Thursday, May 2, 2013

Examining the Impacts of Residential Self-Selection on Travel Behaviour: A Focus on Empirical Findings

by XINYU (JASON) CAO, PATRICIA L. MOKHTARIAN, AND SUSAN L. HANDY

Numerous studies have found that suburban residents drive more and walk less than residents in traditional neighbourhoods. What is less well understood is the extent to which the observed patterns of travel behaviour can be attributed to the residential built environment (BE) itself, as opposed to attitude-induced residential self-selection. To date, most studies addressing this self-selection issue fall into nine methodological categories: direct questioning, statistical control, instrumental variables, sample selection, propensity score, joint discrete choice models, structural equations models, mutually dependent discrete choice models and longitudinal designs. This paper reviews 38 empirical studies using these approaches. Virtually all of the studies reviewed found a statistically significant influence of the BE remaining after self-selection was accounted for. However, the practical importance of that influence was seldom assessed. Although time and resource limitations are recognized, we recommend usage of longitudinal structural equations modelling with control groups, a design which is strong with respect to all causality requisites.


more about similar topics:

Residential self-selection and travel: The relationship between travel-related attitudes, built environment characteristics and travel behaviour

QUALITATIVE METHODS IN TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH

The Impact of Bicycling Facilities on Commute Mode Share

Travel mode choice: affected by objective or subjective determinants?

Measuring Perceived Accessibility to Urban Green Space: An Integration of GIS and Participatory Map

Journey-to-Work Patterns in the Age of Sprawl: Evidence from Two Midsize Southern Metropolitan Areas

No comments:

Post a Comment