Accessibility Measures in Practice: A Guide for Transportation Agencies (2022)

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2022 N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1000 Accessibility Measures in Practice A GUIDE FOR TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES Alex Karner Kaylyn Levine Louis Alcorn Minyu Situ The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Dana Rowangould University of Vermont Burlington, VT Kyeongsu Kim Connetics Transportation Group Washington, DC Ayberk Kocatepe Connetics Transportation Group Orlando, FL Subscriber Categories Planning and Forecasting • Society Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Ofcials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transporta- tion results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to high- way authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 ini- tiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agree- ment No. 693JJ31950003. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive com- mittee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, univer- sities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of special- ists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs iden- tified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Direc- tors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB. The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs. Published research reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet by going to https://www.mytrb.org/MyTRB/Store/default.aspx Printed in the United States of America NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1000 Project 08-121 ISSN 2572-3766 (Print) ISSN 2572-3774 (Online) ISBN 978-0-309-68746-1 Library of Congress Control Number 2022946750 © 2022 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trade- marks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. Cover figure credit: Franklin County Auditor, Esri, HERE, Garmin, INCREMENT P, USGS, EPA Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under license. Copyright 2020 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved. NOTICE The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or speci- fications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications. The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

e National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non- governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president. e National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president. e National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. e three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. e National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org. e Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. e mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. e Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. e program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research was performed under NCHRP Project 08-121 by the Graduate Program in Community and Regional Planning at The University of Texas at Austin (Texas). Texas was the prime contractor for this study. Subcontractors were Sustainable Systems Research (SSR), Connetics Transportation Group (CTG), and Arizona State University (ASU). Alex Karner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning at Texas, was the Project Director and Principal Investigator. Dana Rowangould, Ph.D., Principal at SSR and Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont, was Co-Principal Investigator. The other authors of this work were Kaylyn Levine, Research Assistant and Ph.D. candidate at Texas; Louis Alcorn, Research Assistant at Texas; Minyu Situ, Research Assistant and Ph.D. student at Texas; Kyeongsu Kim, Ph.D., Senior Researcher and Project Manager at CTG; and Ayberk Kocatepe, Ph.D., Research Assistant and Senior Modeler at CTG. Ram Pendyala, Ph.D., Professor and Director in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at ASU and Kara Kockelman, Ph.D., Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Texas, also provided valuable feedback and input. The research team thanks the many transportation professionals who freely gave their time to participate in the interviews and surveys that underlie this work, as well as the agency staff members who provided thoughtful review of draft materials for the guide during the piloting phase. The final products were greatly strengthened by these contributions. Any errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors alone. CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1000 Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Sid Mohan, Associate Program Manager, Implementation and Technology Transfer, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Ann M. Hartell, Senior Program Officer Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications Ellen M. Chafee, Senior Editor NCHRP PROJECT 08-121 PANEL Field of Transportation Planning—Area of Planning Methods and Processes Karena J. Houser, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA (Chair) Deanna Belden, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Saint Paul, MN Evelyn A. Blumenberg, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA Dan Lamers, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington, TX Bassey Onyile, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Trenton, NJ Elizabeth Ann Sall, UrbanLabs LLC, Seattle, WA Jason Bryan Schronce, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, NC Monica Y. Zhong, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL Alexis Kuklenski, FHWA Liaison Ken J. Cervenka, FTA Liaison Caroline Kieltyka, AASHTO Liaison

NCHRP Research Report 1000 describes measures of accessibility—defined as the ease with which travelers can reach valued destinations—and how these measures can be implemented by transportation agencies. The report will be of interest to those responsible for transporta- tion planning, project selection and prioritization, performance management reporting, and outreach to communities and decision-makers. It is designed for use by practitioners new to accessibility concepts as well as those with experience who are interested in expanding their use of accessibility applications. Measures of accessibility provide important information about the performance of the trans- portation system across all modes in meeting human needs. Although the term “accessibility” is sometimes used in reference to the specific requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, practitioners and researchers frequently consider accessibility to be a broader concept that is applicable to all user groups and modes and that accounts for distance, travel time, and other costs of reaching valued destinations. One motivation for using an accessibility measure is that it can provide a user-centric approach to compare tradeoffs between proposed investments, including across modes. Additionally, accessibility measures can be used to understand the distribution of user benefits and costs of specific transportation investments or to more closely link trans- portation decisions with land use development. Accessibility measures can also serve as performance measures for goal areas included in performance-based planning and pro- gramming efforts. As transportation agencies increasingly adopt data-driven and strategic approaches to decision-making, the need for measures that can inform those decisions is also increasing. Under NCHRP Project 08-121, “Accessibility Measures in Practice: Guidance for Transpor- tation Agencies,” the University of Texas at Austin was tasked to develop a practitioner-ready resource for transportation agencies on how to select and apply accessibility measures for different decision-making contexts. The research included a literature review and practitioner interviews. The information and insights collected informed an assessment of current practice to identify gaps and challenges as well as feasible improvements in the use of accessibility measures. A draft version of NCHRP Research Report 1000 was piloted by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments (St. Louis, MO), the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT), the Hawaii DOT, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (Dallas-Fort Worth), and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (greater Milwaukee). The pilot activities are documented in Appendix D. NCHRP Research Report 1000 provides a step-by-step approach to selecting and adopting accessibility measures. It distills the essential concepts of accessibility and how accessibility can be operationalized through measurement, even if an agency has very limited data. It takes By Ann M. Hartell Staff Officer Transportation Research Board F O R E W O R D

a deep dive into the elements of commonly used measures to equip users to meaningfully integrate accessibility into transportation decision-making. To support users of the step-by-step approach provided in NCHRP Research Report 1000, Appendix F provides worksheets and Appendix G provides a presentation on using the worksheets. Both of these resources are also available electronically on the National Acad- emies Press website (www.nap.edu) by searching on NCHRP Research Report 1000: Accessi- bility Measures in Practice: A Guide for Transportation Agencies. A companion product, NCHRP Web-Only Document 330: Accessibility Measures in Practice, documents the research effort and assesses the challenges and opportunities for expanded use of accessibility measures in practice.

1 Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 What Is Accessibility? 1 1.2 Why Is Accessibility Useful? 2 1.3 Need for Accessibility Guidance 3 1.4 About This Guide 4 1.5 How to Use This Guide 6 Chapter 2 Accessibility Measurement Principles and Practices 6 2.1 Types of Accessibility Measures 16 2.2 Common Uses for Accessibility Measures 17 2.3 Implementation Challenges and Gaps 20 2.4 Opportunities to Use Accessibility in Practice Are Within Reach 22 Chapter 3 How to Measure and Apply Accessibility 23 3.1 Step 1: Identify Goals, Objectives, and Context 27 3.2 Step 2: Screen Candidate Measures or Concepts 31 3.3 Step 3: Select Accessibility Measures and Dimensions 35 3.4 Step 4: Identify Data Sources and Estimate Measures 45 3.5 Step 5: Evaluate, Interpret, and Communicate Measures 51 3.6 Step 6: Revise Accessibility Applications 53 References A-1 Appendix A Real-World Example Measures B-1 Appendix B Case Studies of Accessibility Measurement C-1 Appendix C State DOT Accessibility Practices D-1 Appendix D Examples of Using This Guide E-1 Appendix E Software and Data Resources F-1 Appendix F Worksheets G-1 Appendix G Worksheet Presentation C O N T E N T S