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October 2006
Access to Destinations: Web site, research report
David Levinson
The Access to Destinations study, coordinated by CTS, launched a Web site and published its first research report. The interdisciplinary study aims to understand how transportation, land use, and other factors work together to shape the Twin Cities region.
Located at www.cts.umn.edu/access-study, the site includes general information on research goals and methods used in the study, research results, publications, and information on news and events. The site also includes links to resources at the state, national, and international levels.
CTS director of communications and outreach Gina Baas said the site offers a convenient way to find out about the different research initiatives that make up the study and to learn about issues of transportation and land use.
The study also recently published Access to Destinations: Development of Accessibility Measures, the first in a series of research reports. David Levinson, a lead researcher and associate professor of civil engineering, authored the report with Ahmed El-Geneidy, post-doctoral fellow at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. The report is available for download from the Access to Destinations study Web site.
The report details the development of a new measure of people’s ability to access the destinations they need to reach. Known as “place rank,” the measure was developed to more accurately characterize the ways in which residents of an area interact with systems of transportation and land use. This is a key goal of the study, and will ultimately lead to the creation of “accessibility matrices” that capture the ability of residents to access various types of destinations using different modes of transportation.
As planners and policymakers become more familiar with the concept of accessibility, Levinson and El-Geneidy argue that it will become a useful tool for monitoring development patterns and changes in transportation networks, as well as assessing the benefits of these changes.
To keep abreast of new research results and other news related to the Access to Destinations Study, Baas recommends subscribing to the Access to Destinations E-News—a periodic electronic newsletter published by CTS. A subscription form is available on the study’s Web site.