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Measuring the Impacts of Local Land Use Policies on Vehicle Miles of Travel: The Case of the First Big Box Store in Davis, California

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  • Lovejoy, Kristin
  • Sciara, Gian-Claudia
  • Salon, Deborah
  • Handy, Susan L.
  • Mokhtarian, Patricia L.

Abstract

Concerns over climate change have brought new impetus to the goal of reducing vehicle travel through land use policy. To determine the degree to which land use policies are effective in reducing vehicle travel, studies are needed that measure and compare vehicle travel both before and after a land use policy change. The opening of the first big box retail store in Davis, California represented a major change in the retail landscape and an unusual opportunity to study its effect on shopping travel. Surveys of residents’ shopping behavior conducted before and after the opening of the store revealed a significant shift in where people shopped and a measurable reduction in overall vehicle-miles-traveled for shopping. Although the observed change in VMT is specific to the Davis context, the findings support the general proposition that bringing retail destinations closer to residences will reduce vehicle travel, particularly where the comparable alternatives for the newly introduced store are far away. The study also offers important insights into the challenges of conducting before-and-after studies of the impact of local land use changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Lovejoy, Kristin & Sciara, Gian-Claudia & Salon, Deborah & Handy, Susan L. & Mokhtarian, Patricia L., 2012. "Measuring the Impacts of Local Land Use Policies on Vehicle Miles of Travel: The Case of the First Big Box Store in Davis, California," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt5rs1c6zm, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt5rs1c6zm
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lee, Richard J. & Sener, Ipek N. & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Handy, Susan L., 2017. "Relationships between the online and in-store shopping frequency of Davis, California residents," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 40-52.
    2. Matthew E. Kahn & Nils Kok, 2014. "Big-Box Retailers and Urban Carbon Emissions: The Case of Wal-Mart," NBER Working Papers 19912, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Lee, Yongsung & Guhathakurta, Subhrajit, 2018. "An analysis of the effects of suburban densification on vehicle use for shopping: Do existing residents respond to land-use changes in the same way as recent movers?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 193-204.
    4. Salon, Deborah, 2015. "The Effect of Land Use Policies and Infrastructure Investments on How Much We Drive: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Literature," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt54d4567m, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    5. Dillon, Harya S. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel & Boarnet, Marlon G., 2015. "The impact of urban form and gasoline prices on vehicle usage: Evidence from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 23-33.

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    Keywords

    Engineering;

    JEL classification:

    • R40 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - General

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