This study investigates the impact of the Austin MetroRail on commercial property values. Spatial Durbin models (SDM) suggest a modest price premium associated with rail transit across the study area. A premium gradient is also presented at different distance tiers from stations. When it comes to transit-oriented development (TOD), a synergistic effect in enlarging the premium is found: with additional $9.0/ft², $8.6/ft² and $5.3/ft² at 0.25 mi, 0.25–0.5 mi and 0.5–0.75 mi, respectively. Furthermore, geographically weighted regression shows the premium is significantly higher in central business district (CBD) and TOD areas. Such recognition of the heterogeneous price effect is of use in the design of project financing and TOD strategies.

As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, it is vital for planners and policy-makers to understand the patterns of urban expansion and the underlying driving forces. This study examines the spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion in the Texas Triangle megaregion and explores the drivers behind the expansion. The study used data from multiple sources, including land cover and imperviousness data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001–2016, transportation data from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and ancillary socio-demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau. We conducted spatial cluster analysis and mixed-effect regression analysis. The results show that: (1) urban expansion in the Texas Triangle between 2001 and 2016 showed a decreasing trend, and 95% of the newly urbanized land was in metropolitan areas, especially at the periphery of the central cities; (2) urban expansion in non-metropolitan areas displayed a scattered pattern, comparing to the clustered form in metro areas; (3) the expansion process in the Texas Triangle exhibited a pattern of increased development compactness and intensity; and (4) population and economic growth played a definitive role in driving the urban expansion in the Texas Triangle while highway density also mattered. These results suggest a megaregion-wide emerging trend deviating from the sprawling development course known in Texas’ urban growth history. The changing trend can be attributed to the pro-sustainability initiatives taken by several anchor cities and metropolitan planning agencies in the Texas Triangle.

Existing studies on the built environment (BE)–travel connection tend to underestimate the potential of BE-based mobility strategies due to these studies’ limitations in conceptual and analytical frames. This study conceptualized the combined direct and indirect effects of BE on travel as contextual effects around three features of BE: multiplicity, interaction, and scalability. The conceptual framework was operationalized through multilevel modeling. The empirical analysis from Austin, Texas, verified the multiplicity of BE as it affected VMT, confirmed the complementary effects of BE and residential self-selection on VMT, and demonstrated practical procedures to deal with the analytical challenges of BE scalability.