The effects of high-density suburban development on commuter mode choices in Seoul, Korea

Abstract

This study empirically assesses the effects of high-density suburban development on commuter mode choices in Seoul, Korea. We separated the impacts of densification and new suburban development on mode choice through an examination of interaction effects between population density and the sizes of newly developed suburban areas in logistic regression models. As expected, population and employment densities are positively related to public transit use, while new suburban residential and nonresidential developments are positively related to automobile use. However, the interactive logistic model empirically confirms that a one-unit increase in development density of the new suburban residential increased automobile usage by 27% in 1996 and 17% in 2006 (13% in 1996 and 16% in 2006 for new nonresidential developments), indicating that suburbanization and density are not at odds, but rather are corroborative in encouraging automobile use in the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA). One of the primary explanations for this finding is the strong housing preference for suburban high-rise apartment buildings among SMA residents.