Abstract
Land-use policies are argued by both researchers and policy makers to be a strategy for reducing negative impacts on the environment through reduced motorized-vehicle travel. But does research support this argument? In this context we discuss whether land-use policies make sense as a strategy for reducing motorized travel and lessening environmental impacts. We focus on the following propositions with respect to daily household travel: (1) Land-use policies can have a significant effect on travel behaviour depending on the scope and scale of the policies and on the particular context of the effort; (2) Even when land-use policies have a minimal effect on travel behaviour they confer benefits in the form of accessibility improvements, and; (3) Land-use policies should be evaluated for a much broader range of benefits rather than changes in travel behaviour alone.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Anderson, W. P., Kanaroglou, P. S., & Miller, E. J. (1996). Urban form, energy and the environment: A review of issues, evidence and policy. Urban Studies, 33, 7–35.
Banister, D., & Berechman, J. (2000). Transport investment and economic development. London: University College London Press.
Boarnet, M. (2011). A broader context for land use and travel behavior, and a research agenda. Journal of the American Planning Association, 77, 197–213.
Boarnet, M. G., Day, K., Anderson, C., McMillan, T., & Alfonzo, M. (2005). California’s safe routes to school program: Impacts on walking, bicycling, and pedestrian safety. Journal of the American Planning Association, 71, 301–317.
Cao, X., Mokhtarian, P. L., & Handy, S. (2009). Examining the impact of residential self-selection on travel behavior: A focus on empirical findings. Transport Reviews, 29, 359–395.
Cervero, R. (2004). The built environment and travel: Evidence from the United States. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 3, 119–137.
Cervero, R. (2006). Alternative approaches to modelling the travel-demand impacts of smart growth. Journal of the American Planning Association, 72, 285–295.
Dieleman, F. M. (2001). Modelling residential mobility: A review of recent trends in research. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 16, 249–265.
Ewing, R., & Cervero, R. (2010). Travel and the built environment: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Planning Association, 76, 265–294.
Frank, L. D., Saelens, B. E., Powell, K. E., & Chapman, J. E. (2007). Stepping towards causation: Do built environments or neighbourhood and travel preferences explain physical activity, driving, and obesity? Social Science & Medicine, 65, 1898–1914.
Geurs, K., Haaijer, R., & Van Wee, B. (2006). Option value of public transport: Methodology for measurement and case study for regional rail links in the Netherlands. Transport Reviews, 26, 613–643.
Geurs, K. T., & Van Wee, B. (2004). Accessibility evaluation of land-use and transport strategies: review and research directions. Journal of Transport Geography, 12, 127–140.
Giuliano, G. (1989). New directions for understanding transportation and land use. Environment and Planning A, 21, 145–159.
Gordon, P., & Richardson, H. (1989). Gasoline consumption and cities: A reply. Journal of the American Planning Association, 55, 342–346.
Handy, S. (1996). Methodologies for exploring the link between urban form and travel behaviour. Transportation Research Part D, 1, 151–165.
Meurs, H., & Van Wee, B. (2004). Land use and mobility: A synthesis of findings and policy implications. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 2, 219–233.
Mokhtarian, P., & Chen, C. (2004). TTB or not TTB that is the question: a review and analysis of the empirical literature on travel time (and money) budgets. Transportation Research Part A, 38, 643–675.
Newman, P., & Kenworthy, J. (1988). The transport energy trade-off: Fuel efficient traffic versus fuel-efficient cities. Transportation Research Part A, 22, 163–174.
Niemeier, D., Bao, S., & Handy, S. (2011). The impact of residential growth patterns on vehicle travel and pollutant emissions. Journal of Transportation and Land Use, 4, 65–80.
SACTRA. (1999). Transport and the economy. The standing advisory committee on trunk road assessment. London: Department of the Environment, Department of Transport and the Regions.
Saelensminde, K. (2004). Cost–benefit analyses of walking and cycling track networks taking into account insecurity, health effects and external costs of motorized traffic. Transportation Research Part A, 38, 593–606.
Salon, D., Boarnet, M., Handy, S., Spears, S., & Tal G. (2011). How do local actions affect VMT? A critical view of the empirical evidence. Paper presented at the 91st annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Schwanen, T., Dijst, M., & Dieleman, F. M. (2002). A microlevel analysis of residential context and travel time. Environment and Planning A, 34, 1487–1507.
Van Wee, B. (2002). Land use and transport: Research and policy challenges. Journal of Transport Geography, 10, 259–271.
Van Wee, B. (2011). Evaluating the impact of land use on travel behaviour: The environment versus accessibility. Journal of Transport Geography, 19, 1530–1533.
Acknowledgements
This chapter is based on a paper written for the European Metropolitan Network Institute (EMI). We thank Sietske Voorn for her support and feedback.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
van Wee, B., Handy, S. (2014). Do Future Land-Use Policies Increase Sustainable Travel?. In: Gärling, T., Ettema, D., Friman, M. (eds) Handbook of Sustainable Travel. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7034-8_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7034-8_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7033-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7034-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)