Rail transit station area development : small area modeling in Washington, D.C. /

This is a well-written empirical research study on the question: Does rail transit cause development to occur at stations in major US cities? The book begins with an excellent overview of factors affecting local development generally, and specifically in Washington, D.C., its case study region. A very useful summary of previous rail station impact studies is also provided. The book's empirical findings consist of excellent statistical summaries of development at Washington area rail stations, comparing these with development in control areas, as well as some too-simple regression models relating rail station development to several factors. The work is also unsuccessful in its nonauthoritative descriptions of regional activity allocation and travel models. These do not contribute to the research findings and are better left to the many excellent textbooks on these subjects. The authors also present far too much detailed statistical data and test results for even most technical readers. Excellent bibliography; good index and binding; printing is light on some pages. Graduate; faculty; professional. D. Brand; Harvard University