A tour-based analysis on the interrelationships of built environment, travel behavior, and car ownership

摘要

In recent years, there is a growing body of literatures on exploring how built environment affect travelbehavior indirectly by affecting intermediating factors (such as car ownership, travel distance, andtour complexity). The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the impact of built environment ontour-based travel behavior, considering car ownership, travel distance, and tour complexity asintermediating factors simultaneously. By using the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS)data, this paper empirically examined the effects of built environment on tour-based personal travelbehavior in the Maryland-Washington, D.C. Region area. This study also investigated whether andhow the influences of built environment on travel vary between home-based work tour andhome-based non-work tour. A multiple-group structural equation model (SEM) was employed in thisstudy and the model results confirmed that the effects of car ownership, travel distance, and tourcomplexity on travel behavior are statistically significant and should better considered as mediatingfactors when analyzing the relationship between built environment and travel behavior. It was alsofound that the impacts of built environment on tour-based travel behavior significantly differ betweenhome-based work tour and non-work tour. These findings can help planners and policy makersdevelop a more thorough understanding on how the built environment influence travel behavior.