Oregon Study Supports Some of Claims of New Urbanists

EcoHome found some empirical evidence supporting a couple of claims of New Urbanists regarding walkable neighborhoods:

[A] recent study by sociology professor Bruce Podobnik of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., suggests that new urbanists might be right in two out of the three cases.

Residents surveyed in the new urbanist community Orenco Station in Hillsboro, Ore., said their community is friendlier and offers more of a sense of community than other places they have lived, that they walk more often to the store, and occasionally use public transportation.

“Overall, this study lends support to the assertion that new urbanist communities can foster more socially cohesive and healthier lifestyles within urban environments,” Podobnik said in introducing his study, "Assessing the Social and Environmental Achievements of New Urbanism: Evidence from Portland, Ore."

However, it’s clear that even Orenco Station residents are nowhere near giving up their cars for public transit to any great degree.