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INTRODUCTION

COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS

As part of the five-year update to the Regional Policy Plan, the Cape Cod Commission collected information about the 15 towns within Barnstable County (Cape Cod) to objectively describe and characterize each.

This application contains a variety of data about Cape Cod’s people and places, revealing regional patterns that tell a story about where and how we live, work, and play.

METHODOLOGY

Geographic data was collected from multiple sources, including town assessing data, ESRI Business Analyst, state clearing houses and US Census information. The information was analyzed and partitioned into a 10-acre hexagonal grid. The grid allows for statistically valid comparisons between uniformly sized geographic areas.

The data was processed and grouped into categories, which are then further broken into individual metrics. The Categories are:

  1. Economy
  2. Vulnerability
  3. Recreation
  4. Demographics
  5. Development Patterns
For each metric, scores ranging from 1 - 10 were assigned to each hexagon based on characteristics of the hexagon's spatial coverage. For example, hexagons that have a value of "1" for the building density metric are likely entirely undeveloped, while those having values of "10" likely contain the highest density of buildings.

Data points were appropriately adjusted to ensure equal distribution of data to the hexagons. The data points were also grouped using the Natural Breaks method, a standard technique for GIS analysis.

The scores for each metric were then averaged across a categories and used to generate individual category and metric scores for each town.

ECONOMY

The level of economic activity of each town on Cape Cod is an important distinguishing factor. This category explores commercial and residential real estate values, as well as annual sales and employment figures.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

This metric examines the number of people employed within a 10-acre hexagon, and identifies the major employment centers in the region using information from Esri Business Analyst Data.

The places that stand out for economic activity include Main Street in Hyannis – there is a high number of commercial establishments in this primarily tourist-oriented area, including restaurants, retail stores and office buildings.

COMMERCIAL SQUARE FEET

Using the parcel-level assessing data, this metric assesses the number of commercial square feet within a hexagon.

In addition to the regional economic center at Hyannis, the Cranberry Highway in Orleans scores above average, serving as an economic hub for the Lower Cape.

ANNUAL SALES

Esri Business Analyst Data is “a national database of nearly 18 million U.S. businesses from Dun & Bradstreet to identify customers and competitors.” (source: Esri United States Business Analyst Data).

From this data set, the total annual sales of Cape Cod’s commercial establishments were calculated within each hexagon.

Mashpee Commons shows up with a score of 9 for this metric, and the intersection of Main Street and Old Harbor Road in Chatham scored 8.

TOTAL ASSESSED VALUE

Total assessed value captures the real estate value of residential, commercial, and industrial locations, using town-developed parcel-level assessing data.

VULNERABILITY

Natural events such as hurricanes, floods, and sea level rise may significantly impact this region. Therefore, understanding the potential effect of these forces on our communities is vital as we look ahead.

HURRICANES

The Army Corps of Engineers created a Sea, Lake and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model that is widely used to determine areas affected by hurricanes. The SLOSH model “estimates storm surge heights resulting from historical, hypothetical or predicted hurricanes” (source: Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH)).

The SLOSH metric was included because it indicates which areas of Cape Cod are most at risk from flooding due to hurricanes.

The acreage of each hexagon within this SLOSH zone was calculated.

FEMA FLOOD ZONES

For insurance purposes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designates areas vulnerable to flooding. The percentage of each hexagon within these FEMA flood zones is reported in this metric.

The Great Marsh in Barnstable and Provincetown stand out with the high number of 10 scores for this metric (100% within the FEMA flood zone). The high scores (8 and above) also line the coastlines of most Cape Cod towns.

SEA LEVEL RISE

The NOAA Coastal Services Center established a sea level rise methodology that identifies areas subject to inundation within a range of forecasted sea level changes. The Commission augmented this methodology by using more accurate elevation data.

This metric reports the percent of a 10-acre hexagon that would be affected by three feet of sea level rise – a conservative projected estimate by the scientific community.

Areas of particular concern on Cape Cod again include the Great Marsh in Barnstable (most of which scored a 10), with other pockets of high scores in the Lower Cape. A 10 would indicate that 100% of the 10-acres would be affected by three feet of sea level rise.

COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY

Esri, which provides the underlying GIS data for this map, uses the Social Vulnerability score to answer the question, “Where are the areas of relatively greater potential impact from disaster events within this state or county,” particularly due to “population and housing characteristics: age, low income, disability, home value, or other factors” (source: Esri USA Social Vulnerability).

RECREATION

This category explores areas and activities that may be available to Cape Cod residents, workers and visitors.

OPEN SPACE

This metric examines the number of people employed within a 10-acre hexagon, and identifies the major employment centers in the region using information from Esri Business Analyst Data.

MassGIS maintains a database for protected open space that was used to identify the percentage of each hexagon that is protected open space.

Cape Cod has hundreds of acres of protected open space, which is evident when looking at the map for this metric. There are many hexagons that score a 10 – or 100% protection – including Cape Cod National Seashore, Sandy Neck and Nickerson State Park.

PROXIMITY TO BEACHES AND BOAT RAMPS

In addition to access to open space, hexagons were also scored by the proximity to a number of recreational amenities. These include Beaches and Boat Ramps.

Cape Cod’s seasonal economy is heavily reliant on tourists who come to enjoy not only beaches and open space, but also recreational amenities such as golf and art galleries. Dennis has many patches of high scores in the recreation category – it has two coastlines, multiple golf courses, a multi-use path, and several art galleries and museums.

PROXIMITY TO COASTLINE

In addition to access to open space, hexagons were also scored by the proximity to a number of recreational amenities. These include Coastline.

Cape Cod’s seasonal economy is heavily reliant on tourists who come to enjoy not only beaches and open space, but also recreational amenities such as golf and art galleries. Dennis has many patches of high scores in the recreation category – it has two coastlines, multiple golf courses, a multi-use path, and several art galleries and museums.

PROXIMITY TO GREAT PONDS

In addition to access to open space, hexagons were also scored by the proximity to a number of recreational amenities. These include Great Ponds.

Cape Cod’s seasonal economy is heavily reliant on tourists who come to enjoy not only beaches and open space, but also recreational amenities such as golf and art galleries. Dennis has many patches of high scores in the recreation category – it has two coastlines, multiple golf courses, a multi-use path, and several art galleries and museums.

PROXIMITY TO GOLF COURSES

In addition to access to open space, hexagons were also scored by the proximity to a number of recreational amenities. These include Golf Courses.

Cape Cod’s seasonal economy is heavily reliant on tourists who come to enjoy not only beaches and open space, but also recreational amenities such as golf and art galleries. Dennis has many patches of high scores in the recreation category – it has two coastlines, multiple golf courses, a multi-use path, and several art galleries and museums.

PROXIMITY TO MULTI-USE PATHS

In addition to access to open space, hexagons were also scored by the proximity to a number of recreational amenities. These include Multi-Use Paths (e.g. bikeways).

Cape Cod’s seasonal economy is heavily reliant on tourists who come to enjoy not only beaches and open space, but also recreational amenities such as golf and art galleries. Dennis has many patches of high scores in the recreation category – it has two coastlines, multiple golf courses, a multi-use path, and several art galleries and museums.

PROXIMITY TO ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

In addition to access to open space, hexagons were also scored by the proximity to a number of recreational amenities. These include Art Galleries and Museums.

Cape Cod’s seasonal economy is heavily reliant on tourists who come to enjoy not only beaches and open space, but also recreational amenities such as golf and art galleries. Dennis has many patches of high scores in the recreation category – it has two coastlines, multiple golf courses, a multi-use path, and several art galleries and museums.

DEMOGRAPHICS

The people in a community also define the character of the place. This category addresses the individuals who live on Cape Cod, where they live, and when they are here.

POPULATION DENSITY

Population density analyzes the number of residents per acre in each hexagon.

High population densities reflect more compact neighborhoods, with high number of residential structures. Examples on Cape Cod include Barnstable, Yarmouth, and Falmouth. One of the highest scores in population density is actually on Buzzard’s Bay – the location of the residences for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Total population density is reported by the US Census based on year-round population, and does not account for seasonal variations.

OWNER-OCCUPIED DWELLINGS

This metric examines the number of housing units per acre in each hexagon that are occupied by year-round, full-time residents based on the US Census.

Year-round occupancy includes places where the working population and retirees live permanently on Cape Cod. This is evident in the Mid Cape and Upper Cape. Conversely, the lack of owner-occupied dwellings may signal where second homes and vacation rentals may be concentrated (namely, the Outer Cape and parts of the Lower Cape).

WORKFORCE AGE POPULATION

The percent of residents between the ages of 19 and 65 is reported by the US Census.

Home affordability may be a factor in areas with higher concentrations of those of workforce age.

SEASONALLY VACANT DWELLINGS

Seasonally vacant dwellings are reported by the US Census.

This metric indicates which homes are vacant in the off-season, and therefore displays concentrations of second homes and vacation rentals.

TOTAL HOUSING DENSITY

Total housing density is calculated by the US Census.

Unlike the Built Before 1950 layer, housing density captures all the residential development through the present. The highest concentrations of residential development Capewide are shown in Dennis and Provincetown, where many of the 10 scores are located.

Areas with concentrations of smaller lot sizes tend to be highlighted in this layer.

DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

Development patterns help define the character of a town’s built environment. By exploring metrics about current development and what it looks like, we can see differences and similarities across the region.

BUILT BEFORE 1950

The first town on Cape Cod, Sandwich, was incorporated in 1639, and the other 14 towns were incorporated by the late 1800s. Cape Cod is rich in history, and its past development defines part of today's character.

Using parcel-level data from town assessing records, the number of parcels built before 1950 was summed, and the density of development was calculated. Development built after 1950 is not captured in this metric.

With its limited land area substantially developed before 1950, Provincetown contains all the hexagons with a score of 10 for this metric. Falmouth and Harwich each contain a hexagon with a score of 9.

Generally, the highest concentrations of older parcels follow older roads, and cluster around ports and village centers.

To view and interact with this dataset, select the "Development Patterns" Community Characteristics Type and then select the "Built Before 1950" Map Type.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACES

Impervious surfaces are areas where built surfaces cover the ground, making it impermeable to water infiltration.

Data from the MassGIS Office, based on ortho-imagery collected in 2005, includes all constructed surfaces such as buildings, road, parking lots, brick, asphalt, concrete, and compacted soil/unpaved parking lots.

The graph below shows that the highest concentrations of impervious surface on Cape Cod in Barnstable, while no hexagons ranking a 10 lie in Eastham. The Outer Cape in general contains much less impervious surface than the Upper, Mid and Lower Cape.

STRUCTURE PROXIMITY

A building’s proximity to others tells us about an area’s development patterns. Structures spread far apart are more common in rural areas, while those close together are more indicative of town centers on Cape Cod. It can also identify concentrations of homes on smaller lots, such as Dennisport or New Seabury in Mashpee.

Proximity was calculated by counting the number of structures within one acre of each individual building.

FLOOR AREA RATIO

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is a measure of the bulk and mass of structures on a site.

The ratio is generated by dividing the building area by the parcel area, and is often used by local governments in zoning codes. Higher FARs tend to indicate the presence of larger structures or structures that occupy relatively more space on a parcel, perhaps through multiple stories.

The FAR was calculated using parcel-level assessing data, and dividing the structure square footage by the upland area of the parcel. (The upland area was determined to be the total parcel area, minus the wetland area.)

The Mid Cape has many hexagons scoring above average in the FAR metric, indicative of the higher presence of multi-story structures.

ROAD INTERSECTIONS

Intersection density helps define the relative connectivity and walkability of a location. Increased connectivity has the potential for more interactions between people (such as villages and mixed-use residential communities), and it has greater potential for more pedestrian and bicycle activity.

The MassDOT road network dataset provided the number of intersections, which were then summed per hexagon.

The towns with the highest concentrations of intersection density are Falmouth, Harwich, and Mashpee. The Lower Cape and Sandwich are near the average number of road intersections for Cape Cod’s hexagons, but Truro was well below average with all hexagons scoring a 5 or below.

PARCEL/STRUCTURE RATIO

The amount of a parcel that is covered by a building’s footprint is another method of determining the density of development. This ratio is different from FAR because it does not account for the height of a building – just the amount of space the building’s footprint will take up within the upland area oaf a parcel. Higher ratios tend to be found in denser, more developed areas. Commercial corridors across the Cape are evident in this layer.

Parcel-level assessing data and the structures dataset were used to generate area-weighted values for each parcel.

Main Street in Falmouth has several hexagons scoring a 10 in Parcel-Structure ratio, along with Route 132 in Hyannis and Commercial Street in Provincetown.

DISTANCE OF STRUCTURES FROM MAJOR RIGHTS OF WAY

Although the parcel-structure ratio and FAR hint at how much space there is between a parcel’s edge and the structure on it, the location of the structure on the parcel also tells an important story. This metric assesses the proximity of structures to the road edge.

The Rights of Way (ROW) for MassDOT-designated major roads were used for this calculation, and buildings within 25 feet of the ROWs were identified. The buildings were then counted for each hexagon.

In town and village centers, buildings tend to be placed closer to the street, enhancing the pedestrian experience and helping to generate more activity in an area (e.g., Chatham). Conversely, development at greater distances to the road edge may be more auto-oriented or consist of residential subdivisions with greater setbacks from the roadway (e.g., Eastham).

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