Impacts of a multi-scale built environment and its corresponding moderating effects on commute duration in China

Many studies have found that the built environment affects commute duration. However, they have paid little attention to the moderating effects of the surrounding built environment, and few have focused on the built environment at different levels simultaneously. Based on a sample of 3453 individuals across China in 2014, our study examined the impacts of the built environment at both the neighbourhood and city levels on commute duration as well as the moderating effects of the city-level built environment on the neighbourhood-level built environment using a multilevel linear regression model. The results show that built environment elements at both levels affect commute duration: city population size, population density at both levels, and the quadratic term for population density at the city level are positively associated with commute duration, while jobs–housing balance and short distance to business centres and transit stations are negatively related. City population size can strengthen the time-shortening effects of the jobs–housing balance and of proximity to transit stations on commute duration. City population density decreases the time-shortening effect of business centre proximity. This study has important implications for future research and policies regarding reducing traffic congestion and commute duration in Chinese cities.