IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v100y2017icp65-80.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the influence of built environment on travel mode choice considering the mediating effects of car ownership and travel distance

Author

Listed:
  • Ding, Chuan
  • Wang, Donggen
  • Liu, Chao
  • Zhang, Yi
  • Yang, Jiawen

Abstract

Though there is a growing literature on the connection between the built environment and travel behavior, limited efforts have been made to consider the intermediary nature of car ownership and travel distance simultaneously while modeling the relationship between the built environment and travel mode choice behavior. The mediating effects from car ownership and travel distance, as an important piece, are not sufficiently investigated. To fill this gap, in this study the relationships among travel mode choice, car ownership and travel distance were described using a framework of integrated structural equation model (SEM) and discrete choice model (DCM). Drawing on a rich dataset of National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and numerous built environment measurements in Baltimore metropolitan area, this research applied the integrated SEM and DCM approach to investigate how the built environment affects travel mode choice through influencing car ownership and travel distance. Therefore, the direct and indirect effects of built environment on travel mode choice were revealed. This study hopes to give transportation planners a better understanding on how the built environment influences travel mode choice, and consequently develop effective and targeted countermeasures to reduce car use.

Suggested Citation

  • Ding, Chuan & Wang, Donggen & Liu, Chao & Zhang, Yi & Yang, Jiawen, 2017. "Exploring the influence of built environment on travel mode choice considering the mediating effects of car ownership and travel distance," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 65-80.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:100:y:2017:i:c:p:65-80
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856416303391
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adam Millard‐Ball & Lee Schipper, 2011. "Are We Reaching Peak Travel? Trends in Passenger Transport in Eight Industrialized Countries," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 357-378.
    2. 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.
    3. Abdul Pinjari & Ram Pendyala & Chandra Bhat & Paul Waddell, 2007. "Modeling residential sorting effects to understand the impact of the built environment on commute mode choice," Transportation, Springer, vol. 34(5), pages 557-573, September.
    4. Reid Ewing & Robert Cervero, 2010. "Travel and the Built Environment," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 265-294.
    5. Golob, Thomas F., 2003. "Structural equation modeling for travel behavior research," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1-25, January.
    6. Marlon Boarnet, 2011. "A Broader Context for Land Use and Travel Behavior, and a Research Agenda," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(3), pages 197-213.
    7. Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Cao, Xinyu, 2008. "Examining the impacts of residential self-selection on travel behavior: A focus on methodologies," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 204-228, March.
    8. Xinyu Cao & Patricia L Mokhtarian & Susan L Handy, 2007. "Cross-Sectional and Quasi-Panel Explorations of the Connection between the Built Environment and Auto Ownership," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(4), pages 830-847, April.
    9. Cynthia Chen & Hongmian Gong & Robert Paaswell, 2008. "Role of the built environment on mode choice decisions: additional evidence on the impact of density," Transportation, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 285-299, May.
    10. Bhat, Chandra R. & Guo, Jessica Y., 2007. "A comprehensive analysis of built environment characteristics on household residential choice and auto ownership levels," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 506-526, June.
    11. Robert Cervero & Jin Murakami, 2010. "Effects of Built Environments on Vehicle Miles Traveled: Evidence from 370 US Urbanized Areas," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(2), pages 400-418, February.
    12. Wang, Dongeen & Lin, Tao, 2014. "Residential self-selection, built environment, and travel behavior in the Chinese context," The Journal of Transport and Land Use, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, vol. 7(3), pages 5-14.
    13. David M. Levinson & Ajay Kumar, 1997. "Density and the Journey to Work," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 147-172, March.
    14. Metin Senbil & Ryuichi Kitamura & Jamilah Mohamad, 2009. "Residential location, vehicle ownership and travel in Asia: a comparative analysis of Kei-Han-Shin and Kuala Lumpur metropolitan areas," Transportation, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 325-350, May.
    15. Kees Maat & Harry J.P. Timmermans, 2009. "A causal model relating urban form with daily travel distance through activity/travel decisions," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(2), pages 115-134, March.
    16. Kevin Manaugh & Luis Miranda-Moreno & Ahmed El-Geneidy, 2010. "The effect of neighbourhood characteristics, accessibility, home–work location, and demographics on commuting distances," Transportation, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 627-646, July.
    17. Potoglou, Dimitris & Kanaroglou, Pavlos S., 2008. "Modelling car ownership in urban areas: a case study of Hamilton, Canada," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 42-54.
    18. Jahanshahi, Kaveh & Jin, Ying & Williams, Ian, 2015. "Direct and indirect influences on employed adults’ travel in the UK: New insights from the National Travel Survey data 2002–2010," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 288-306.
    19. Yi Zhang & Wei Wu & Yuan Li & Qixing Liu & Chaoyang Li, 2014. "Does the Built Environment Make a Difference? An Investigation of Household Vehicle Use in Zhongshan Metropolitan Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(8), pages 1-21, August.
    20. Gi-Hyoug Cho & Daniel Rodriguez, 2015. "Location or design? Associations between neighbourhood location, built environment and walking," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 52(8), pages 1434-1453, June.
    21. Christopher Zegras, 2010. "The Built Environment and Motor Vehicle Ownership and Use: Evidence from Santiago de Chile," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(8), pages 1793-1817, July.
    22. Cao, Xinyu & Mokhtarian, Patricia & Handy, Susan, 2008. "Examining The Impacts of Residential Self-Selection on Travel Behavior: Methodologies and Empirical Findings," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt08x1k476, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    23. Van Acker, Veronique & Witlox, Frank, 2010. "Car ownership as a mediating variable in car travel behaviour research using a structural equation modelling approach to identify its dual relationship," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 65-74.
    24. Tae-Hyoung Tommy Gim, 2013. "The relationships between land use measures and travel behavior: a meta-analytic approach," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(5), pages 413-434, July.
    25. Khan, Mobashwir & M. Kockelman, Kara & Xiong, Xiaoxia, 2014. "Models for anticipating non-motorized travel choices, and the role of the built environment," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 117-126.
    26. Reilly, Michael & Landis, John, 2003. "The Influence of Built-Form and Land Use on Mode Choice," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt46r3k871, University of California Transportation Center.
    27. Veronique Acker & Frank Witlox, 2011. "Commuting trips within tours: how is commuting related to land use?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 465-486, May.
    28. Handy, Susan & Cao, Xinyu & Mokhtarian, Patricia L., 2005. "Correlation or causality between the built environment and travel behavior? Evidence from Northern California," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt5b76c5kg, University of California Transportation Center.
    29. Joachim Scheiner & Christian Holz-Rau, 2007. "Travel mode choice: affected by objective or subjective determinants?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 487-511, July.
    30. Giuliano, Genevieve & Dargay, Joyce, 2006. "Car ownership, travel and land use: a comparison of the US and Great Britain," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 106-124, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ding, Yu & Lu, Huapu, 2016. "Activity participation as a mediating variable to analyze the effect of land use on travel behavior: A structural equation modeling approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 23-28.
    2. Van Acker, Veronique & Witlox, Frank, 2010. "Car ownership as a mediating variable in car travel behaviour research using a structural equation modelling approach to identify its dual relationship," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 65-74.
    3. Van Acker, Veronique & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Witlox, Frank, 2014. "Car availability explained by the structural relationships between lifestyles, residential location, and underlying residential and travel attitudes," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 88-99.
    4. Ding, Chuan & Cao, Xinyu, 2019. "How does the built environment at residential and work locations affect car ownership? An application of cross-classified multilevel model," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 37-45.
    5. Shen, Qing & Chen, Peng & Pan, Haixiao, 2016. "Factors affecting car ownership and mode choice in rail transit-supported suburbs of a large Chinese city," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 31-44.
    6. Mitra, Suman K. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel M., 2017. "Carless in California: Green choice or misery?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1-12.
    7. Islam, Md Rabiul & Saphores, Jean-Daniel M., 2022. "An L.A. story: The impact of housing costs on commuting," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    8. Mitra, Suman & Yao, Mingqi & Ritchie, Stephen G., 2021. "Gender differences in elderly mobility in the United States," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 203-226.
    9. Jason Cao & Xiaoshu Cao, 2014. "The Impacts of LRT, Neighbourhood Characteristics, and Self-selection on Auto Ownership: Evidence from Minneapolis-St. Paul," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(10), pages 2068-2087, August.
    10. Tae-Hyoung Tommy Gim, 2023. "Residential self-selection or socio-ecological interaction? the effects of sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics on the built environment–travel behavior relationship," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1347-1398, August.
    11. Dillon, Harya S. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel & Boarnet, Marlon G., 2015. "The impact of urban form and gasoline prices on vehicle usage: Evidence from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 23-33.
    12. Mitra, Suman K. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel M., 2019. "Why do they live so far from work? Determinants of long-distance commuting in California," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    13. Huang, Xiaoyan & (Jason) Cao, Xinyu & Yin, Jiangbin & Cao, Xiaoshu, 2019. "Can metro transit reduce driving? Evidence from Xi'an, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 350-359.
    14. De Vos, Jonas & Cheng, Long & Kamruzzaman, Md. & Witlox, Frank, 2021. "The indirect effect of the built environment on travel mode choice: A focus on recent movers," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Ding, Chuan & Zhou, Xinyu & Jason Cao, Xinyu & Yang, Jiawen, 2023. "Spatial and mediation analysis of the influences of residential and workplace built environments on commuting by car," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    16. Chetan Doddamani & M. Manoj, 2023. "Analysis of the influences of built environment measures on household car and motorcycle ownership decisions in Hubli-Dharwad cities," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 205-243, February.
    17. van de Coevering, Paul & Maat, Kees & van Wee, Bert, 2018. "Residential self-selection, reverse causality and residential dissonance. A latent class transition model of interactions between the built environment, travel attitudes and travel behavior," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 466-479.
    18. Humphreys, John & Ahern, Aoife, 2019. "Is travel based residential self-selection a significant influence in modal choice and household location decisions?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 150-160.
    19. Donggen Wang & Tao Lin, 2019. "Built environment, travel behavior, and residential self-selection: a study based on panel data from Beijing, China," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 51-74, February.
    20. Ao, Yibin & Yang, Dujuan & Chen, Chuan & Wang, Yan, 2019. "Exploring the effects of the rural built environment on household car ownership after controlling for preference and attitude: Evidence from Sichuan, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 24-36.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:100:y:2017:i:c:p:65-80. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.