Exploring the Influence of Urban Form on Work Travel Behavior with Agent-Based Modeling

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2008

Subject Area

land use - urban density, ridership - mode choice, ridership - commuting, organisation - regulation, place - urban, mode - mass transit

Keywords

Work trips, Urban form, Urban areas, Travel behavior, Transit, Simulation, Residential location, Regulations, Public transit, Population density, Place of residence, Mode choice, Modal choice, Mass transit, Local transit, Land use, Journey to work, Computer simulation, Choice of transportation, Agent based models

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of land use regulations on travel behavior by using agent-based modeling. A simulation model for a hypothetical urban area loosely based on the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area was used to study the impact of six land use regulation scenarios on transit use and urban form. The key features and techniques of the model development and the scenarios tested are described. The results from the simulations showed that although the land use regulations that were designed to increase the density near the transit station or in and near the urban core were able to achieve the intended land use patterns, they did not increase the transit mode share for the region in a significant manner. More detailed examination of the output revealed that as long as the rules for mode choice, the distribution of employment, and the transit network remained unchanged, land use regulations that affect residential locations produced limited effects on transit use.

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