The seemingly non-complex decisions on where food trucks park is examined in a new study that finds there's actually a lot more to it than just an empty curb.
A new study from researchers at UCLA and the Washington D.C. Federal Reserve System looks at the movement and economic impact of food trucks. As Richard Florida and Aria Bendix report in City Lab, the location a food truck stops can often be tied to several factors and its impact on local economies can be beneficial.
…the study uses unique data on food trucks from the U.S. Census Bureau and a dataset of daily Washington, D.C. food truck locations, as well as social media data from Twitter and Google Trends. The study is particularly interested in the connection between food trucks and new digital technologies—especially social media—and how food trucks make use of them.
Among the factors influencing location is the use of social media, such as Twitter, to allow for last minute changes to food truck locations—giving customers last minute notice when the food truck is unable to be in their normal stop. The study also found that the availability of a variety of food trucks resulted in greater consumer spending.
Read the full story: Why Food Trucks Locate Where They Do
Is Twitter Still an Effective Planning Tool?
Twitter has been a daily dose of drama and upheaval ever since Elon Musk offered to pay over $40 billion to buy the social media platform. Media outlets and public transit agencies had been abandoning the social media platform—should planners?
Twitter for Planners in 2022
Twitter is changing, not in the way Elon Musk wants it to, but it’s still perhaps the most useful social media platform for planners looking for education and engagement.
Only High-Income Riders Rely on Twitter for Transit Info, Study Says
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
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US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
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Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority