CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) is undergoing a revision of the regional transportation plan for Central Texas. The key goal of the plan is achieving sustainable development through integrating a multimodal transportation system with dense mixed land use. The CAMPO Plan has incorporated the growth management tool of jobs-housing balance to guide future land use development. To improve jobs-housing proximity and encourage compact growth, the concept of an activity center connected by high capacity transit corridors was employed in the plan, targeting the accommodation of 31 percent of the population and 38 percent of employment in Central Texas by 2035 (CAMPO 2035 Plan 2010). At the time when CAMPO was attempting to define appropriate ratios of jobs-housing balance for the activity centers, critical questions arose: what is a good ratio? Further, how should jobs-housing balance be quantified for guiding land use development? And to what extent could jobs-housing ratio be effectively used as an intervention instrument? This report attempts to provide theoretical and empirical evidence of jobs-housing balance and examine the applicability of jobs-housing balance ratio for different planning purpose in local context. Based on a rich literature review, the report removed the "deceptive simple concept" (Cervero 1991, p. 10) of jobs-housing balance on the surface and gathered insights on jobs-housing balance from existing exemplary studies. Absent a single consensus of a good jobs-housing balance ratio, the goal of this report is to present the possible ways of measuring and defining jobs-housing balance in complex urban development. This report analyzed existing jobs-housing balance of the Austin Region, presenting the truth of commute distance and jobs-housing balance ratio. Local municipalities might consider more factors in terms of the application of jobs-housing balance ratio in local context. / text

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Bangkok is widely known for its severe traffic congestion. The Thai government advocates the concept of jobs and housing balance (JHB) as a strategy for reducing traffic congestion in Metropolitan Bangkok. The basic idea is to decentralize the jobs to the neighboring provinces so that the commuters would live closer to their workplaces and thereby alleviate traffic congestion. The main purpose of this research is to examine empirically the effectiveness of JHB in reducing the severity of traffic congestion in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. For this purpose, three data sets derived from the Bangkok Metropolitan Region Extended City Model (BMR-ECM) were obtained from the Office of the Commission for the Management of Land Traffic and the National Statistical Office of Thailand. Travel time index (TTI) was developed to measure congestion. In addition to JHB, a number of land use variables were included in the analysis. They are population density, school density, and job accessibility index. Multiple regression models of TTI as functions of JHB and other variables were estimated at two geographic scales: subsector and traffic analysis zone (TAZ). The study finds JHB is significant in influencing congestion levels in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Other influential factors include the population density, school density, and job accessibility. All of these factors are found to be statistically significant in explaining the variation of traffic congestion at the traffic analysis zone level, but not at the subsector level, however.

The increasing length of the daily commute is a major issue for many commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). In order to alleviate this problem through policy, the policy makers require more in-depth understanding of this issue. This study explores different travel behaviour, socioeconomic and labour market determinants of commuting distance for resident workers in the GTHA, especially those having normal commutes and those having extreme commutes. This study also explores which areas of the GTHA are most self-contained, and what are the average commuting distances of each sub-region of the GTHA. The primary data source for this study was Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) for the year 2011. Supplementary data were obtained from InfoCanada and Statistics Canada. Descriptive analysis in this study, focused at the Census Sub-Division (CSD), examined self-containment, outbound commutes, inbound commutes, resident employees and jobs densities, and average commute distances for place of residence and place of work. Study results showed that Toronto and Hamilton CSDs are the most self-contained areas in the GTHA, whereas areas located in the north and northwest of Toronto are major sources of outgoing commutes. Toronto and its adjacent CSDs have the lowest average commuting distance, whereas residents of Georgina and Brock commute exceptionally long distances. Multivariate regression analyses were applied to a disaggregate dataset (TTS). Workers older than 15 years of age living in the GTHA were divided into two major categories based on the length of their commute: (i) normal commuters (those having a mean commuting distance of 10.8 km) and (ii) extreme commuters (those having a mean commuting distance of 40.9 km). Factors affecting commuting distance for these two groups were examined. Similarly, residents living and working in the GTHA were divided into two categories: Resident workers living in (i) Jobs-rich areas or (ii) Resident-rich areas. Factors affecting commuting distance of these resident workers were also examined. The key controlling factors of commuting distance include gender, age, mode of transportation, employment status, ratio of jobs to employed residents, age of youngest child, auto availability in household, multi-worker household, median income, jobs and population density, and distance from CBD. Significant socioeconomic, travel behaviour and land use determinants for normal commute distances were also applicable to extreme commute distance. Transit was the preferred mode of transportation for long distance commuters in the GTHA, except for those living in job-rich areas. Workers associated with Sales and Service occupation and living in jobs-rich areas exhibited shorter commute than those in General/Clerical occupation. These findings are important to understand the changing travel patterns and behaviours of commuters in the GTHA. These results will be of interest to transportation planners, engineers, and policy makers as it highlights the inclination of long distance commuters to use transit. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This study examines the jobs-housing balance and the excess commute of Saturn employees in Spring Hill. Until recently, the number of jobs has greatly exceeded the number of houses. In 2005 the balance is about even, however many newer residents are believed to be people who work in Nashville. Many Saturn employees live on the outskirts of Spring Hill and must commute longer distances to work. A spatial analysis using GIS of employee home locations shows that 74% of employees commute is in excess compared to if employees actually lived within Spring Hill. Surveys of Saturn employees shows traffic en route to work is a major frustration. It is suggested that future housing development in Spring Hill occur closer to Saturn. This will equilibrate the jobs-housing balance and will reduce the excess commute. Other Southern towns may wish to consider these results when planning for the development of automobile manufacturers.

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Este estudo mensurou os efeitos potenciais do balanceamento de atividades (em especial entre emprego e residência) sobre o tráfego em termos de velocidade média, veículos-quilômetro (VKM) e veículos-hora viajados(VHR), tendo como pano de fundo a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Foi verificada a viabilidade da aplicação de processo sintético a modelos integrados de uso do solo e transporte, contudo algumas dificuldades impossibilitaram sua aplicação dentro do prazo disponível. Foram então identificados modelos tradicionais, bem como modelos integrados de uso do solo e transportes já implementados na região e o recente estudo do Metrô – Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo foi definido como fonte de parâmetros e modelos para a aplicação proposta de políticas de balanceamento. Foram criados quatro cenários básicos de balanceamento entre emprego e residência a serem comparados com um cenário base representando da forma mais acurada possível a demanda de tráfego em 1997. Dois cenários se basearam na redistribuição espacial de população, mantendo-se fixa a distribuição de empregos do cenário original. Outros dois basearam-se na redistribuição de empregos com a manutenção da distribuição da população. Quatro cenários adicionais foram propostos para verificar os efeitos do balanceamento aplicado à área restrita ou a um dado nível de renda. A redistribuição integral de população apresentou melhores resultados, notadamente a redução potencial de mais de 33% de VHT e de em torno de 9% de VKT. Nem todos os resultados das redistribuições de empregos foram tão positivos, embora se tenha verificado a redução de VHT nestes cenários. Além disso, os resultados não apresentaram tendência linear, requerendo maior esforço quanto maior o nível de benefícios desejado através do balanceamento. / The present study measured the potential effects of the activity-balancing (particularly jobs and housing) on the traffic in terms of average speed, vehiclekilometer (VKT) and vehicle-hour traveled (VHT) in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo City. It verified that using a synthesized process applied to an integrated land use and transportation model is feasible. Nevertheless, it was not possible to implement the application due to some difficulties and the time limit. Traditional and integrated models applied to the area were then identified, and the recent study of the Metrô – the Subway Company of São Paulo, which was based upon a broad Origin-Destination survey, was chosen as source of models and parameters for the jobs-housing balance policy application. Four jobs-housing balance scenarios were proposed and compared with a basic one, representing the existing transportation demand for 1997 as close as possible. Two scenarios were based on the population r edistribution based on the fixed original employment distribution. Two other were based on the redistribution of jobs with a fixed population distribution. Four additional scenarios were proposed in order to identify the effects of jobs-housing balance applied to specific area or population income level. The best results achieved were found for the population redistribution, remarkably full redistribution would potentially reduce VKT by over 33% and VHT by around 9%. Not all the results generated by the employment redistribution were good although VHT decreased in both scenarios. In addition, it was noticed that the effects are not linearly related to the balancing achieved, gradually diminishing the more balancing is reached.

Este estudo mensurou os efeitos potenciais do balanceamento de atividades (em especial entre emprego e residência) sobre o tráfego em termos de velocidade média, veículos-quilômetro (VKM) e veículos-hora viajados(VHR), tendo como pano de fundo a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Foi verificada a viabilidade da aplicação de processo sintético a modelos integrados de uso do solo e transporte, contudo algumas dificuldades impossibilitaram sua aplicação dentro do prazo disponível. Foram então identificados modelos tradicionais, bem como modelos integrados de uso do solo e transportes já implementados na região e o recente estudo do Metrô – Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo foi definido como fonte de parâmetros e modelos para a aplicação proposta de políticas de balanceamento. Foram criados quatro cenários básicos de balanceamento entre emprego e residência a serem comparados com um cenário base representando da forma mais acurada possível a demanda de tráfego em 1997. Dois cenários se basearam na redistribuição espacial de população, mantendo-se fixa a distribuição de empregos do cenário original. Outros dois basearam-se na redistribuição de empregos com a manutenção da distribuição da população. Quatro cenários adicionais foram propostos para verificar os efeitos do balanceamento aplicado à área restrita ou a um dado nível de renda. A redistribuição integral de população apresentou melhores resultados, notadamente a redução potencial de mais de 33% de VHT e de em torno de 9% de VKT. Nem todos os resultados das redistribuições de empregos foram tão positivos, embora se tenha verificado a redução de VHT nestes cenários. Além disso, os resultados não apresentaram tendência linear, requerendo maior esforço quanto maior o nível de benefícios desejado através do balanceamento. / The present study measured the potential effects of the activity-balancing (particularly jobs and housing) on the traffic in terms of average speed, vehiclekilometer (VKT) and vehicle-hour traveled (VHT) in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo City. It verified that using a synthesized process applied to an integrated land use and transportation model is feasible. Nevertheless, it was not possible to implement the application due to some difficulties and the time limit. Traditional and integrated models applied to the area were then identified, and the recent study of the Metrô – the Subway Company of São Paulo, which was based upon a broad Origin-Destination survey, was chosen as source of models and parameters for the jobs-housing balance policy application. Four jobs-housing balance scenarios were proposed and compared with a basic one, representing the existing transportation demand for 1997 as close as possible. Two scenarios were based on the population r edistribution based on the fixed original employment distribution. Two other were based on the redistribution of jobs with a fixed population distribution. Four additional scenarios were proposed in order to identify the effects of jobs-housing balance applied to specific area or population income level. The best results achieved were found for the population redistribution, remarkably full redistribution would potentially reduce VKT by over 33% and VHT by around 9%. Not all the results generated by the employment redistribution were good although VHT decreased in both scenarios. In addition, it was noticed that the effects are not linearly related to the balancing achieved, gradually diminishing the more balancing is reached.