Some U.S. edge cities are experiencing a second generation of development – a makeover of strategic infill, land-use diversification and often transit-orientation and pedestrian-friendly streetscape design. This research will use 1990 and 2000 census data to create a typology of Employment Centers (ECs) in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing on changes in development scale, densities, land-use mixes, employment compositions, and site-design elements during the 1990s. EC prototypes, such as “second-generation mixed-use edge cities” and “single-use office parks”, will be identified using cluster analysis techniques. Changes in commuting choice and behavior during the 1990s will be measured for each EC prototype, using metrics related to modal splits, commute distances and durations, and VMT/employees as well as estimated fuel consumption, mobile-source emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions. Case-study work will probe the influences of market forces (e.g., housing targeted at professional workers) and planning interventions (e.g., rezoning, infrastructure provisions) in explaining why and how different ECs underwent different land-use and employment transformations during the 1990s. The research will shed important light on the broader transportation and environmental policy implications of land-use transformations among traditional employment centers in U.S. metropolitan areas.
Principal Investigator:
Robert Cervero
Contact Information:
Tel: 510.642.1695
Fax: 510.642.1641
Email: robertc@berkeley.edu
Funding Information:
University of California Transportation Center
Start Date: 9/1/08
