Planning

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/9923

This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's School of Planning.

Research outputs are organized by type (eg. Master Thesis, Article, Conference Paper).

Waterloo faculty, students, and staff can contact us or visit the UWSpace guide to learn more about depositing their research.

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Browsing Planning by Subject "Active Transportation"

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    Cycling use and attitudes towards cycling in Halifax Regional Municipality and the Region of Waterloo
    (University of Waterloo, 2011-04-29T20:32:32Z) Clare, Benjamin
    The purpose of this thesis is to explore bicycle use and attitudes towards cycling through case study analyses in Halifax Regional Municipality and the Region of Waterloo. There are two main sections of analyses; the first investigates factors that have been shown by previous research to be associated with cycling behavior for each of the study areas, and the second focuses on the results of a bicycle survey administered for the purpose of this research. The statistical analysis in Part 1 applies Fisher’s Exact Test to reveal statistically significant associations in the survey data. These two sections of analysis are compared and the following conclusions offered: 1. Cycling use is likely associated with city size, density, weather, topography, age, and gender. 2. Cycling trip purpose in Halifax is associated with weather; in Waterloo, trip purpose is associated with weather, gender, and employment. 3. Cycling use in Waterloo is associated with weather, age, gender, employment, and income. 4. There is strong evidence that the provision of bicycle infrastructure has a strong association with bicycle use. In the context of increasing bicycle use, the principal finding is the association between the provision of bicycle infrastructure and increased cycling use. In Waterloo, where the rate of cycling use is higher than in Halifax, there is approximately twice the total number of kilometres of on-street bicycle routes and respondents reported living significantly closer to bike paths, lanes, or trails. In Halifax, where cycling use is less common, respondents expressed much more concern regarding inadequate cycling infrastructure and an overall dissatisfaction with the quality of cycling facilities. These findings reaffirm the previous research suggesting that the provision of more bicycle lanes, paths, route signage, and parking facilities is associated with higher rates of bicycle use among the general public.
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    Pedestrian Activity Model for prioritizing investment – A case study of sidewalk snow clearing in the City of Waterloo
    (University of Waterloo, 2019-01-07) Shinoda, Bishoi
    This research emphasizes the needed integration for the empirical field of pedestrian modeling and the practical field of public works services. This is illustrated by focusing on the winter sidewalk maintenance delivery standards in Canadian municipalities, which often suffers from a mismatch with the spatial distribution of pedestrian activity. As a response, the first objective of this research is to predict the spatial distribution of pedestrian activity. This is done by reviewing five approaches to pedestrian modeling and demonstrating an understanding of the built environment and non-built environment variables that influence pedestrian demand. Based on common shortcomings to each approach, an analytical approach is proposed and used to construct a Pedestrian Activity Model (P.A.M.) predicting daily walking trip count per neighbourhood, with the City of Waterloo as the case study area. Building on this, an analysis of the highest classes of the constructed P.A.M. is utilized to suggest a Pedestrian Priority Zone. This addresses the second research objective, which is to identify high foot traffic areas to construct a priority zone for delivering enhanced and efficient winter sidewalk maintenance. Between the two tested regression types, the Spatial Error Regression (SER) is a better fit in capturing daily walking trips. Of the seven explanatory variables considered, only Transit Activity, Metric Reach (sidewalk connectivity), and Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment variables are significant under the SER model. As a result, the Pedestrian Activity Model is founded on the SER model and the 3 significant variables. The highest pedestrian activity class is found along University Avenue between University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, while the second highest is found around the Uptown. A single Pedestrian Priority Zone is suggested based on amalgamating the three highest P.A.M. classes. While the results are context-specific, the methodology is transferable. The process of constructing the predictive model can be used to validate other existing pedestrian models. Also, constructing a Pedestrian Activity Model could be an essential piece to decision making not just for enhancing public works services, but also for recommending new infrastructure connections, prioritizing streetscape enhancement projects, encouraging commercial and retail development, and boosting Real Estate market.
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    Sustainable Transportation and Social Demographics at Uptown Waterloo
    (University of Waterloo, 2015-10-01) Chase, Geoffrey
    This thesis investigates how the use of a mid-size city’s core is related to the transportation preferences and socioeconomic status of its residents. Uptown Waterloo was chosen as a study site because, in addition to its social and economic functions, it is intended to be the centre of the city’s active and public transportation networks. As such, it is important to planners and policymakers to assess not only how widespread the use of sustainable transportation is among Uptown shoppers, but also how equitable it is. Online and in-person surveys of Uptown shoppers were administered in summer 2014 to determine the social profile of an Uptown shopper, the transportation methods used to reach Uptown, and the types of activities performed during a visit. Respondents showed a strong preference for sustainable transportation methods, with only 28% visiting Uptown most frequently by car. Moreover, people who bicycled or walked to Uptown were found to have comparable spending habits to drivers but visited the site more times per month. The respondents were on average younger, more affluent, and more drawn to jobs in the knowledge economy than the social demographics of the Waterloo region can account for. A significant relationship between travel mode choice and economic status was observed: drivers were most affluent on average and public transit users the least, while methods of active transportation were more socioeconomically heterogeneous. Although the demographic profile of Uptown shoppers is consistent with indicators of social gentrification, the findings suggest that the City’s ongoing promotion of sustainable transportation supports Uptown’s businesses as well as a broad range of its visitors.