IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v35y2014icp10-20.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Comparing urban form correlations of the travel patterns of older and younger adults

Author

Listed:
  • Figueroa, Maria J.
  • Nielsen, Thomas A. Sick
  • Siren, Anu

Abstract

Using disaggregated data from the Danish National Travel Survey conducted between 2006–2011, this study compares the travel patterns of older (65–84 years of age) and younger (18–64 years of age) adults regarding land use, socio-economic conditions and urban structures. The results highlight significant differences between travel patterns and their urban form correlates for the older and younger adult populations. Spatial variables such as density and regional accessibility have different and potentially reverse associations with travel among older adults. The car use of older adults is not substituted by other modes in high-density settings, as is the case for younger adults. Older adults do not respond to high regional accessibility by reducing distance traveled, but travel longer and are also more likely to continue using a car in high-access conditions. Spatial structural conditions have the potential to reinforce the need to use private cars among older adults as they attempt to maintain their independent travel and mobility. Older persons are a growing demographic group and thus, the implications of this paper for planning and policies targeting modal shift are significant. How population aging may contribute to car travel saturation or to peak travel requires further investigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Figueroa, Maria J. & Nielsen, Thomas A. Sick & Siren, Anu, 2014. "Comparing urban form correlations of the travel patterns of older and younger adults," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 10-20.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:35:y:2014:i:c:p:10-20
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2014.05.007
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X14001061
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2014.05.007?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. van den Berg, Pauline & Arentze, Theo & Timmermans, Harry, 2011. "Estimating social travel demand of senior citizens in the Netherlands," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 323-331.
    3. Thirayoot Limanond & Debbie Niemeier, 2004. "Effect of land use on decisions of shopping tour generation: A case study of three traditional neighborhoods in WA," Transportation, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 153-181, May.
    4. Kuhnimhof, Tobias & Buehler, Ralph & Wirtz, Matthias & Kalinowska, Dominika, 2012. "Travel trends among young adults in Germany: increasing multimodality and declining car use for men," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 443-450.
    5. Gordon, Ian, 2008. "Density and the built environment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4652-4656, December.
    6. Halliday, Timothy J. & He, Hui & Ning, Lei & Zhang, Hao, 2019. "Health Investment Over The Life-Cycle," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 178-215, January.
    7. Sandra Rosenbloom, 2001. "Sustainability and automobility among the elderly: An international assessment," Transportation, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 375-408, November.
    8. Siren, Anu & Haustein, Sonja, 2013. "Baby boomers’ mobility patterns and preferences: What are the implications for future transport?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 136-144.
    9. Peter Headicar, 2013. "The Changing Spatial Distribution of the Population in England: Its Nature and Significance for 'Peak Car'," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(3), pages 310-324, May.
    10. Tobias Kuhnimhof & Dirk Zumkeller & Bastian Chlond, 2013. "Who Made Peak Car, and How? A Breakdown of Trends over Four Decades in Four Countries," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(3), pages 325-342, May.
    11. Theo Arentze & Harry Timmermans & Peter Jorritsma & Marie-José Olde Kalter & Arnout Schoemakers, 2008. "More gray hair—but for whom? Scenario-based simulations of elderly activity travel patterns in 2020," Transportation, Springer, vol. 35(5), pages 613-627, August.
    12. Susan Handy & Kelly Clifton, 2001. "Local shopping as a strategy for reducing automobile travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 317-346, November.
    13. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    14. Trevor Hanson & Eric Hildebrand, 2011. "Can rural older drivers meet their needs without a car? Stated adaptation responses from a GPS travel diary survey," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(6), pages 975-992, November.
    15. Lisa Schweitzer & Jiangping Zhou, 2010. "Neighborhood Air Quality, Respiratory Health, and Vulnerable Populations in Compact and Sprawled Regions," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 363-371.
    16. Morency, Catherine & Paez, Antonio & Roorda, Matthew J. & Mercado, Ruben & Farber, Steven, 2011. "Distance traveled in three Canadian cities: Spatial analysis from the perspective of vulnerable population segments," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 39-50.
    17. Marcial Echenique & Anthony Hargreaves & Gordon Mitchell & Anil Namdeo, 2012. "Growing Cities Sustainably," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 78(2), pages 121-137.
    18. Alexa Delbosc & Graham Currie, 2013. "Causes of Youth Licensing Decline: A Synthesis of Evidence," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(3), pages 271-290, May.
    19. David Metz, 2013. "Peak Car and Beyond: The Fourth Era of Travel," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(3), pages 255-270, May.
    20. Luis Miranda-Moreno & Martin Lee-Gosselin, 2008. "A week in the life of baby boomers: how do they see the spatial–temporal organization of their activities and travel?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 35(5), pages 629-653, August.
    21. 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.
    22. Sonja Haustein, 2012. "Mobility behavior of the elderly: an attitude-based segmentation approach for a heterogeneous target group," Transportation, Springer, vol. 39(6), pages 1079-1103, November.
    23. Hjorthol, Randi J. & Levin, Lena & Sirén, Anu, 2010. "Mobility in different generations of older persons," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 624-633.
    24. Naess, Peter, 2011. "‘New urbanism’ or metropolitan-level centralization? A comparison of the influences of metropolitan-level and neighborhood-level urban form characteristics on travel behavior," The Journal of Transport and Land Use, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, vol. 4(1), pages 25-44.
    25. Yoram Shiftan, 2008. "The use of activity-based modeling to analyze the effect of land-use policies on travel behavior," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 42(1), pages 79-97, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nielsen, Thomas Alexander Sick, 2015. "Changes in transport behavior during the financial crisis. An analysis of urban form, location and transport behavior in the greater Copenhagen area 2006–2011," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 10-19.
    2. Ha, Jaehyun & Lee, Sugie & Ko, Joonho, 2020. "Unraveling the impact of travel time, cost, and transit burdens on commute mode choice for different income and age groups," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 147-166.
    3. Bayart, Caroline & Bonnel, Patrick & Havet, Nathalie, 2018. "Daily (im)mobility behaviours in France: An application of hurdle models," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 456-467.
    4. Ahmad, Zaheer & Batool, Zahara & Starkey, Paul, 2019. "Understanding mobility characteristics and needs of older persons in urban Pakistan with respect to use of public transport and self-driving," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 181-190.
    5. Hou, Yuting & Yap, Winston & Chua, Rochelle & Song, Siqi & Yuen, Belinda, 2020. "The associations between older adults’ daily travel pattern and objective and perceived built environment: A study of three neighbourhoods in Singapore," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 314-328.
    6. Cheng, Long & Chen, Xuewu & Yang, Shuo & Cao, Zhan & De Vos, Jonas & Witlox, Frank, 2019. "Active travel for active ageing in China: The role of built environment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 142-152.
    7. 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.
    8. Yang, Shuo & Fan, Yingling & Deng, Wei & Cheng, Long, 2019. "Do built environment effects on travel behavior differ between household members? A case study of Nanjing, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 360-370.
    9. Urbanek, Anna & Acedański, Jan & Krawczyk, Grzegorz, 2023. "Depopulation or ageing? Decomposing the aggregate effects of projected demographic changes on urban transport systems," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    10. Ma, Jingwen & Zhao, Shengchuan & Li, Wu & Liu, Meng & Luo, Huanhuan, 2022. "Heterogeneity in seniors' unmet walking needs: A latent class analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    11. Melika Mehriar & Houshmand Masoumi & Inmaculada Mohino, 2020. "Urban Sprawl, Socioeconomic Features, and Travel Patterns in Middle East Countries: A Case Study in Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-20, November.
    12. Lars Böcker & Patrick Amen & Marco Helbich, 2017. "Elderly travel frequencies and transport mode choices in Greater Rotterdam, the Netherlands," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 831-852, July.
    13. Zhou, Yang & Yuan, Quan & Ding, Fangyi & Chen, Mingyang & Yang, Chao & Guo, Tangyi, 2022. "Demand, mobility, and constraints: Exploring travel behaviors and mode choices of older adults using a facility-based framework," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    14. Shaila Jamal & K. Bruce Newbold, 2020. "Factors Associated with Travel Behavior of Millennials and Older Adults: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-27, October.
    15. Cheng, Long & Shi, Kunbo & De Vos, Jonas & Cao, Mengqiu & Witlox, Frank, 2021. "Examining the spatially heterogeneous effects of the built environment on walking among older adults," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 21-30.

    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. Lars Böcker & Patrick Amen & Marco Helbich, 2017. "Elderly travel frequencies and transport mode choices in Greater Rotterdam, the Netherlands," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 831-852, July.
    2. Liu, Shasha & Yamamoto, Toshiyuki & Yao, Enjian & Nakamura, Toshiyuki, 2021. "Examining public transport usage by older adults with smart card data: A longitudinal study in Japan," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Ryan, Jean & Wretstrand, Anders & Schmidt, Steven M., 2015. "Exploring public transport as an element of older persons' mobility: A Capability Approach perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 105-114.
    4. Michael Iacono & David Levinson, 2015. "Cohort Effects and Their Influence on Car Ownership," Working Papers 000138, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    5. Shao, Fengjing & Sui, Yi & Yu, Xiang & Sun, Rencheng, 2019. "Spatio-temporal travel patterns of elderly people – A comparative study based on buses usage in Qingdao, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 178-190.
    6. Shaila Jamal & K. Bruce Newbold, 2020. "Factors Associated with Travel Behavior of Millennials and Older Adults: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-27, October.
    7. Siren, Anu & Haustein, Sonja, 2013. "Baby boomers’ mobility patterns and preferences: What are the implications for future transport?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 136-144.
    8. Meng Zhou & Donggen Wang, 2019. "Investigating inter-generational changes in activity-travel behavior: a disaggregate approach," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 1643-1687, October.
    9. Zhang, Yixue & Zhao, Pengjun & Lin, Jen-Jia, 2021. "Exploring shopping travel behavior of millennials in Beijing: Impacts of built environment, life stages, and subjective preferences," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 49-60.
    10. Klein, Nicholas J. & Smart, Michael J., 2017. "Millennials and car ownership: Less money, fewer cars," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 20-29.
    11. Moniruzzaman, Md. & Páez, Antonio & Nurul Habib, Khandker M. & Morency, Catherine, 2013. "Mode use and trip length of seniors in Montreal," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 89-99.
    12. Rico Krueger & Akshay Vij & Taha H. Rashidi, 2018. "Normative beliefs and modality styles: a latent class and latent variable model of travel behaviour," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 789-825, May.
    13. Annesha Enam & Karthik C. Konduri & Naveen Eluru & Srinath Ravulaparthy, 2018. "Relationship between well-being and daily time use of elderly: evidence from the disabilities and use of time survey," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 1783-1810, November.
    14. Vij, Akshay & Gorripaty, Sreeta & Walker, Joan L., 2017. "From trend spotting to trend ’splaining: Understanding modal preference shifts in the San Francisco Bay Area," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 238-258.
    15. Abbasi, Sorath & Ko, Joonho & Min, Jaehong, 2021. "Measuring destination-based segregation through mobility patterns: Application of transport card data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    16. Bastian, Anne & Börjesson, Maria & Eliasson, Jonas, 2016. "Explaining “peak car” with economic variables," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 236-250.
    17. Hopkins, Debbie, 2016. "Can environmental awareness explain declining preference for car-based mobility amongst generation Y? A qualitative examination of learn to drive behaviours," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 149-163.
    18. He, Sylvia Y. & Cheung, Yannie H.Y. & Tao, Sui, 2018. "Travel mobility and social participation among older people in a transit metropolis: A socio-spatial-temporal perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 608-626.
    19. Cheng, Long & Chen, Xuewu & Yang, Shuo & Cao, Zhan & De Vos, Jonas & Witlox, Frank, 2019. "Active travel for active ageing in China: The role of built environment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 142-152.
    20. Soltani, Ali & Pojani, Dorina & Askari, Sajad & Masoumi, Houshmand E., 2018. "Socio-demographic and built environment determinants of car use among older adults in Iran," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 109-117.

    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:trapol:v:35:y:2014:i:c:p:10-20. 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/30473/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.