Modeling travel behavior and sense of place using a structural equation model

Understanding the way in which people conduct their daily activities is the central focus of travel behavior modelers. This often requires an understanding of the way in which people interact with their surroundings. Theorists have paid special attention to the interactions of people and place, specifically the endowment of meaning to places (termed sense of place). This work has a host of applications to explain different facets of behavior. Among these, travel behavior is a prime area for sense of place application due to the constant interaction of land use with transportation. In this paper, we explore relationships and examine sense of place using structural equations and derive six distinct factors representing unique dimensions of sense of place. The data used are from a 719-person survey of two shopping centers in Santa Barbara, California, specifically designed to measure sense of place. The factors extracted represent aspects of attachment – the bond between person and place, dependence – the strength of association between person and place, identity – the individual’s identity with respect to place, satisfaction- which corresponds to many of the services offered at each place, atmosphere – such as aesthetics and surrounding ambiance, and community – which highlights the views of the place as being family and kid friendly, or a place with kind or friendly people around. These factors are pilot tested as determinants in behavioral models of mode selection, sequencing of activities, and companionship during activities exhibiting substantial potential of explanatory power. This finding motivates a few additional research directions we outline in this paper.