Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places

This new Manual is a guide for evaluating peoples' ability to access services and activities, and therefore the performance of transportation and land use configurations.

2 minute read

December 2, 2020, 10:00 AM PST

By Todd Litman


Wheelchair Accessible

Allen.G / Shutterstock

Transportation planning is shifting from evaluating mobility (physical movement) to accessibility (people's ability to reach desired services and activities), which expands the range of solutions that can be applied to transportation problems. For example, mobility-based planning assumes that the preferred solution to traffic congestion is to expand roadways so motorists can travel faster and farther. Accessibility-based planning considers roadway expansions, improvements to non-auto modes (such as bicycle improvements and grade-separated transit), development reforms to reduce the distances that people must travel, pricing reforms and commute trip reduction programs that encourage use of more space-efficient modes, plus mobility substitutes such as telework and delivery services. Access-based analysis is more complicated, but better reflects what want want overall: the ability to reach desired services and activities. It leads to more multimodal transportation systems and more compact and connected communities.

This new book, Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places, provides practical information on how to measure these impacts. It is a guide for quantifying and evaluating access for anybody interested in truly understanding how to measure the performance of transport and land use configurations. It contains enough information to help transport and planning professionals achieve a more comprehensive look at their city or region than traditional transport analysis allows. It provides a point of entry for interested members of the public as well as practitioners by being organized in a logical and straightforward way. It is now available as a free PDF document, or as a hard-copy book.

Thanks to Professors David Levinson and David King for their great leadership on this project.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020 in Transport Access Manual: A Guide for Measuring Connection between People and Places

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Brick school building with mid-sized tree on front lawn.

Alabama School Forestry Initiative Brings Trees to Schoolyards

Trees can improve physical and mental health for students and commnity members.

15 minutes ago - Governing

Row of outdoor dining kiosks in New York City during Covid-19 in winter. Kiosks are enclosed with plastc or plexiglass.

NYC Outdoor Dining Could Get a Re-Do

The city council is considering making the al fresco dining program year-round to address cost concerns from small businesses.

1 hour ago - StreetsBlog NYC

Millbrae BART station.

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City

The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

April 24 - San Diego Post