The Behavioral Impacts of Urban Street Modifications: A Case Study of East Blvd. in Charlotte, NC

Increasing rates of obesity and related health consequences have characterized the U.S. population for the past 20 years. The lack of opportunities for daily active transportation and social interaction in places that are safe and convenient has been a major contributing factor to sedentary lifestyles for both adults and children. Complete streets interventions aim to provide safe and convenient opportunities for all users to engage in physical and social activities, thereby improving quality of life. Understanding the relationship between microscale physical characteristics of complete streets and user behavior relative to active transportation and social interaction is essential to evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions and their potential influence on quality of life.;Although significant studies have been conducted on the influences of streetscape elements on human behavior, no studies have attempted to determine the impacts of complete streets modifications on human behavior. East Blvd. (located in Charlotte, NC) was selected to determine the impacts of microscale physical complete streets modifications on human behavior relative to active transportation, social interaction, and quality of life. East Blvd., was recently modified to encompass elements and characteristics of a complete street. Modifications included installation of bicycle lanes, addition of pedestrian crosswalks and refuges, and reconfigured travel lanes (road diet).;Changes in users' behavior in response to modifications were determined through semi-structured interviews of street users who experienced East Blvd. before and after modifications (n=66), site observations, traffic and collision analyses, and examination of archival documents. Interviews were conducted to determine if and how behavior changed and what characteristics of the street contributed to these changes. Site observations were used to examine the context in which changes occurred and the nature of and causes or conditions associated with the changes. Site observations were linked with data obtained from interviews. Traffic and collision analyses were conducted to link (1) perceived changes in the number of accidents and traffic volumes, with (2) changes in behavior. Finally, archival documents of East Blvd. were examined with the above data to determine which, why, and how specific microscale physical modifications contributed to changes in behavior.;Findings suggest the following: 1. Increasing the number of affordances provided by an urban streetscape can lead to increases in active transportation (walking, jogging, and cycling) and social interaction. 2. Installation of pedestrian crosswalks and refuges can result in a safer, more walkable environment that increases opportunities for active transportation and social interaction. 3. Installation of bicycle lanes can support a safer environment for cyclists by creating a mutual "awareness of shared space" between cyclists and drivers. 4. Complete streets for all users may improve public health and quality of life by supporting pedestrian and cyclist activity and social interaction.