Transportation Seminar: Transit Ridership and the Built Environment

The built environment and its effect on transit ridership will be discussed during the Transportation Seminar Series on October 18th. The presentation will focus on recently published findings from the report: Transit Ridership and the Built Environment. The objective of this research was to determine what variables (e.g., land-use mix, walkability) play an important role in determining the built environment/transit ridership relationship in the Fargo-Moorhead community.

Transit Ridership and the Built Environment

SURTC has published a new report that focused on evaluating the the built environment and its influence on transit ridership. In relation to travel behavior, there has been a focus on improving our understanding of how the built environment influences one's travel mode choice. Planners need evidence showing how land use matters as they advocate for the adoption of different planning principles. This is especially true in small urban areas where planners seldom utilize innovative land-use principles, such as smart growth, within their planning process.

The objective of this research was to determine what variables play an important role in determining the built environment/transit ridership relationship in the Fargo-Moorhead community. Socio-economic and level of service variables were also considered. The publication can be downloaded at the following link:  Transit Ridership and the Built Environment.