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Arid Land Geography ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (2): 307-318.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2023.074

• Urban Geography • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Impact of urban built environment on commuting mode choices from the residential self-selection perspective

GUO Yan(), ZHANG Zhibin(), CHEN Long, MA Xiaomin, ZHAO Xuewei   

  1. College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2023-02-21 Revised:2023-04-24 Online:2024-02-25 Published:2024-03-14
  • Contact: ZHANG Zhibin E-mail:g212712@126.com;zbzhang@nwnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Research on travel mode choice is essential for efficient, sustainable, and safe urban traffic planning. This study selected the main urban area of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China as the study area, and based on the distributed cognitive theory, questionnaire data, road network data, and Point of Interest (POI) data. The structural equation model was used to explore the impact of nonrandom heterogeneity of the built environment on selecting the commuting mode under the influence of the residential self-selection effect. The study found that: (1) Residents chose residential quarters with different built-environment characteristics according to their socioeconomic attributes and attitude preferences. Subsequently, they formed a specific commuting pattern, indicating preference heterogeneity in residential self-selection and the existence of the residential self-selection effect. (2) The built environment continued to have a considerable impact on the choice of commuting mode even after avoiding the self-selection effect of residence. Specifically, population density, road network density, and the number of parking spaces directly affected the choice of commuting mode. Road network density, bus station accessibility, subway station accessibility, and the number of parking spaces indirectly influenced the choice of commuting mode through mediating variables, such as commuting distance and car ownership. (3) High-population density, dense road network, and high-accessibility of the built environment increased the active and public transportation commuting modes. This was achieved by improving the connectivity of road networks, connection between walking and public transit, and pedestrian-friendly environment and by guiding residents to a shift in the travel structure, led by active commuting patterns.

Key words: built environment, commuting mode choices, residential self-selection, structural equation model (SEM), Lanzhou City