The More Sprawl, The Shorter The Average Commute

An academic journal article examines U.S. commuting data between 1985 To 1997.

1 minute read

October 29, 2003, 5:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The consequences of sprawl for travel behavior remain unclear. Theory suggests at least two possible commuting outcomes. As jobs decentralize and central employment areas congest, workers might shorten their commutes in time and distance by relocating to the suburbs. Or, the average commute could grow if residential choice is relatively inelastic with respect to job location, amenity explanations for residential and job location dominate, or as dual-worker households in polycentric labor markets become the norm... We find that the more suburbanized is employment -- that is, the more sprawl -- the shorter the average commute. There are strong differences by industry, however, that may reflect a combination of industry agglomeration effects, differential job location stability by industry, and historical transitions."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Monday, October 27, 2003 in Planning and Markets

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