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Estimating Distance Equivalence for Sustainable Mobility Management: Evidence from China’s “Stay-in-Place” Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Youhai Lu

    (College of Economics and Mnagement, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China)

  • Peixue Liu

    (School of Business Administration, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Min Zhuang

    (School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Yihan Cao

    (Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong)

Abstract

Travel policies during crises strongly reshape mobility patterns, raising the challenge of protecting public health while minimizing socio-economic disruption—an essential concern for sustainable development. Most evaluations quantify changes in travel volume, which hampers cross-city comparison and policy monitoring. This study proposes a distance-based sustainability metric—distance equivalence (DE)—that translates policy-induced mobility frictions into interpretable “added distance” within a gravity framework, enabling consistent measurement and monitoring of policy impacts. Using inter-city flows for 358 Chinese cities during the Stay-in-Place for Lunar New Year (SIP) guidance, we map DE, test spatial dependence (Moran’s I; LISA), and apply fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify city-level configurations associated with high DE. DE exhibits significant spatial clustering, concentrating east of the Hu line, where dense urban networks amplify advisory checks. Three recurrent configurations—combining case counts, health-care capacity (hospital beds), and average inter-city distance—are linked to high DE. As a sustainability assessment tool, DE supports adaptive management, region-differentiated strategies, and ex-ante risk assessment for governments, public-health authorities, and transport agencies. The framework generalizes to short-term mobility interventions under crisis conditions, advancing the quantification of policy impacts on sustainable mobility and urban resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Youhai Lu & Peixue Liu & Min Zhuang & Yihan Cao, 2025. "Estimating Distance Equivalence for Sustainable Mobility Management: Evidence from China’s “Stay-in-Place” Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:18:p:8434-:d:1753762
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    References listed on IDEAS

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