Abstract
This research effort expands the research and development of SACOG’s mixed-use index (or “mix index”) originally developed in 2007 to better understand the relationship between land use diversity with vehicle-miles of travel (VMT). While it is not well documented how the current SACOG mixed-index was developed in 2007, this research effort combines parcel-level land use data with household survey data from the entire six-county SACOG region. This project improves on the existing mixed index by modeling VMT as a function of surrounding land use diversity then comparing its effectiveness with SACOG’s current model by testing how well both correlate with household VMT from travel survey data. The proposed model is applied with the SACSIM regional travel demand model to illustrate that households with a higher mixed index generate less VMT. As a result, this research not only confirms that jurisdictions within the SACOG region would produce less VMT with greater land use diversity policies, it also provides a tool to quantify or measure the mix of land use at the household or parcel level.