Paper Details

TRB 91st Annual Meeting (January 22-26, 2012)

Event Number:	523
Event Title:	Big Ideas for Smaller Cities: Planning in Small and Medium-Sized Communities
Event Date:	Jan 24 2012 10:15AM- 12:00PM
Event Location:	Hilton, Georgetown East
Event Description:
Event Agenda:

Structural Equation Modeling Approach to Measure Effect of Mobility on Quality of Life in Northern Rural Climate (12-3820)

Northern rural communities are particularly challenging environments in which to provide year-round transportation options and ensure that people can meet their travel (mobility) wants and needs. Climate, lack of amenities, small population sizes and low population densities, as well as vulnerable populations, all present challenges to developing rural transportation systems that will result in more livable communities. Using a 2009 database of residents of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, this study examined how the availability of built and natural amenities, weather and attitudes towards travel help to explain revealed and unserved travel demand and subsequently, how these variables affect livability as measured by quality of life (QOL) in a northern rural climate. Structural equation modeling was used to obtain estimates of QOL. The presence of unserved travel demand significantly decreased QOL. This suggests that addressing unserved travel demand, not trip making, should be the primary objective of future mobility initiatives in northern rural climates.

Authors
     Kolodinsky, Jane M., University of Vermont
     Propen, David , University of Vermont
     Roche, Erin , University of Vermont
     DeSisto, Thomas Patrick, University of Vermont
     Sawyer, William R., University of Vermont
     Putnam, Matthew E., University of Vermont