate biological and cultural diversity in this typically neglected, “leftover” environment. The site is the Ninth Line Corridor at the suburban edge of Mississauga, Ontario. The investigation of boundary occurs at the urban, building and experiential scales, and considers how the intersection of landscape, ecology, architecture and program can generate activities and events which foster engagement with the site and within a community.

As auto-dependent development has forced the urban limits of the city to sprawl, it has put considerable pressure on the transportation corridors that serve the city center. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, this condition is exacerbated by the downtown being bounded by water on three sides. Thus, there are a limited number of transportation corridors onto and off of the peninsula. This thesis examines how transit stations for a proposed public transportation line, within an underused rail corridor, can actively support and engage the communities they serve. A personal rapid transit network is proposed as a mobility-on-demand public transit system within this corridor. This introduction of a new transportation strategy is seen as a paradigm shift for the way transportation is conceived of in Halifax. Thus, the typology of the station will be studied in three different social and topographic environments, to form prototypes for the potential of transit stations throughout Halifax.

This practicum examines the opportunities and challenges for transit-oriented development (TOD) at strategic station areas along the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor (SWRTC) in Winnipeg. Research included three case studies that investigated policy support, station area planning and implementation tools in the City and County of Denver, City of Boulder and the City of Ottawa. Three recommendations are outlined in the concluding chapter. The first is to develop Smart Growth land use policies that direct growth to station areas along the SWRTC. The second is to develop station area plans that indicate the permitted land uses, urban form and densities at station areas. The third is to create a zoning overlay for TOD to that embraces compact, pedestrian oriented development, mixed land uses and reduced off-street parking requirements. These recommendations are of particularly benefit to the City of Winnipeg and to other municipalities that are investing in rapid transit systems and TOD.

This thesis has examined the 30km long rail corridor through the Lower Buller Gorge, on the Stillwater Ngakawau Line, between SNL96 and 126km, using a landslide risk management approach. The project area is characterised by high annual rainfall (>2,000mm per year), and steep topography (slopes typically ≥20°) adjacent to the rail corridor. The track formation generally follows the natural contour near the base of the hillslope through the Lower Buller Gorge, and consequently involves many curves but relatively limited cut slopes into adjacent rock outcrops. The distance between the base of adjacent hillslopes and rail is frequently <2m horizontally. A variety of basement and Tertiary lithologies are present, including granite, breccias, indurated sandstone/mudstone, and limestone. The primary focus of this thesis has been on upslope-sourced landsliding onto the rail corridor, and on two short lengths (20m and 450m) that currently have a 25km/hour speed restriction imposed at Whitecliffs and Te Kuha respectively. Rainfall-induced and earthquake-generated landslide triggering mechanisms were examined in detail. A landslide inventory has been compiled to determine the characteristics and distribution of identified slope failures over time, and to establish any correlation with topography and geology. Sixty individual landslide events were identified since the line became fully operational in the 1940s, based on desktop reviews, and field inspections for more recent events. To reflect the presence of small magnitude landslide events, a project-specific logarithmic classification of landslides was adopted from <10m³ (very small volume) to ≥10,000m³ (very large volume). An absence of a higher proportion of ‘very small’ to ‘small’ landslide volumes (<100m³) in the inventory reflects incomplete reporting of these comparatively lower magnitude, but higher frequency, events. The establishment of a robust landslide inventory to document future events, in a consistent and readily accessible format, is required for continued monitoring and review of landslide risk management practices in the Lower Buller Gorge. Combining landslide inventory data and physical characteristics of the project area enabled the development of a qualitative landslide zonation map that assigned ‘high’, ‘high-moderate’, ‘moderate’ and ‘low’ landslide susceptibility classes. The principal area of slope instability above the rail corridor is 22.5km in length between SNL103.5 and 126.0km, associated predominantly with basement lithologies (Tuhua Granite; Hawks Crag Breccia; Greenland Group). The most frequently occurring landslides are shallow, typically less than 3m deep, translational failures triggered in regolith or colluvium materials. Rainfall-induced debris slides and flows are dominant, given the high annual rainfall and associated high frequency of high intensity or long duration rainfall events. Very small to medium landslides (<1,000m³) have the potential to impact the rail corridor with an average frequency of around one every two years, causing damage to infrastructure or affecting rail operations. Very large landslides (≥10,000m³) can be expected every 10 to 20 years based on a limited historical record. The narrow rail corridor and absence of sufficient catch areas above or adjacent to the rail causes continual operational challenges due to upslope-sourced landslide debris, and high susceptibility to slope failures, particularly west of SNL103.50km. Development of a rainfall-threshold for proactive inspection of the rail corridor is recommended, including the establishment of a rain gauge network through the Lower Buller Gorge. Earthquake-generated landslides significantly impacted the rail during the magnitude 7.1 Inangahua earthquake in 1968 and to a much lesser extent during the magnitude 6.1 Westport earthquake in 1991. The rail was not fully constructed through the Lower Buller Gorge at the time of the magnitude 7.8 Buller (Murchison) Earthquake in 1929, which generated widespread landsliding in the Buller and Nelson regions. Earthquake-generated landsliding can be expected through the Lower Buller Gorge from earthquakes of magnitude ≥6, and track inspection is recommended in the event of magnitude 5 or greater earthquakes. Detailed geological characterisation and mapping at Whitecliffs and Te Kuha was conducted, including a LiDAR survey at Whitecliffs that enabled visualisation of the ground surface without the interference of vegetation. The limestone outcrop at Whitecliffs comprises 60-70m high near-vertical cliffs with a well-established talus apron at the base, extending to the rail corridor. Three widely spaced open fractures sets are present at the top of Whitecliffs that propagate into the cliff-face. There has been no detectable movement on selected key fracture sets since monitoring commenced in 1993 and there is no confirmed evidence of large-scale cliff collapse during the 1968 Inangahua earthquake. Whitecliffs is not as susceptible to failure as other slopes inspected in the project area due to structural controls, primarily being the dipping of strata back into the cliff-face and widely space joint sets. Establishment of inspection protocols for earthquake events impacting the area, including real-time monitoring of selected fractures at Whitecliffs is recommended. A 2km-length corridor site model produced for Te Kuha demonstrated ‘high’ landslide susceptibility is not confined to slopes above the existing 450m speed restriction zone. Removal of the speed restrictions at Whitecliffs and Te Kuha can be considered, as the increased exposure time is not considered sufficient justification given the extent of other susceptible areas to landsliding affecting the Lower Buller Gorge rail corridor. The principal conclusion from this thesis project is that there is on-going risk to rail operations predominantly from shallow translational landsliding in regolith-colluvium materials. The majority of these will be generated by long-duration or intense rainfall events. Development of threshold-based methods for effective track management is recommended, including the establishment of a rain gauge network through the Lower Buller Gorge, and landslide inventory database. Site-specific engineering measures could be adopted, such as catch benches or avalanche-type shelters, where justified on a cost-benefit basis.

The Atlanta Metropolitan Area has been long suffering from traffic congestion, and the ongoing population growth will exacerbate the situation. On the other hand, over half of current transit riders are people from lower-income households and there is a growing senior population more than likely to rely on transit over the next two decades. One way to mitigate congestion and support transit dependent riders at the same time is to promote transit service. Enhanced bus service systems including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Buses with High Level of Service (BHLS) have been gaining popularity across the world, especially in South and East Asia, Latin America, and Europe. While there are also many BRT systems in the United States, only a few of them actually meet the world standards for providing a dedicated bus lane. Even so, case studies show that there are viable alternatives for implementing successful enhanced transit service: • Choosing population-activity concentrated corridor; • Adopting variations of exclusive right-of-way; • Providing long span and high frequency service; and • Using off-board fare collection, among others. Just like the benchmark cases, Metro Atlanta also has corridors with high population density, activity centers, relatively simple straight alignment, but that are currently underserved by bus service. If all the transit agencies, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and City of Atlanta, could work closely with the public to establish an enhanced bus transit system, traffic conditions in Metro Atlanta would be greatly improved.

Airflow into, out of, and within buildings is fundamental to their design and operation as it can affect occupant health and comfort, building durability, and energy consumption. This thesis works to develop the understanding of airflow patterns and pressure regimes in high-rise multi-unit residential buildings which are both unique and complex due to the combination of their height, typical inclusion of operable windows, and compartmentalized layout. Specific attention is directed towards the performance of corridor pressurization based ventilation systems which are used pervasively within industry to ventilate and control contaminant transfer in these buildings. Airflow is caused by pressure differences which for buildings are created by the driving forces of wind, stack effect, and mechanical ventilation systems. These airflows are resisted by the air permeance (i.e. airtightness) of building elements including the exterior enclosure and interior compartmentalizing elements. Using an experimental program at a case study building, this thesis assesses the interaction of these driving forces of airflow with the physical building to create the airflow patterns for a typical high-rise multi-unit residential building. Perflourocarbon tracer (PFT) testing was performed to measure in-service airflows into and out of the suites. This testing found that the air change rates of upper suites are significantly higher than that of lower suites and that most suites receive small fractions of modern ventilation rates or are over ventilated. Airflow measurements of the supply of ventilation air to each corridor indicate that these low flow rates are in part due to leakage of air from the supply duct. The PFT testing also found that significant airflow occurred from the parking garage below the building into the occupied building spaces indicating significant potential for transfer of harmful air contaminants. The air permeance of the exterior enclosure and interior compartmentalizing elements were measured using neutralized fan pressurization and depressurization techniques and found to be within typical ranges. In particular this testing found that only 20% of the flow paths out of the corridor were to the adjacent suites through the suite entrance doors and that flows to the elevator shaft and stairwells could create a significant inefficiency in the ventilation system. A long-term monitoring program was implemented at the case study building primarily to monitor exterior environmental conditions including wind and exterior temperature and to correlate these with measured pressure differences. A strong correlation was found between building pressure and exterior temperature. Nearly 70% of the theoretical stack effect pressure was measured to act across the corridor to suite pressure boundary which creates a significant pressure differences to be overcome by the ventilation system, likely contributing to the uneven distribution of ventilation rates. Both wind and stack effect pressures were found to often be of similar or greater magnitude than mechanically induced pressure differences and thus can overwhelm the ventilation system. Overall, the corridor pressurization based ventilation system at the case study building does not effectively or efficiently ventilate the building and also does not provide sufficient control of air contaminants. As the case study building was found to be relatively representative of a typical multi-unit residential building, the findings from this building can be extended to many other buildings. Effective ventilation and airflow control in multi-unit residential buildings likely requires suite compartmentalization and direct supply of ventilation via ducted or in-suite systems.