Summary of existing projects

Title
NC Physical Activity Policy Research Center

Background
Despite the importance of physical activity, the prevalence of physical activity remains low. A person’s
decision to be physically active is influenced by a variety of factors, including individual, social, cultural,
environmental, and policy domains. The policy domain has been the least studied of these factors, but
could be quite influential.

Objective
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the Physical Activity Policy Research
Network in October 2004 to develop a physical activity policy research agenda that would bring together
interdisciplinary research expertise from such fields as public health, transportation, urban planning, and
architecture. Professor Rodríguez is involved in the planning and transportation aspects of the center.

The Network was established as part of the Prevention Research Centers' program, with funding from the
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at CDC. As formally established, the network consists of member
centers and a coordinating center, along with CDC technical advisors. Each member center receives
guidance from an advisory board. The advisory board for the North Carolina Center is comprised of an
interdisciplinary team with representatives from planning, transportation, architecture, public health,
economics, parks and recreation, and law.

The North Carolina Physical Activity Policy Research Center is presently collaborating with other centers
on several physical activity policy-related projects, including:
• Active transport to and from school
• Trail development
• concept mapping to determine a physical activity policy agenda

In addition, our center conducted a case study to explore the various types of policies affecting physical
activity at a county level. We are developing policy fact sheets around these topics to help disseminate
our findings.

Web site: http://www.hpdp.unc.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=research.ProjInfo&ProjectID=22

Title
Advanced Modeling System for Assessing Long-Term Regional Development Patterns, Travel Behavior,
Emissions, and Air Quality

Objectives/Hypothesis
The fundamental goal of our research is to rigorously test the hypothesis that development patterns,
implemented regionally over a planning horizon of 50 years, can significantly influence the spatial
characteristics and quantity of emissions from on-road mobile sources and rail transit vehicles, and
hence reduce levels of tropospheric ozone and fine particulate matter. The development patterns of
interest include the type of development and its location: e.g., transit oriented development, dense
mixed use development, development supportive of nonmotorized transportation modes for nonwork
trips, neotraditional suburbs, new urban core development, and redevelopment. We will test our
hypothesis with a case study of the Charlotte (NC) metropolitan area.

Our approach is distinguished by the land-use typology and simulation model that we will employ.
We will develop a quantitative typology of land-use patterns at the neighborhood level (defined as the
transportation analysis zone -TAZ), which we have labeled the TAZ Transect. Then, we will develop a
travel forecasting model in which trip generation, destination choice, and mode choice (including
nonmotorized modes) are sensitive to attributes of the built environment and account for non-motorized
modes as travel options. Vehicle emissions will be estimated with a modal approach. The emission
inventories that we will generate will be ready to drive the Models 3/Community Multiscale Air Quality
modeling system (CMAQ).

Approach
The TAZ Transect will allow us to precisely differentiate existing neighborhoods and hence help identify
the zones that are most appropriate for future development according to our scenarios. We will assess
development scenarios with a state-of-the-art simulation model comprising these modules: 1) a cross-
sectional land-market equilibrium model; 2) a multimodal behavioral travel forecasting model, including
nonmotorized modes and incorporating attributes of the built environment; and 3) an emissions model
based upon the conceptual underpinnings of EPA’s Multi-Scale Motor Vehicle and Equipment Emissions
Estimation System (MOVES). The cross-sectional land market model allows us to impose real-world
land-market constraints and incentives (e.g., density bonuses, parking ceilings) on particular
neighborhoods as the means for achieving the desired scenarios. We will employ TRANUS to integrate
the land market and transportation models. For selected scenarios, we will estimate concentrations of
tropospheric ozone and fine particulate matter and the resulting human exposures. Our air quality
modeling will include meteorological projections for a future climate change scenario (global warming).
We will initiate a planning dialogue with Charlotte planning agencies and other interested parties.

Expected Results
Our research will develop a general, objective method for exploring questions and hypotheses about the
leverage that smart growth development patterns (and other forms of development) may have on the
location and quantity of emissions from mobile sources. We will determine whether a substantial (e.g.,
20%) emissions reduction is feasible with any reasonable forecast of the market penetration of smart
growth. The results of our scenario assessments will apply specifically to Charlotte and, more generally,
to similar metropolitan areas and their rural environs.

Our research will inform efforts to bring the area into attainment with the 8-hour ozone National Ambient
Air Quality Standards. It will augment the region’s Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life (SEQL)
program. This EPA-funded initiative engages multiple stakeholders in strategic efforts to improve air
quality and water quality and to achieve sustainable growth.

Title
Evaluation of GPS units for examining where physical activity occurs

Motivation
Most research on the relationship between the built and natural environments and physical activity has
relied on self-reports of where physical activity (PA) occurs. Differences across individuals in the
definition of what constitutes a neighborhood and between perceptual and objective distance may
introduce bias or limit the explanatory power of statistical models. Accurate knowledge of where people
are being physically active is critical for examining associations between the built environment and PA.
The objective of this project is to provide such basic research regarding the usefulness of implementing a
portable, passive global positioning system (GPS) unit to determine where people are physically active
outdoors. Imported into a geographic information system, coordinates derived from a GPS unit provide
a wealth of objective information for testing desired associations.

Specific Aims
• Develop protocols for and pilot test the implementation of GPS units for collecting information on where
PA occurs, so as to minimize participant burden and maximize accurate data collection.

• Test the protocol and GPS units with n=16 adults to examine the reliability of the equipment (e.g. failure
rates) and of the data collection process (e.g. participant completion rates).

• Collect qualitative (through in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (portable GPS unit) from n=16
adults to understand better the relationships between perceived and actual neighborhood activity space.

• Determine the reliability of GPS measurements and the concurrent validity of GPS-determined locations
for identifying where moderate and vigorous exercise for transportation or leisure occurs.

Methods
Because this methodology is relatively new, protocols for deploying the technology for research in PA
and the built environment do not exist. The pilot test conducted with volunteer adults, will develop a
protocol that will minimize participant burden and maximize data collection efforts. Similarly, we will
conduct in-depth interviews and compare them with the data revealed with the GPS locator to identify the
strengths and weakness of the protocol and the GPS unit as deployed, and to examine the relationship
between perceived and actual neighborhood activity space. Finally, the reliability of GPS measurements
taken with the portable units will be examined. This will be achieved by taking repeated observations over
time in particular physical locations and applying different ways of carrying the GPS units.

Preliminary tests using a portable device (loaned by the manufacturer) to collect position data suggests
that the GPS unit in question may be useful in identifying where outdoor PA occurs. Contrary to
commercial GPS units available, the unit tested is tamper resistant and does not give feedback to
participants.

Title
The Connection between Land Use and Transportation in Land Use Plans

Summary
A fundamental challenge for analysts conducting environmental and community impact assessments
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the need to characterize and evaluate the
potential for secondary and cumulative impacts from a proposed project, particularly with regard to
development-related land use impacts. This is especially true for transportation-related projects given
their potential to induce new urban growth patterns. Ideally, an assessment of the potential for such
impacts should build substantially on a locality’s land use plan, to the extent that a well-executed
planning effort will: a) manage the development of land, and b) have identified reasonably foreseeable
alternative transportation policies and improvements and evaluated those alternatives in terms of their
potential benefits and impacts. In practice, however, building on existing land use plans is a valid
approach to the extent that several things have happened: first, that the locality actually prepared a land
use plan; second, that through its plan the locality actually identified and evaluated potential
transportation-related policies and improvements; and finally that the locality has actually adhered to its
land use plan over time through its regulatory and capital improvement decision-making.

Unfortunately, our current knowledge regarding local efforts to develop and implement land use plans in
North Carolina is limited. Specifically, we need to improve our understanding of the extent to which land
use plans and related land management tools are actually being used by county and municipal
governments in North Carolina and, equally important, the extent to which those localities are actually
adhering to their plans when making land-use related regulatory and capital improvement decisions. This
understanding will improve the ability of planners to anticipate and estimate the land use consequences
of transportation projects. Accordingly, this project is designed to determine the extent to which land
development is being prescribed at the local level in North Carolina through local land use planning efforts
in order to more effectively account for the potential secondary and cumulative impacts from proposed
transportation projects when conducting environmental and community impact assessments.

Specifically, we propose a multi-stage project that examines the importance of plan quality and
implementation quality in managing development at the local level. The first stage consists of surveying
selected counties and municipalities in the state regarding their use of land use plans and other tools to
manage land development. The second stage consists of selecting a sub-sample of municipalities
and/or counties from which local plans will be collected and studied for selected key attributes, including
their analytical content, structure, and policy objectives, among others. The proposed approach
characterizes the presence and quality of land use plans as well as the quality of their implementation.
In addition, an overview regarding the legal foundations of tools for managing land and their
interrelationships will be provided.

With the results of this project, it is hoped that NCDOT, MPOs, and local planners and citizens will
develop a more comprehensive view of the role played by local land use plans in managing development
in North Carolina. By characterizing the extent to which current land use plans manage development
pressures, this study will improve planners’ abilities to anticipate potential impacts of transportation
projects, increase their capacity to communicate those impacts effectively to the community, and
enhance the potential for coordination between transportation and land use planning.


	RELATED LINKS: Rodríguez Home Ongoing & recently completed research support Selected Publications Additional Abstracts		Planning and Physical Activity Advanced Modeling System for Assessing Long-Term Regional Development Patterns, Travel Behavior, Emissions, and Air Quality Evaluation of GPS units for examining where physical activity occurs The Connection between Land Use and Transportation in Land Use Plans Title NC Physical Activity Policy Research Center Background Despite the importance of physical activity, the prevalence of physical activity remains low. A person’s decision to be physically active is influenced by a variety of factors, including individual, social, cultural, environmental, and policy domains. The policy domain has been the least studied of these factors, but could be quite influential. Objective The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the Physical Activity Policy Research Network in October 2004 to develop a physical activity policy research agenda that would bring together interdisciplinary research expertise from such fields as public health, transportation, urban planning, and architecture. Professor Rodríguez is involved in the planning and transportation aspects of the center. The Network was established as part of the Prevention Research Centers' program, with funding from the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at CDC. As formally established, the network consists of member centers and a coordinating center, along with CDC technical advisors. Each member center receives guidance from an advisory board. The advisory board for the North Carolina Center is comprised of an interdisciplinary team with representatives from planning, transportation, architecture, public health, economics, parks and recreation, and law. The North Carolina Physical Activity Policy Research Center is presently collaborating with other centers on several physical activity policy-related projects, including: • Active transport to and from school • Trail development • concept mapping to determine a physical activity policy agenda In addition, our center conducted a case study to explore the various types of policies affecting physical activity at a county level. We are developing policy fact sheets around these topics to help disseminate our findings. Web site: http://www.hpdp.unc.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=research.ProjInfo&ProjectID=22 Title Advanced Modeling System for Assessing Long-Term Regional Development Patterns, Travel Behavior, Emissions, and Air Quality Objectives/Hypothesis The fundamental goal of our research is to rigorously test the hypothesis that development patterns, implemented regionally over a planning horizon of 50 years, can significantly influence the spatial characteristics and quantity of emissions from on-road mobile sources and rail transit vehicles, and hence reduce levels of tropospheric ozone and fine particulate matter. The development patterns of interest include the type of development and its location: e.g., transit oriented development, dense mixed use development, development supportive of nonmotorized transportation modes for nonwork trips, neotraditional suburbs, new urban core development, and redevelopment. We will test our hypothesis with a case study of the Charlotte (NC) metropolitan area. Our approach is distinguished by the land-use typology and simulation model that we will employ. We will develop a quantitative typology of land-use patterns at the neighborhood level (defined as the transportation analysis zone -TAZ), which we have labeled the TAZ Transect. Then, we will develop a travel forecasting model in which trip generation, destination choice, and mode choice (including nonmotorized modes) are sensitive to attributes of the built environment and account for non-motorized modes as travel options. Vehicle emissions will be estimated with a modal approach. The emission inventories that we will generate will be ready to drive the Models 3/Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system (CMAQ). Approach The TAZ Transect will allow us to precisely differentiate existing neighborhoods and hence help identify the zones that are most appropriate for future development according to our scenarios. We will assess development scenarios with a state-of-the-art simulation model comprising these modules: 1) a cross- sectional land-market equilibrium model; 2) a multimodal behavioral travel forecasting model, including nonmotorized modes and incorporating attributes of the built environment; and 3) an emissions model based upon the conceptual underpinnings of EPA’s Multi-Scale Motor Vehicle and Equipment Emissions Estimation System (MOVES). The cross-sectional land market model allows us to impose real-world land-market constraints and incentives (e.g., density bonuses, parking ceilings) on particular neighborhoods as the means for achieving the desired scenarios. We will employ TRANUS to integrate the land market and transportation models. For selected scenarios, we will estimate concentrations of tropospheric ozone and fine particulate matter and the resulting human exposures. Our air quality modeling will include meteorological projections for a future climate change scenario (global warming). We will initiate a planning dialogue with Charlotte planning agencies and other interested parties. Expected Results Our research will develop a general, objective method for exploring questions and hypotheses about the leverage that smart growth development patterns (and other forms of development) may have on the location and quantity of emissions from mobile sources. We will determine whether a substantial (e.g., 20%) emissions reduction is feasible with any reasonable forecast of the market penetration of smart growth. The results of our scenario assessments will apply specifically to Charlotte and, more generally, to similar metropolitan areas and their rural environs. Our research will inform efforts to bring the area into attainment with the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards. It will augment the region’s Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life (SEQL) program. This EPA-funded initiative engages multiple stakeholders in strategic efforts to improve air quality and water quality and to achieve sustainable growth. Title Evaluation of GPS units for examining where physical activity occurs Motivation Most research on the relationship between the built and natural environments and physical activity has relied on self-reports of where physical activity (PA) occurs. Differences across individuals in the definition of what constitutes a neighborhood and between perceptual and objective distance may introduce bias or limit the explanatory power of statistical models. Accurate knowledge of where people are being physically active is critical for examining associations between the built environment and PA. The objective of this project is to provide such basic research regarding the usefulness of implementing a portable, passive global positioning system (GPS) unit to determine where people are physically active outdoors. Imported into a geographic information system, coordinates derived from a GPS unit provide a wealth of objective information for testing desired associations. Specific Aims • Develop protocols for and pilot test the implementation of GPS units for collecting information on where PA occurs, so as to minimize participant burden and maximize accurate data collection. • Test the protocol and GPS units with n=16 adults to examine the reliability of the equipment (e.g. failure rates) and of the data collection process (e.g. participant completion rates). • Collect qualitative (through in-depth interviews) and quantitative data (portable GPS unit) from n=16 adults to understand better the relationships between perceived and actual neighborhood activity space. • Determine the reliability of GPS measurements and the concurrent validity of GPS-determined locations for identifying where moderate and vigorous exercise for transportation or leisure occurs. Methods Because this methodology is relatively new, protocols for deploying the technology for research in PA and the built environment do not exist. The pilot test conducted with volunteer adults, will develop a protocol that will minimize participant burden and maximize data collection efforts. Similarly, we will conduct in-depth interviews and compare them with the data revealed with the GPS locator to identify the strengths and weakness of the protocol and the GPS unit as deployed, and to examine the relationship between perceived and actual neighborhood activity space. Finally, the reliability of GPS measurements taken with the portable units will be examined. This will be achieved by taking repeated observations over time in particular physical locations and applying different ways of carrying the GPS units. Preliminary tests using a portable device (loaned by the manufacturer) to collect position data suggests that the GPS unit in question may be useful in identifying where outdoor PA occurs. Contrary to commercial GPS units available, the unit tested is tamper resistant and does not give feedback to participants. Title The Connection between Land Use and Transportation in Land Use Plans Summary A fundamental challenge for analysts conducting environmental and community impact assessments pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the need to characterize and evaluate the potential for secondary and cumulative impacts from a proposed project, particularly with regard to development-related land use impacts. This is especially true for transportation-related projects given their potential to induce new urban growth patterns. Ideally, an assessment of the potential for such impacts should build substantially on a locality’s land use plan, to the extent that a well-executed planning effort will: a) manage the development of land, and b) have identified reasonably foreseeable alternative transportation policies and improvements and evaluated those alternatives in terms of their potential benefits and impacts. In practice, however, building on existing land use plans is a valid approach to the extent that several things have happened: first, that the locality actually prepared a land use plan; second, that through its plan the locality actually identified and evaluated potential transportation-related policies and improvements; and finally that the locality has actually adhered to its land use plan over time through its regulatory and capital improvement decision-making. Unfortunately, our current knowledge regarding local efforts to develop and implement land use plans in North Carolina is limited. Specifically, we need to improve our understanding of the extent to which land use plans and related land management tools are actually being used by county and municipal governments in North Carolina and, equally important, the extent to which those localities are actually adhering to their plans when making land-use related regulatory and capital improvement decisions. This understanding will improve the ability of planners to anticipate and estimate the land use consequences of transportation projects. Accordingly, this project is designed to determine the extent to which land development is being prescribed at the local level in North Carolina through local land use planning efforts in order to more effectively account for the potential secondary and cumulative impacts from proposed transportation projects when conducting environmental and community impact assessments. Specifically, we propose a multi-stage project that examines the importance of plan quality and implementation quality in managing development at the local level. The first stage consists of surveying selected counties and municipalities in the state regarding their use of land use plans and other tools to manage land development. The second stage consists of selecting a sub-sample of municipalities and/or counties from which local plans will be collected and studied for selected key attributes, including their analytical content, structure, and policy objectives, among others. The proposed approach characterizes the presence and quality of land use plans as well as the quality of their implementation. In addition, an overview regarding the legal foundations of tools for managing land and their interrelationships will be provided. With the results of this project, it is hoped that NCDOT, MPOs, and local planners and citizens will develop a more comprehensive view of the role played by local land use plans in managing development in North Carolina. By characterizing the extent to which current land use plans manage development pressures, this study will improve planners’ abilities to anticipate potential impacts of transportation projects, increase their capacity to communicate those impacts effectively to the community, and enhance the potential for coordination between transportation and land use planning.