Lecture 15: Urban Movement and Activity Patterns

1. Lecture 15: Urban Movement and Activity Patterns 1.Time Geography and Flow Patterns: The Peak-Hour Ratio 2. How Auto-oriented is Tucson? 3. Activity Spaces and Restrictions on Spatial Behavior a. Capability Constraints b. Coupling Constraints: The Time-Space Prism c. Authority Constraints 4. Major Urban Trip Types a. The Journey-to-Work b. Shopping Trips c. Social and Recreational Trips READING:Optional:Dicken & Lloyd “Time-Space Constraints” REMINDER: Project 2 Due THURSDAY; Ppt files no later than 12:15; Maps and papers here by 12:30 SHARP! “Efficient organization of activities in space becomes an even more critical metropolitan problem when one adds in the satisfaction which the citizens of the city derive from the web of interaction” --Lowden Wingo, Jr., Cities and Space Print out Practice Exams and bring to class Next Tuesday

2. 1. Time Geography and Flow Patterns: The Peak-hour Ratio • “Time Geography” pioneered by Swedes: Torsten Hägerstrand and “the Lund School” • Basic idea: the time-space path – people in carrying out daily activities make simultaneous spatial and temporal decisions: When to be where… • Let’s begin by considering the amount of traffic on a city street • What determines the amount of traffic? • Where’s the street? • What day of the week is it? • What time of day is it?

3. Typical Downtown Street Flow Pattern and the Calculation of Peak-Hour Ratios PM Peak Peak-Hour Ratio = 100 x Peak Hour Flow / 24-Hour Flow What would it be if there were the same number of trips everyhour (no “peaking”)? 100 x 1/24 = 4% AM Peak No. of Trips What does Tucson’s pattern look like? 12 AM 4 AM 8 AM Noon 4 PM 8 PM 12 PM Time of Day Real-world U.S. City Ratios ca. 10 – 12%

4. PictureSource: Arizona Daily Star

5. How Auto-oriented is Tucson?

6. How Auto-oriented is Tucson?

7. Activity and Life Spaces Daily Activity Space Friend’s House Shopping Center Work Home Movie Theatres

8. Restrictions on Spatial Behavior • What shapes people activity spaces? • Three kinds of spatial constraints: • Capability Constraints • Availability of Transport • Stage in Life Cycle • Physical Condition Critical factor today: ability to own & drive a car

9. Restrictions on Spatial Behavior • Coupling Constraints • These have to do with accessibility: the ease of reaching different possible destinations • Time tables are crucial – whether you go depends on whether you can reach the place in time • Time Geographers have introduced concept of the TIME-SPACE PRISM and feasible vs. infeasible activity bundles

10. The Time-Space Prism and Coupling Constraints Feasible Activity Bundles: {B} {C, D} 6 PM D A B DailyLife-Space C Time of Day 1 PM Infeasible Activity Bundles: {A} {B, D} Time-Space Path 8 AM Distance from Home

11. Restrictions on Spatial Behavior • Authority Constraints • Restricted Use • Fees • Fear! • Discrimination

12. Major Trip Types • The Journey-to-Work • Largest percentage of trips in metro areas, but decreasing share over last couple of decades (was once almost half of all trips on a weekly basis) • Already studied in terms of my New England commuting patterns study • Commuting patterns now quite complex

13. 1. The Journey-to-Work Case Study: Cicero, Illinois • 76% of jobs in Cicero filled by people living outside Cicero • 63% of Cicero’s resident workers commute to jobs outside of Cicero • Increased polarization of jobs by industry • Many blue-collar workers now reverse commute • Many white-collar workers still inward commuters

14. Major Trip Types • The Journey-to-Work (Continued) • Who commutes longer distances – Men or Women? • Why? • Although distances to work have been increasing, travel times have held fairly constant • As we make travel easier, people choose to live farther and farther away from their jobs • High percentage of work trips take place over rush hours

15. Major Trip Types • Shopping Trips • Second most common type of trip in metropolitan areas • Increasing its share (was only about 15% 20 years ago, now maybe 20%) • More sensitive to distance than work trips – but depends on what good being sought (recall actual outer range, market areas, etc.) • More uniform across the day and evening and weekends than work trips

16. Major Trip Types • Shopping Trips • Three types of shopping trips: • Single Purpose: Run out from home to get milk or eggs or beer… • Multipurpose: Stop at more than one retail establishment; do weekly grocery shopping, stop to get cash at branch bank, drop off dry cleaning, pick up painting from frame shop; usually longer than single purpose trips • Combined Purpose: Shopping done while out on another trip type (stop to pick up chips and salsa at convenience store on way home from work) 58.2% of all shopping trips* H → S → H 28.6% of all shopping trips* H → S → S →S →S →H 13.2% of all shopping trips* W→S→ H *Based on results of a study done in Kingston, Ont., Canada

17. Major Trip Types • Social and Recreational Trips • Third most common type of trip in metropolitan areas • Social distance as well as physical distance important: most friends come from same income level • Study in L.A. found more husbands’ than wives’ friends were made through work • These trips mostly on weekends (63% in a Lansing, MI study) and evenings

18. POP QUIZ Name _____________ Fill-in the missing word… The three categories of restrictions on spatial behavior that shape individual activity spaces are: • Capability Constraints • Coupling Constraints • Authority Constraints