Spatiotemporal Evaluation of the Built Environment’s Impact on Commuting Duration

Faizeh Hatami and Jean-Claude Thill
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Faizeh Hatami: Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Jean-Claude Thill: Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: Upward trends in commuting duration and distance due to urban sprawl in the United States have raised concerns about the ensuing environmental, social and economic problems. Various urban planning approaches have been developed, hypothesizing that built environment variables such as density, diversity, design, distance to transit and destination accessibility contribute to reducing travel consumption. This study evaluates the impact of the built environment on commuting duration in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in two steps. First, the built environment is classified into four types of exurban, suburban, urban, and compact and transit-accessible development (CTAD). Second, the impact of built environment types on commuting duration is evaluated for 2000 and 2015 using spatial panel data models controlling for selection bias. Results show that CTAD areas have shorter commuting durations than other areas in 2015; however, the commuting duration in both CTAD and urban areas has increased over time. Given the multifaceted nature of urban transportation-built environment interactions and their importance for sustainable futures, this calls for further attention from urban researchers and planners to more comprehensively consider the various dimensions of this matter, with an explicit focus on the changing nature of urban environments.

Keywords: commuting duration; built environment type; D variables; spatial panel data models; selection bias; urban mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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