Tempest in a teapot: The exaggerated problem of transport-related residential self-selection as a source of error in empirical studies

Næss, Petter

doi:10.5198/jtlu.v7i3.491

Cited by 82 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Actually, recent studies attentively addressed the RSS issue by employing techniques that estimate and control for the selection bias (e.g., sample selection models, propensity score matching and SEM). Most of them found that the true land use effect is larger than the spurious RSS effect [15,33] and thus, Naess [41] concluded that the issue is a "(t)empest in a teapot" (p. 57). In contrast, according to Mokhtarian and van Herick's review [30] on those studies that appropriately controlled for the selection bias, the spurious RSS effect could account for more than half of the total land use effect.…”

Section: Relationship Of Land Use With Total Travel Measures On Weekdmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of the Relationship between Land Use and Weekend Travel: Focusing on the Internal Capture of Trips

Gim

2018

Sustainability

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Weekend travel has not been duly considered in academics and practice regarding its relationship with land use. A lack of consideration is notable in terms of how land use internalizes weekend travel. Thus, by separating the internal and external travel of the traffic analysis zone, this study analyzes the land use effect on weekend travel in comparison with that on weekday travel. Two structural equation models, each of which is specified for weekday and weekend travel, construct the same sample and their results become comparable. At the travel variable level, the models find consistent results: Stronger effects are made on internal travel than on external travel and particularly, on trip frequency than on travel time. This implies that compact land use causes a stronger addition of internal trips and a less strong reduction of external trips, that is, changes in destinations rather than in total travel time. At the factor level, unlike the weekday model in which the sociodemographic factor exerts a stronger effect, the weekend model presents that land use more strongly affects travel patterns. This magnitude difference is explained by the different flexibility of compulsory weekday travel and discretionary weekend travel in relation to the choice of trip destination and frequency.

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Section: Relationship Of Land Use With Total Travel Measures On Weekdmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of the Relationship between Land Use and Weekend Travel: Focusing on the Internal Capture of Trips

Gim

2018

Sustainability

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“…This is in line with the idea that travel-related residential self-selection is in itself a demonstration of the influence of the residential location on travel behaviour. If there were no such influence, people preferring car use and long travel distances would not have a preference for living in a suburban-style neighbourhood (Chatman, 2009;Naess, 2006Naess, , 2009Naess, , 2014.…”

Section: The Effects Of Travel Liking and The Residential Location Onmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since most low-density suburbs were designed to be well accessible by car, car-loving persons will try to self-select themselves in these neighbourhoods, while short average distances in urban-type neighbourhoods might attract people who prefer to walk or cycle to their destination. Some studies also indicate that people attaching great importance to the proximity of the workplace, shopping facilities, recreational activities and other amenities, try to self-select themselves in compact, mixed-use neighbourhoods (Naess, 2009(Naess, , 2014. Naess (2009Naess ( , 2014 found a negative effect of the importance attached to proximity (to the workplace, shopping opportunities and public transport) and living in or close to a city centre on the distance travelled by car, while Scheiner (2010) indicates that preferences for proximity do not play an important role on travel distance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do people live in urban neighbourhoods because they do not like to travel? Analysing an alternative residential self-selection hypothesis

Vos

Witlox

2016

Travel Behaviour and Society

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Previous research has indicated that mode-specific attitudes can affect travel mode choice through the residential location choice. According to the principle of residential self-selection, people will try to choose a residential neighbourhood that enables them to travel with as high a share as possible of their amount of travel with their preferred mode. In this study, however, we will analyse whether differences in travel distance, travel time and travel satisfaction in urban versus suburban neighbourhoods are due to travel-liking attitudes, the residential location or a combination of both. Results of this study − analysing leisure trips within the city of Ghent (Belgium) − indicate that suburban respondents are, compared to urban respondents, more satisfied with their trips, which are also longer in time and distance. Suburban respondents also have a more positive stance towards travelling, suggesting a possible residential self-selection process. Travel lovers might prefer a residential neighbourhood where travel distances and travel time are relatively high, while people who do not like to travel might prefer to live in a neighbourhood that enables more short-distance and less travel-time intensive trips. This study suggests that especially people who do not like to travel self-select themselves in urban neighbourhoods in order to limit travel distance and travel time. In contrast, respondents with a more positive stance towards travelling are equally distributed in urban and suburban neighbourhoods. Results also indicate that travel distance and travel time are mainly affected by respondents' residential neighbourhood, while travel satisfaction is mainly affected by travel-liking attitudes. KeywordsResidential self-selection; Travel behaviour; Travel liking; Travel satisfaction IntroductionPrevious research has shown that walking, cycling and public transport use are significantly higher in compact, mixed-use neighbourhoods than in low-density neighbourhoods, while car use is significantly lower (e.g., Cao et al., 2009;Cervero, 1996;Ewing and Cervero, 2010;Mokhtarian and Cao, 2008). This can be partly explained by the physical appearances of these neighbourhoods. Low densities and diversities in suburban neighbourhoods result in higher average trip distances, encouraging car use. Besides, the dispersed land use pattern of these neighbourhoods makes it difficult to efficiently organise public transport services, resulting in low frequencies and long average distances to public transport stops. In urban neighbourhoods, average travel distances are shorter due to a more compact and mixed-use pattern, stimulating active travel and making it easier to organise high-frequency public transport within walking distance of a substantial share of the neighbourhoods' residents. As a consequence, urban planners have − since the 1990s − tried to reduce negative effects of (long-distance) car use, such as congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, by encouraging the development of compact, mixed-use neighbourhoods...

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“…However, although numerous studies have shown that urban form characteristics can affect travel behaviour (see [3] for a detailed review of these studies), self-selection, namely the causality in this relationship remains unresolved [4][5][6]. Hence, the effectiveness of the respective planning policies in promoting sustainable mobility could be lower than expected, albeit arguments that attitude induced self-selection cannot influence neither the causal mechanism, nor empirical estimates of the built environment and travel behaviour relationship exist as well (see [7] and the subsequent very interesting discussion: [8,9]). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Built Environment, Travel Attitudes and Travel Behaviour: Quasi-Longitudinal Analysis of Links in the Case of Greeks Relocating from US to Greece

2017

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In this study, the possible causal links between the built environment, travel attitudes and travel behaviour of people that have moved between totally different urban and transportation contexts were investigated. A quasi-longitudinal design was developed to collect data about the perceived neighbourhood characteristics, neighbourhood preferences, travel attitudes and changes in car, walking and bicycle usage of 51 Greeks who relocated from the US to Greece. Variable reduction techniques were applied prior to developing our models because of the small sample size. The results of this study offer support for a causal relationship between the built environment and travel behaviour identified in the existing literature. For instance, longer travel time to city center was associated with higher car use, higher density neighbourhoods and increased accessibility to local amenities were associated with increased bike use and better access to a district shopping center was associated with more walking after relocation. Our results also showed that in contexts like Greece, where transport infrastructures are not adequately developed, lack of safe bike conditions and easy access to public transportation are important determinants of bicycle use and walking. Thus, according to our results, promoting sustainable mobility in contexts like Greece would require not only enhancing accessibility through relocation of activities, but also by improving infrastructures for public transport, bicycle and walking.

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Tempest in a teapot: The exaggerated problem of transport-related residential self-selection as a source of error in empirical studies

Cited by 82 publications

References 38 publications

An Analysis of the Relationship between Land Use and Weekend Travel: Focusing on the Internal Capture of Trips

An Analysis of the Relationship between Land Use and Weekend Travel: Focusing on the Internal Capture of Trips

Do people live in urban neighbourhoods because they do not like to travel? Analysing an alternative residential self-selection hypothesis

Built Environment, Travel Attitudes and Travel Behaviour: Quasi-Longitudinal Analysis of Links in the Case of Greeks Relocating from US to Greece

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