Residential Self-Selection and Appropriate Control Variables in Land Use: Travel Studies

Several researchers within the field of land use and travel have claimed that self-selection of residents into geographical locations matching their travelling preferences precludes researchers from drawing firm conclusions about influences of residential location on travel. This paper counters this position. For one thing, if households self-select into areas that meet their travel preferences, it seems self-evident that urban structure matters. Evidence from qualitative interviews in the metropolitan areas of Copenhagen and Hangzhou indicates that most of the interviewees' rationales for activity participation, location of activities, choice of travel mode and route choice contribute to a higher amount of motorized travel among outer-area residents than among inner-city dwellers, regardless of any self-selection of residents to particular types of neighbourhoods. Drawing on data from Copenhagen Metropolitan Area, the paper shows that significant relationships between residential location and travel exist regardless of travel-related residential preferences. Moreover, car ownership, and to some extent also transport attitudes, is influenced by residential location. Studies treating car ownership and attitudes to car travel as exogenous control variables not influenced by urban structure tend to underestimate the impacts of residential location on travel.