TECHNICAL PAPERS
Mar 1, 2009

Multiple Case Studies of the Influence of Land-Use Type on the Distribution of Uses along Urban River Greenways

Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 135, Issue 1

Abstract

This descriptive case study examines the influence of the land-use type on the level of use of greenways for physical activity, and is intended to inform the construction or expansion of multi-use greenway systems. Greenway use data were collected through direct observation, making multiple passes over two city greenways and recording the location of users with a Global Positioning System device. The distribution of uses was then examined with land-use data using geographic information systems to determine if use was heaviest on segments of the greenway adjacent to areas with distinct land-use characteristics. The study reveals that use is heaviest on sections of the greenway that intersect parks and on greenway segments in downtown areas where there is a concentration of commercial land use. Use is also significant on segments that connect parks to the downtown when these two land uses are separated by relatively short distances.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted with the support of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research dissertation grant.

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Go to Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 135Issue 1March 2009
Pages: 31 - 38

History

Received: Jul 27, 2007
Accepted: Mar 7, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009

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Affiliations

Christopher Coutts, Ph.D. [email protected]
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning, Center for Demography and Population Health, Florida State Univ., 607 Bellamy Bldg., 113 Collegiate Loop, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2280. E-mail: [email protected]

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