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The Role of Neighborhood Characteristics in the Adoption and Frequency of Working at Home: Empirical Evidence from Northern California

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  • Tang, Wei
  • Mokhtarian, Patricia
  • Handy, Susan

Abstract

Working at home is widely viewed as a useful travel-reduction strategy, and partly for that reason, considerable research related to telecommuting and home-based work has been conducted in the last two decades. The contribution of this study is to examine the effect of residential neighborhood built environment (BE) factors on working at home. Using data from a survey of eight neighborhoods in Northern California, we develop a multinomial logit (MNL) model of work-at-home (WAH) frequency. Potential explanatory variables include sociodemo­graphic traits, neighborhood preferences and perceptions, objective neighborhood characteristics, and travel attitudes and behavior. The results clearly demonstrate the contribution of built environment variables to WAH choices, in addition to previously-identified influences such as sociodemo­graphic predictors and commute time. The findings suggest that land use and transportation strategies that are desirable from some perspectives will tend to weaken the motivation to work at home, and conversely, some factors that seem to increase the motivation to work at home are widely viewed as less sustainable. Accordingly, this research points to the complexity of trying to find the right balance among demand management strategies that sometimes act in competition rather than in synergy.

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  • Tang, Wei & Mokhtarian, Patricia & Handy, Susan, 2008. "The Role of Neighborhood Characteristics in the Adoption and Frequency of Working at Home: Empirical Evidence from Northern California," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt9rg8w9c4, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt9rg8w9c4
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    1. Ipek N Sener & Phillip R Reeder, 2012. "An Examination of Behavioral Linkages across ICT Choice Dimensions: Copula Modeling of Telecommuting and Teleshopping Choice Behavior," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(6), pages 1459-1478, June.
    2. Palvinder Singh & Rajesh Paleti & Syndney Jenkins & Chandra Bhat, 2013. "On modeling telecommuting behavior: option, choice, and frequency," Transportation, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 373-396, February.
    3. Ipek N Sener & Chandra R Bhat, 2011. "A Copula-Based Sample Selection Model of Telecommuting Choice and Frequency," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 43(1), pages 126-145, January.
    4. Zhang, Shihang & Moeckel, Rolf & Moreno, Ana Tsui & Shuai, Bin & Gao, Jie, 2020. "A work-life conflict perspective on telework," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 51-68.
    5. Han, Bilin & Kim, Jinhee & Timmermans, Harry, 2023. "Work schedule arrangements in two-adult households with children," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    6. de Abreu e Silva, João & Melo, Patrícia C., 2018. "Does home-based telework reduce household total travel? A path analysis using single and two worker British households," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 148-162.

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