National Institute for Transportation and Communities

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

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OVERVIEW

The National Street Improvements Study, conducted by PSU in conjunction with PeopleForBikes and consulting firm Bennett Midland, researched the economic effects of bicycle infrastructure on 14 corridors across six cities — Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Memphis, Minneapolis and Indianapolis. The study found that improvements such as bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure had either positive or non-significant impacts on the local economy as measured through sales and employment. In this webinar, lead researcher Jenny Liu will share the results of the investigation and the unique methodology for investigating these economic outcomes.

THE RESEARCH

This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and the Summit Foundation, and conducted at Portland State University. Read more about the research: ...

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During the March 2011 earthquake/ tsunami/nuclear disaster, the internet filled with stories of how something quite ordinary in Japanese life became an important lifeline—the bicycle. For example an 83-year-old woman escaped the tsunami by bicycle, and due to public-transport disruptions, bicycle stores sold out of bicycles as quickly as supermarkets sold out of food. However not just in disasters, but in daily life, the most reliable, sustainable form of transportation, next to walking, is via Japan’s estimated 80,000,000 bicycles, affectionately called mamachari.

This illustrated presentation, based on four-years of cultural-landscape research culminating the publication of世界が称賛した日本の町の秘密 (Secrets of Japanese Cities the World Admires. Tokyo: Yousensha, 2011), begins by discussing why mamachari are perfect for local transportation and the many practical ways Japanese use them. It then explores why many of Japan’s densely populated, fine-grained neighborhoods with auto-resistant narrow streets and nearby shopping, make ideal bicycle neighborhoods. Issues explored will include the mamachari’s impact on: neighborhood livability; sustainability; public health through active transportation; fostering direct human contact not possible with motor-car travel; and maintaining the compact human scale of communities by...

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Car crashes are still a leading cause of death in the United States, with vulnerable road users like bicyclists and pedestrians being injured or killed at rates that outpace their mode share.

Planners, engineers, and advocates are increasingly adopting Vision Zero and Tactical Urbanism approaches and trying to better understand the underlying causes...

The video begins at 0:27.

Dr. Kelly Clifton, associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at PSU, will present results from Clifton's recent study that aims to make connections between our travel choices and our consumer behavior. Based upon a survey administered in the Portland metro area in the summer 2011, the analysis examines the various influences on mode choices to local restaurants. Similarly, patron spending and frequency of visits are also analyzed with respect to mode to better understand these complex relationships. In this talk, there will be an emphasis on comparing patrons that choose non-automobile modes to those who take a private vehicle. These findings are useful as communities around the country try to educate the business community about the potential impacts of investments in cycling, pedestrians and transit.