WHERE TO LIVE WITHOUT A CAR: A STUDY USING UNITED STATES CENSUS DATA TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE WITHOUT A CAR A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography California State University Northridge By Brenton G. Smith 22 April 2009
WHERE TO LIVE WITHOUT A CAR:. A STUDY USING UNITED STATES CENSUS DATA TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE WITHOUT A CAR. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography California State University Northridge By Brenton G. Smith 22 April 2009. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
WHERE TO LIVE WITHOUT A CAR:
A STUDY USING UNITED STATES CENSUS DATA TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE
WITHOUT A CAR
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree of Master of Arts in Geography
California State University Northridge
By
Brenton G. Smith22 April 2009
Acknowledgements
• Dr. John Westfall, – San Francisco State University (retired)
• Dr. Steve Watts, – Antelope Valley College
• Dr. Ed Jackiewicz,
• Dr. Steve Graves,• Dr. Ron Davidson (Advisor)
– California State University Northridge
Why care?
• I sought a systematic method to identify the places that may be good candidates to consider for future relocation. I use a car most days, and I would like to use a car less.
• Car ownership and operation will become increasingly expensive in the twenty-first century.
Introducing: NDrAlo
An NDrAlo is a commuter who does Not Drive Alone to work.
Assumption: Places that already have more than an average share of people who manage without cars must be more accessible to non-drivers.
Why I recommend less use of a car:
• Safety: automobile accidents are more often fatal than walking accidents
• Civility: face to face encounters encourage courtesy
• Cost savings: the cost of owning and operating a car can be avoided
• Moral good: – Health benefits and
– social responsibility; reduce air pollution emissions and conserve essential resources
Decline of proven oil reserves
The age of oil will enter into a long period of decline in the twenty-first century (API 2008b, ASPO 2008, ExxonMobil 2005, Heinberg 2003, IEA 2006, 2008, Kunstler 1993, 1996, 2005, Roberts 2004). This figure depicts the results of a calculation by the author based projections by the Energy Information Administration and ExxonMobil. The proven reserve decay rate given the current rate of consumption (approximately 85 million barrels per day in 2005, EIA 2006b) assumes no major additions to the reserve base.
With the rate of global consumption increasing an average of 1.6 percent every year (EIA 2006a), even optimistic forecasts of proven
reserves (3.3 trillion barrels of conventional petroleum) will face decreased production capability this century (EIA 2007, ExxonMobil 2005, 2006, 2007a, 2007b, 2008).
• One way to reduce personal demand for petroleum is to not drive a car.
• The suburban United States is not designed for the convenience of the non-motorist.
• The suburban way of life, fueled by cheap and abundant oil will face challenges this century.
How to search for a place to use a car less :
• Using a table, a form, and a query created using Microsoft Access more than 23,000 places in the United States can quickly be ranked according to the density of NDrAlo.
• Can also be used to find places not to walk.
• Queries can be specific to states or place names.
• This method is designed to find places one may not know of.
Microsoft Access form
Average values of the top 1 percentField Top one percent All places
Density NDrAlo 1,446 52
Number of NDrAlo 17,761 402
Percent of NDrAlo 28 5
Percent of commuters who walk to work 9 4
Percent of commuters who ride public transit to work 18 1
Percent of household owners who do not own a car 17 5
Percent of household renters who do not own a car 49 23
Median rent 916 520
Median household income 49,228 39,100
Number of household units 37,954 3,351
Number of workers 42,547 4,005
Median age 34 37
Averages for the top ranked groups compared to all places
Field Top 50 places average value
Top 1 percent average value
All places average value
Density of NDrAlo 3,361 1,446 52
Percent of households that rent 64 51 27
Number of NDrAlo 62,462 17,761 402
Percent of NDrAlo 38 28 5
Percent of commuters who walk to work 12 9 4
Percent of commuters who ride public transit to work 26 18 1
Percent of household owners that do not own a car 21 17 5
Percent of household renters who do not own a car 56 49 23
Median rent 968 916 520
Median household income 45,923 49,228 39,100
Number of household units 109,651 37,954 3,351
Number of workers 121,116 42,547 4005
Median age 32 34 37
The top fiftyRank Place Density: persons/
square mileRank Place Density: persons/
square mile1 Friendship Village, MD 21,218 13 Cliffside Park, NJ 2,688