Land Use Impacts on Traffic Congestion Patterns: A Tale of a Northwestern Chinese City

Zhikang Bao, Yifu Ou (), Shuangzhou Chen () and Ting Wang
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Zhikang Bao: Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China
Yifu Ou: Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Shuangzhou Chen: School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Ting Wang: Division of Landscape Architecture, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Traffic congestion is a contemporary urban issue plaguing transportation planners, land developers, policy-makers, and citizens. While many studies have investigated the impact of built environments on traffic behavior in large metropolises on a regional scale, little attention has been paid to smaller urban areas, in China’s context, especially on a neighborhood level. This study investigates the spatial–temporal pattern of traffic congestion in a small-scale city, Xining, in China. By applying multivariate least-square regression analysis to social-sensing hyperlocal travel data, the results indicate that Xining is experiencing morning and evening traffic peaks on the weekdays and pre-weekends and only the evening peak during the weekends or holidays. The pre-weekend congestion is significantly worse than on a normal weekday, implying that stronger measures to consolidate traffic management should be implemented during this time. Educational land use and residential areas were found to contribute significantly to traffic congestion in Xining, and their combined effects tend to exacerbate the situation. The study furthers the understanding of traffic congestion in small urban areas, providing urban planners and policy-makers with new insights to formulate evidence-based strategies for mitigating traffic congestion.

Keywords: smaller urban areas; built environment; land use; traffic congestion; spatial–temporal pattern (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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