Measuring changes in taxi trips near infill development and issues for curbside management of for-hire vehicles

This research examines changes in taxi trip origins and destinations after new multifamily residential buildings opened in New York City. We argue that taxi trips are a reasonable proxy for other for-hire vehicles trips, which are expected to grow in coming years. The analysis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of transportation effects of infill development. Infill developments are typically required to mitigate potential vehicular traffic increases, which are often ill suited to redevelopment of denser, more transit adjacent sites. This research uses geolocated trip data from New York City taxicabs combined with US Census, real estate pricing and tax lot data to develop a baseline understanding of the relationship between trip generation and infill residential development. The objective of this work is twofold. First, establish a measure of taxi activities based on neighborhood and building characteristics to help adapt transportation impact assessments for multimodal travel. Second, through observational data we discuss unique aspects of passenger pick-ups and drop offs as they relate to curb space and street use. Our results show that taxi trip making is positively associated with new residential construction, rental costs and places with high levels of transit usage, and adds demand to congested curb space. Curb space should be considered “wetlands” of urban systems, a poorly understood, yet key, component that connects the flows of traffic and activities in the built environment.