Understanding the Role of Built Environment in Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled Accounting for Spatial Heterogeneity

Abstract

Abstract:In recent years, increasing concerns over climate change and transportation energy consumption have sparked research into the influences of urban form and land use patterns on motorized travel, notably vehicle miles traveled (VMT). However, empirical studies provide mixed evidence of the influence of the built environment on travel. In particular, the role of density after controlling for the confounding factors (e.g., land use mix, average block size, and distance from CBD) still remains unclear. The object of this study is twofold. First, this research provides additional insights into the effects of built environment factors on the work-related VMT, considering urban form measurements at both the home location and workplace simultaneously. Second, a cross-classified multilevel model using Bayesian approach is applied to account for the spatial heterogeneity across spatial units. Using Washington DC as our study area, the home-based work tour in the AM peak hours is used as the analysis unit. Estimation results confirmed the important role that the built environment at both home and workplace plays in affecting work-related VMT. In particular, the results reveal that densities at the workplace have more important roles than that at home location. These findings confirm that urban planning and city design should be part of the solution in stabilizing global climate and energy consumption.

Application of Bayesian Multilevel Models Using Small and Medium Size City in China: The Case of Changchun

“…Therefore, car ownership and use control policy needs to be developed based on local conditions. However, there are some similar results with prior studies conducted in western countries [16,[22][23][24]40]. It was found that residential density, land use mixture, bus stop density, and intersection density had significant effects on household car ownership.…”

“…For example, Ding et al built a multilevel model to explore the relationship between the built environment and work-related VMT and claimed that the increasing distance from CBD generated more VMT. After the spatial heterogeneity is taken into consideration, the model performs better than the simple models [24]. However, the spatial relationship between groups cannot be captured with a multilevel model, which is also viewed as a way to display the effect of location [28].…”

“…The impacts of the built environment on car ownership and use have gained more and more attention due to its contribution to traffic congestion and environmental issues in developed countries [22][23][24]. However, there are several major gaps that need to be filled.…”

Can land use regulations and taxes help mitigate vehicular CO2emissions? An empirical study of Japanese cities

“…This growth enriches residents and may then increase their vehicular demands. In addition, residents' increased income may result in changes to the built environment of their homes and workplaces (Ding et al, 2014) and to their attitudes toward the environment (Grossman and Krueger, 1991) 2 , transportation systems and infrastructure (Sadorsky, 2014) and green innovation (Qi et al, 2010). All these changes are relevant to vehicular CO2 emissions.…”

Developing an Automated Land Cover Classifier Using LiDAR and High Resolution Aerial Imagery

“…Their uses are numerous and widely diverse. They cover areas of urban and regional planning [1]- [6], environmental monitoring and assessment [7]- [10], change detection [11]- [17], simulation and prediction of future spatial and man-made phenomena [18]- [21], and others. They are time sensitive as well as content important.…”