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From Excess Commuting to Commuting Possibilities: More Extension to the Concept of Excess Commuting

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  • Mathieu Charron

    (Statistics Canada, Tunney's Pasture, RH Coats building, 19th floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6, Canada)

Abstract

The excess-commuting literature provides a methodological framework in which the observed average commute ( C obs ) is compared with theoretical commuting values: the minimum ( C min ) and maximum ( C max ) average commute. In this paper, I argue that real spatial behavior is ill represented by the two assumptions of optimal (minimizing or maximizing) behavior. C min and C max are in fact extreme values of a much richer distribution of commuting possibilities. I argue that all those possibilities should be taken into account in the evaluation of C obs . In order to do this, I develop a probabilistic framework where any urban form is associated with a statistical distribution of commuting possibilities, with an average and a standard deviation, within which C min and C max represent extreme and very improbable outcomes. Applied to a sample of fifty metropolitan areas, this framework helps us understand the combined association of spatial behavior and urban form with commuting.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Charron, 2007. "From Excess Commuting to Commuting Possibilities: More Extension to the Concept of Excess Commuting," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(5), pages 1238-1254, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:39:y:2007:i:5:p:1238-1254
    DOI: 10.1068/a3897
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tim Schwanen & Frans M. Dieleman & Martin Dijst, 2004. "The Impact of Metropolitan Structure on Commute Behavior in the Netherlands: A Multilevel Approach," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 304-333, September.
    2. Genevieve Giuliano & Kenneth A. Small, 1993. "Is the Journey to Work Explained by Urban Structure?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 30(9), pages 1485-1500, November.
    3. Tim Schwanen & Martin Dijst & Frans M Dieleman, 2002. "A Microlevel Analysis of Residential Context and Travel Time," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(8), pages 1487-1507, August.
    4. White, Michelle J., 1988. "Location choice and commuting behavior in cities with decentralized employment," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 129-152, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhou, Jiangping & Sipe, Neil & Ma, Zhenliang & Mateo-Babiano, Derlie & Darchen, Sébastien, 2019. "Monitoring transit-served areas with smartcard data: A Brisbane case study," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 265-275.
    2. Xiang Zhou & Xiaohong Chen & Tianran Zhang, 2016. "Impact of Megacity Jobs-Housing Spatial Mismatch on Commuting Behaviors: A Case Study on Central Districts of Shanghai, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Ma, Xiaolei & Liu, Congcong & Wen, Huimin & Wang, Yunpeng & Wu, Yao-Jan, 2017. "Understanding commuting patterns using transit smart card data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 135-145.
    4. Loo, Becky P.Y. & Chow, Alice S.Y., 2011. "Jobs-housing balance in an era of population decentralization: An analytical framework and a case study," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 552-562.
    5. Motte, Benjamin & Aguilera, Anne & Bonin, Olivier & Nassi, Carlos D., 2016. "Commuting patterns in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. What differences between formal and informal jobs?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 59-69.
    6. Saadi, Ismaïl & Boussauw, Kobe & Teller, Jacques & Cools, Mario, 2016. "Trends in regional jobs-housing proximity based on the minimum commute: The case of Belgium," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 171-183.
    7. Zhou, Jiangping & Murphy, Enda & Long, Ying, 2014. "Commuting efficiency in the Beijing metropolitan area: an exploration combining smartcard and travel survey data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 175-183.
    8. Korsu, Emre & Le Néchet, Florent, 2017. "Would fewer people drive to work in a city without excess commuting? Explorations in the Paris metropolitan area," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 259-274.
    9. Zhou, Jiangping & Murphy, Enda, 2019. "Day-to-day variation in excess commuting: An exploratory study of Brisbane, Australia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 223-232.
    10. Jiangping, Zhou & Chun, Zhang & Xiaojian, Chen & Wei, Huang & Peng, Yu, 2014. "Has the legacy of Danwei persisted in transformations? the jobs-housing balance and commuting efficiency in Xi’an," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 64-76.
    11. Kanaroglou, Pavlos S. & Higgins, Christopher D. & Chowdhury, Tufayel A., 2015. "Excess commuting: a critical review and comparative analysis of concepts, indices, and policy implications," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 13-23.
    12. Schleith, Daniel & Widener, Michael & Kim, Changjoo, 2016. "An examination of the jobs-housing balance of different categories of workers across 26 metropolitan regions," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 145-160.

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