Relationship between Rural Built Environment and Household Vehicle Ownership: An Empirical Analysis in Rural Sichuan, China

Yibin Ao, Chuan Chen, Dujuan Yang and Yan Wang
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Yibin Ao: Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China
Chuan Chen: Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China
Dujuan Yang: Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Yan Wang: Department of Engineering Management, Sichuan College of Architectural Technology, Deyang 618000, Sichuan, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: With the rapid rural urbanization and new rural construction in China, tremendous changes are occurring in rural built environments and rural household vehicle ownership. However, few studies have examined the relationship between rural built environments and rural household vehicle ownership. In this study, a questionnaire survey of 374 rural households was conducted and the built environment data of seven typical villages in rural Sichuan were collected using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and on-site measurement. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the rural built environment and rural household vehicle ownership in China through a multinomial logit (MNL) model. Results show that household structure attributes have the most significant relationship with vehicle ownership, followed by rural built environment attributes and the respondents’ driving skills. In the process of urbanization, with increases in building density, road density, and destination accessibility, an increase in high-carbon vehicle ownership is an inevitable trend among rural households. However, low-carbon-oriented rural planning can effectively control the increase in high-carbon vehicle ownership. For example, the distance between rural households and important destinations, such as hospitals, schools, and markets, should be shortened and rural residents should be encouraged to learn to ride bicycles. Moreover, rural residents riding motorcycles can effectively reduce household car ownership.

Keywords: rural built environment; vehicle ownership; sustainable transportation; transport policy; multinomial logit model; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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