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Abstract
Downtown Berkeley, Hayward, and Fremont are three Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations with different surrounding built environments. Berkeley is located in a downtown setting, whereas Hayward and Fremont are located in the suburbs. Fremont is the most auto-dominated, whereas Hayward is a hybrid between being a transit-oriented and transit-adjacent development. Downtown Berkeley exemplifies the aims of many planners across the USA who are working to promote transit-oriented development (TOD). This study helps to confirm the importance of a quality built environment upon travel behaviour and vehicle ownership through an analysis of the three BART stations listed above. This article presents a transit-adjacent development – TOD spectrum that may help planners and policy makers better understand what is and what is not a TOD.
Notes
This driving distance was calculated using the trip distance calculator on Expedia.com
Better discounts are available for senior citizens, school children, and persons with disabilities.
Fuel costs are calculated based on $2.50 per gallon and a fuel efficiency of 20 mpg.
The rating of pedestrian access is from the California Department of Transportation's TOD Database, which can be accessed at: http://transitorienteddevelopment.dot.ca.gov.
Sustainable transport is defined here as walking, bicycling, or public transit.
It is important to note that because BART did not exist in 1970, much of the increase in shares of transit commuting was likely due to new train service. Unfortunately, using 1980 as a base year is also problematic because data is skewed during that year because of the oil crisis. The period from 1990 to 2000 shows that shares in transit commuting increased by 36% in Berkeley, 15% in Hayward, and 58% in Fremont along with an increase in housing density of 4%, 7.2%, and 76.5%, respectively.
1970 serves as a base year because it was before the BART stations were opened. It is unclear why shares of transit commuting increased at a rate much faster than density in Downtown Berkeley. Newman and Kenworthy Citation(2006) suggest that walking, bicycling, and public transit become most valued where there are above 10,000 people and jobs within a 10-min walking radius. They also found that the relationship between urban density and car use is exponential, which may explain why the share of transit commute trips increased faster than density.
