A Growing Demand for Community-Based Transportation By Dan Grosswald and Joe Moye transportation + infrastructure
The future of mobility is quickly moving away from vehicle ownership and more towards access to conve- nient and reliable transportation. This trend places an even greater emphasis on how communities of the future should be built today to provide residents with an alter- native mode of connectivity to retail, restaurants, health services, businesses, entertainment, and schools. Now, more advanced community amenities like driverless shuttles are being incorporated into live-work-play developments to address the shift tak- ing place in how people seek to connect from A to B. A recent industry survey illustrates the opportunities and benefits in creating and implementing a better way to seamlessly connect people and places. The online survey presented questions to more than 2,500 builders and developers throughout the U.S. to take the pulse on cur- rent and future plans for community-based transportation services. Breaking Down the Results The survey data shows more than one-third of builders and developers currently have some form of community-based transportation service while another 12 percent say they’re currently planning the implemen- tation of these services. Of the services provided bikes, shuttles, and electric scooters makeup the largest types of transportation options. As many builders look to implement new modes of alternative mobil- ity in their communities, those who do believe that community-based transportation and/or innovations such as driverless shuttle services would add value to the homes in their communities. More than two- thirds of builders and developers responded that it would add value and half of those polled believe this could bring an additional 4 - 6 percent increase in home values within the community. It’s one of the driving factors builders see as an attractive and unique service feature for potential new residents. Fifty-six percent of builders and developers believe new resident attraction represents the largest motivating factor for the implementation of such mobility systems, followed by enhanced services for residents (52 percent), and added overall revenue (50 percent). Additionally, this will improve safety in these communities by reducing road congestion while also positively impacting the environment by us- ing electric shuttles in place of gasoline powered personal transportation. Benefits of Community-Based Transportation Realized Master planned communities like Tradition and Lake Nona in Florida
represent the rise in builders and planned developers who value the importance of community-based services. Specifically, their autono - mous mobility networks are improving connectivity, attracting new home buyers, increasing home values, and reducing the need for personal transportation. Mattamy Homes, the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America and the leading developer in Tradition, developed alter- native mobility solutions for residents, employees, and visitors to move around the community to connect residential living, retail, restaurants, and recreational areas. The initial implementation of community-based transportation utilizing driverless shuttles con- sists of two routes with four stops serving three key destinations in Tradition, including The Landings retail center, Town Square, and their new Manderlie development.
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csengineermag.com
DECEMBER 2021
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