Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How perceptions mediate the effects of the built environment on travel behavior?

  • Published:
Transportation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study provides a better understand the mechanism underlying the built environment-behavior connection by systematically exploring the relationships between the objective (actual) environment and people’s perceptions of the environment, and their relative effects on travel behavior using the Stimuli-Organism-Response framework. Based on data for the Twin Cities, this study explores (1) How do perceptions mediate the effects of the objective environment on travel behavior? (2) How do travel attitudes influence the effects of perceptions on travel behavior? Among the eight empirical models tested here, six are consistent with the framework: objective built environment affects travel behavior through its influence on perceptions. Moreover, the framework fits walking and bicycling behavior better than transit and driving behavior. Furthermore, travel attitudes greatly moderate the influences of perceptions on travel behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Adapted from Mehrabian and Russell (1974)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen, I.: The theory of planned behavior. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 50, 179–211 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Appleyard, D., Lynch, K., Myer, J.R.: The view from the road. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA (1964)

  • Babbie, E.: The Practice of Social Research. Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldock, K., Paquet, C., Howard, N., et al.: Associations between Resident Perceptions of the Local Residential Environment and Metabolic Syndrome. J. Environ. Public Health. 2012, 589409 (2012). doi:10.1155/2012/589409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A.: Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Boarnet, M., Sarmiento, S.: Can land-use policy really affect travel behaviour? A study of the link between non-work travel and land-use characteristics. Urban Stud. 35, 1155–1170 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boehmer, T.K., Hoehner, C.M., Wyrwich, K.W., Ramirez, L.K.B., Brownson, R.C.: Correspondence between perceived and observed measures of neighborhood environmental supports for physical activity. J. Phys. Act. Health 3, 22–36 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brownson, R.C., Hoehner, C.M., Day, K., Forsyth, A., Sallis, J.F.: Measuring the built environment for physical activity: state of the science. Am. J. Prev. Med. 36, 99–123 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burbidge, S.K., Goulias, K.G.: Active travel behavior. In: The 88th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C (2008)

  • Cao, X.: Examining the impacts of neighborhood design and residential self-selection on active travel: a methodological assessment. Urban Geogr. 36, 236–255 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, X.J., Mokhtarian, P.L., Handy, S.L.: The relationship between the built environment and nonwork travel: a case study of Northern California. Transp. Res. Part A: Policy Pract. 43, 548–559 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cervero, R., Kockelman, K.: Travel demand and the 3Ds: density, diversity, and design. Transp. Res. Part D: Transp. Environ. 2, 199–219 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crane, R.: On form versus function: will the new urbanism reduce traffic, or increase it? J. Plann. Educ. Res. 15, 117–126 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crano, W.D., Brewer, M.B., Lac, A.: Principles and Methods of Social Research. Routledge, New York (2014)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dill, J., Voros, K.: Factors affecting bicycling demand: initial survey findings from the Portland, Oregon, region. Transp. Res. Rec. 2031, 9–17 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan, R.J., Rossiter, J.R., Marcoolyn, G., Nesdale, A.: Store atmosphere and purchasing behavior. J. Retail. 70, 283–294 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downs, R.M., Stea, D.: Image and Environment: Cognitive Mapping and Spatial Behavior. Transaction Publishers, New Jersey (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ettema, D., Nieuwenhuis, R.: Residential self-selection and travel behaviour: what are the effects of attitudes, reasons for location choice and the built environment? J. Transp. Geogr. 59, 146–155 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R., Cervero, R.: Travel and the built environment. J. Am. Plann. Assoc. 76, 265–294 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R., Handy, S.: Measuring the unmeasurable: urban design qualities related to walkability. J. Urban Des. 14, 65–84 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golledge, R.G., Brown, L.A., Williamson, F.: Behavioural approaches in geography: an overview. Aust. Geogr. 12, 59–79 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gould, P.R.: Structuring information on spacio-temporal preferences. J. Reg. Sci. 7, 259–274 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Handy, S., Cao, X., Mokhtarian, P.: Correlation or causality between the built environment and travel behavior? Evidence from Northern California. Transp. Res. Part D: Transp. Environ. 10, 427–444 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handy, S., Cao, X., Mokhtarian, P.: Self-selection in the relationship between the built environment and walking: empirical evidence from Northern California. J. Am. Plann. Assoc. 72, 55–74 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handy, S., Clifton, K.: Local shopping as a strategy for reducing automobile travel. Transportation 28, 317–346 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A.F.: Beyond Baron and Kenny: statistical mediation analysis in the new millennium. Commun. Monogr. 76, 408–420 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L.-T., Bentler, P.M.: Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct. Equ. Model. 6, 1–55 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, J.: Stimulus-organism-response reconsidered: an evolutionary step in modeling (consumer) behavior. J. Consum. Psychol. 12, 51–57 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitamura, R., Mokhtarian, P.L., Laidet, L.: A micro-analysis of land use and travel in five neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area. Transportation 24, 125–158 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, H.-J.: The delimitation of the town-centre in the image of its citizens. In: Brill, E.J. (ed.) Urban Core Inner City, pp. 286–306. Leiden (1967)

  • Kline, R.B.: Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. Guilford Press, New York (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, T.: Urban neighbourhood as a socio-spatial schema. Hum. Relat. 21, 241–267 (1968)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, L., Moudon, A.V.: Objective versus subjective measures of the built environment, which are most effective in capturing associations with walking? Health Place 16, 339–348 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, K.: The Image of the City. MIT Press, Cambridge (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma, L., Dill, J.: Do people’s perceptions of neighborhood bikeability match “Reality”? J. Transp. Land Use 10, 291 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma, L., Dill, J., Mohr, C.: The objective versus the perceived environment: what matters for bicycling? Transportation 41, 1135–1152 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maruyama, G.: Basics of Structural Equation Modeling. Sage, Thousand Oaks (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • McArthur, L.Z., Baron, R.M.: Toward an ecological theory of social perception. Psychol. Rev. 90, 215 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, T.: Urban form and a child’s trip to school: the current literature and a framework for future research. J. Plann. Lit. 19, 440–456 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehrabian, A., Russell, J.A.: An Approach to Environmental Psychology. MIT Press, Cambridge (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Moeller, B., Zoppke, H., Frings, C.: What a car does to your perception: distance evaluations differ from within and outside of a car. Psychon. Bull. Rev. 23, 781–788 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mokhtarian, P., Salomon, I.: How derived is the demand for travel? Some conceptual and measurement considerations. Transp. Res. Part A: Policy Pract. 35, 695–719 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mokhtarian, P., Salomon, I., Redmond, L.: Understanding the demand for travel: it’s not purely ‘derived’. Innovation. Eur. J. Soc. Sci. 14, 355–380 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mondschein, A., Blumenberg, E., Taylor, B.D.: Cognitive mapping, travel behavior, and access to opportunity. Transp. Res. Rec. 1985, 266–272 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez, D.A., Evenson, K.R., Diez Roux, A.V., Brines, S.J.: Land use, residential density, and walking. Am. J. Prev. Med. 37, 397–404 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis, J.F.: Measuring physical activity environments: a brief history. Am. J. Prev. Med. 36, 86–92 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sallis, J.F., Owen, N., Fisher, E.B.: Ecological models of health behavior. In: Glanz, K., Rimer, B.K., Lewis, F.M. (eds.) Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. Wiley, San Francisco (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shay, E., Fan, Y., Rodriguez, D.A., Khattak, A.J.: Drive or walk? Utilitarian trips within a neotraditional neighborhood. Transp. Res. Rec. 1985, 154–161 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, E., Mathur, A., Smith, R.B.: Store environment and consumer purchase behavior: mediating role of consumer emotions. Psychol. Mark. 14, 361–378 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C.S.: The Integrative Action of the Nervous System. Yale University Press, New Haven (1961)

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H.A.: Models of Man; Social and Rational. Wiley, New York (1957)

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H.A.: Administrative Behavior: A Study of Decision-Making Processes in Administrative Organizations. Free Press, New York (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommer, B.B., Sommer, R.: A Practical Guide to Behavioral Research: Tools and Techniques, 4th edn. Oxford University Press, New York (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • Spangenberg, E.R., Crowley, A.E., Henderson, P.: Improving the store environment: do olfactory cues affect evaluations and behaviors? J. Mark. 60, 67–80 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steg, L.: Car use: lust and must. Instrumental, symbolic and affective motives for car use. Transp. Res. Part A: Policy Pract. 39, 147–162 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Talvitie, A.: Things planners believe in, and things they deny. Transportation 24, 1–31 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turley, L., Milliman, R.: Atmospheric effects on shopping behavior: a review of the experimental evidence. J. Bus. Res. 49, 193–211 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Acker, V., Derudder, B., Witlox, F.: Why people use their cars while the built environment imposes cycling. J. Transp. Land Use 6, 53–62 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Acker, V., Van Wee, B., Witlox, F.: When transport geography meets social psychology: toward a conceptual model of travel behaviour. Transp. Rev. 30, 219–240 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wen, M., Hawkley, L.C., Cacioppo, J.T.: Objective and perceived neighborhood environment, individual SES and psychosocial factors, and self-rated health: an analysis of older adults in Cook County. Illinois. Soc. Sci. Med. 63, 2575–2590 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Building 15, Level 4, RMIT, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Liang Ma

  2. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 295G Humphrey School, 301 19th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, Australia

    Jason Cao

Authors
  1. Liang Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jason Cao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

LM and JC conceptualized and designed this study; JC collected the data; LM analyzed the data; LM completed the first draft and JC commented and revised the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liang Ma.

Appendix

Appendix

See Figs. 11 and 12.

Fig. 11
figure 11

Associations between perceived accessibility to shopping providers and travel behavior

Full size image
Fig. 12
figure 12

Associations between the density of shop providers and travel behavior

Full size image

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ma, L., Cao, J. How perceptions mediate the effects of the built environment on travel behavior?. Transportation 46, 175–197 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-017-9800-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-017-9800-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation