Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Transforming Office Parks into Transit Villages
EPA Grant Number: X3832210Title: Transforming Office Parks into Transit Villages
Investigators: Raney, Steve , Wornum, Chris , Paxson, James
Institution: Cities21 , Cambridge Systematics, Inc. , Hacienda Business Park Owners Association
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: January 1, 2005 through March 1, 2007
Project Amount: $204,604
RFA: Collaborative Science & Technology Network for Sustainability (2004) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
San Francisco Bay Area office parks, like most around the country, are segregated from nearby residential communities and retail centers. They are single-use, auto-dominated and isolated. The workers employed in them have poor commute mode splits (78% drive alone, 16% shared ride, 3% transit) and rely heavily on cars for mid-day trips as well. Community needs for in-fill housing, green space, and services cannot be accommodated in these areas because the non-office space is taken up by parking lots. A groundbreaking study of Palo Alto's Stanford Research Park identified a new concept to significantly reduce driving, provide non-auto transportation to workers and the community, reclaim 50 acres of parking for critically needed housing, and connect the 20,000 workers with the surrounding community. The new concept includes elevated personal rapid transit and "comprehensive new mobility."
Duplicate the study methodology for Stanford Research Park at another Bay Area office park, Pleasanton's Hacienda Business Park. Compare outcomes and issues, create an inventory of similar Bay Area sites, and create a guidebook for similar analyses based on the two original studies.
Conclusions:
In the long term, success is cumulative decreases in air, water and soil contamination from auto use, deferment of road and parking infrastructure increases, a better jobs/housing balance within local sub-county areas with more proximate commutes by foot, bike, and transit, job creation and increased mid-day business for merchants near office parks, and more socially dynamic, pedestrian-friendly communities. In the short term, success is a validated model for analyzing and planning the transformation of one office park at a time.
Project results, lessons learned and the how-to-guide will be shared regionally and nationally through a combination of website publication, regional workshops, and national conferences. Groups representing key audiences (planners, local governments, MPOs, transit agencies) will be used to disseminate information to their members.
Long-term beneficiaries include employers, employees and management groups at office parks, persons needing affordable housing close to jobs, local governments, and all members of the local communities via better transportation options and access to goods and services. For aging office parks with 25-year-old buildings, innovations help a) keep the real-estate competitive, avoiding extinction and b) create better, more economically competitive places offering higher efficiency and lower costs. Short term beneficiaries include office park investors, local governments and in-fill developers seeking new approaches to reduce auto impacts and re-use reclaimable land.
Science and engineering involved include location-tracking wireless cellular applications for commute-alternative support, GIS ‘commute shed’ map, stated preference demand analysis surveys, and innovative transportation design with excellent inter-modal connections.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 48 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
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Raney S, Paxson J, Maymudes D. Design of personal rapid transit circulator for major activity center: Hacienda Business Park, Pleasanton, CA. Transportation Research Record 2007;2006/2007:104-113. |
X3832210 (Final) |
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Full Final Report (15 pp, 652 K, MS Word)Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.