Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Criminal Justice." Includes bibliographical references (p. 186-194).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-110).

Thesis (Ph. D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering)--University of California, Berkeley, 2003. / "Fall 2003." Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-161). Also available online via the ITS Berkeley web site (www.its.berkeley.edu).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-187).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

Commuter rail infrastructure often adds value to neighboring properties. The best methods to measure changes in values require baseline data from a year prior to system implementation. The current planning of a commuter rail in Austin, TX presents the need to document property values for future studies. The report records 2005 property values from Travis and Williamson Central Appraisal Districts, using GIS to group the data by various distances away from the proposed train stations. In addition, a large set of secondary improvement data and census demographic information about each site has been accumulated. Future researchers will be able to conduct matched-pair and multivariable regression models with the data, and rely on the station descriptions for a solid understanding of the sites and their relationships. / text

Public transportation and other alternatives to the private automobile are receiving increased attention for their potential to decrease congestion, reduce environmental damage and support healthier lifestyles. In particular, bus transit increases mobility and provides an opportunity for increased physical activity. In light of a scarcity of research on the subject, this report investigates a common rule of thumb used in transit planning that suggests riders will only walk five minutes to access a bus stop. A review of existing research shows that many transit riders walk longer than five minutes to reach a bus and that transit-access walking behavior is far more varied than implied by the 5-minute assumption. An effort was undertaken to estimate walking distances of bus riders in Austin, Texas using data from a 2010 survey administered to riders on local buses. The analysis estimated transit walks of unreasonable distances for some respondents, suggesting that the starting location address or access mode responses were inaccurately reported. Flaws in the data collection process interfered with a clear analysis of the relationship of walking distances to rider behavior, but the data showed that many riders walked considerably farther than 1/4 mile. The Austin data and reports from others summarized in the literature review of this report indicate that the 5-minute walk is not an accurate representation of transit access behavior and that further evaluation of the 5-minute assumption should be undertaken. Moreover, innovative approaches should be developed to more accurately predict bus commuter behavior to design a more effective transit system. Analysis of the survey data suggests that implementation of improved data collection methods in future studies could provide more useful and accurate data on walking behavior associated with transit use. / text

In the past, the planning process had been top down with a restrictive level of public participation. The decision-making power has been concentrated within the administration. The public has been tolerable at pre-1997. People in Hong Kong are no longer living at the “borrowed time” and “borrowed space” that Hughes (1976) described under the colonial rule after the return to motherland. They have developed a sense of belonging, show genuine concern on development of Hong Kong and increasing demands for participation in the policymaking process, hence the planning mechanism. The community has become more vocal in the planning process. Tseung Kwan O (TKO) is a third generation and the seventh new town in Hong Kong. Since the Executive Council’s designation to develop into new town in 1982, it has undergone very rapid development. Transport networks in news towns have been planned to serve by railway. Railway is the backbone of Hong Kong’s transport system and it has a strong impact on urban development. In Hong Kong, urban development has followed the transit-oriented approach. There are institutional settings and policies in public and private sectors that support transit-oriented development (TOD). Drastic spatial changes occurred in the surrounding area of MTR stations after the operation in 2002. Taking advantage of the enhanced accessibility brought about by the railway line, high density developments are located close to the MTR stations at Po Lam, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O and Tiu Keng Leng, each forming a district centre with its own retail and supporting facilities. The study scope would be based on the institutional settings and policies in public and private sectors that support TOD. In a society that composed of a heterogeneous group of people with different interests, the stakeholder composed a power structure in the planning process of the TKO new town, negotiation among the power exists. The resultant urban pattern is an outcome of the power negotiation. This study aimed to examine how different stakeholders participated in the negotiation of planning process in the latest generation of new town using the case of TKO as illustration. The level of public participation in the planning process of Tseung Kwan O has been increasing. As the community has become more vocal in the planning process, efforts can be seen in reaching out to different stakeholders regarding the further development of Tseung Kwan O with a view to jointly planned with the community. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a management strategy that offers sustainable answers to urban development at different levels and reduces the heavy automobile dependence. In dealing with transport-related issues, TOD encourages the use of transit for better sustainability. The number of railway patronage is the best index used to measure the success of TOD. However, TOD may also generate many short local car trips within the neighbourhood. The main research objective of the thesis is to investigate the factors that influence the three major transit modes of transportation within the neighbourhood. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to guide development policies that create more sustainable transport. Although many studies have looked at TOD residents’ travel behaviour at a regional or city level, most of them were based on North American cities. TOD neighbourhoods are assumed to have similar impacts on travel behaviour as they are generalized. Local trips within the TOD are less understood. A neighbourhood level analysis is used to explore residents’ travel behaviours in 60 neighbourhoods of Hong Kong delimited by a five-hundred-meters buffer area around each MTR station. An in-depth statistical analysis of the transit shares of 60 TOD and non-TOD neighbourhoods is made. This research design highlights the influence of TOD neighbourhoods in the use of transit for trips in different local communities, but most importantly it also identifies variability within the TOD neighbourhoods. Built environment’s variables, which may influence the modes of transportation, are selected. Principal component analysis is used to reduce the number of variables to 5 latent factors. Those factors are identified as specific characteristics of the built environment. In order to understand the relationship between the extracted factors and the use of transit modes, regressions are conducted. The results confirm that a dense economic urban area and the station integration to other transportation networks could explain residents’ travel behaviour for metro by 32%. It also shows that those two factors together with a mostly residential area with large families also explained 47% of the residents’ travel behaviour for walking. Variability of the bus' modal shares is not explained by any factor of the built environment used in the regression model. Buses have been identified as being more important in non-TOD neighbourhoods and a less sustainable mode of transportation than walking and metro. This study provides important guidelines for TOD development to further promote walking and the use of metro. The variability of TOD neighbourhoods in Hong Kong and, ultimately, its influence on people’s choice of sustainable transportation mode is demonstrated. This study brings a better understanding of TOD in the Asian context and how to increase its sustainable aspect through transportation. The findings of this study can be used by policy makers. / published_or_final_version / Geography / Master / Master of Philosophy

Accessibility is an enduring concept in Transport Planning, historically relating to the performance of the transport system and more recently to the understanding of social aspects of transport planning and practice. Accessibility Planning, set in the context of addressing social exclusion, is one example of an applied approach to accessibility which seeks to reflect user perspectives. However, translating the concept into practice is problematic. Measurement is dominated by time and distance and separation of people from destinations, rather than reflecting individuals’ perceptions. The core aims of this thesis are to critically appraise dominant approaches to Accessibility Planning and to understand how objective measures relate to perceptions of accessibility. The thesis is structured into two main empirical stages. Firstly a review of current approaches is undertaken through engagement with accessibility practitioners in England and a comparative analysis of accessibility measures in the English Core Accessibility Indicators and National Travel Survey. Secondly a mixed methods case study, utilising household survey and mental mapping interviews in Greater Nottingham, is presented. Statistical analyses are used to compare objective and self-reported measures of accessibility and to explore factors contributing to perceptions of accessibility. Perceived accessibility is more strongly related to selfreported measures than to objective measures. Demographic characteristics and attitudes are also important in explaining variation in perceptions. For example, while an elderly person may perceive accessibility to be worse because of physical mobility issues, car users may perceive inaccessibility due to lack of awareness of alternatives, leading to different policy approaches. A grounded theory analysis of interview data highlights that affective and symbolic factors are useful in understanding perceptions of accessibility, in addition to the instrumental factors more usually studied. Recommendations include a need to incorporate subjective measurement alongside more traditional accessibility measures, in line with wider policy discourses such as the recent development of subjective wellbeing measures by the Office for National Statistics.