The Relationship Between the Rural Built Environment and Household Vehicle Ownership

Abstract

In this chapter, a questionnaire survey of 374 rural households was conducted and the built environment data of seven typical rural villages in rural Sichuan were collected using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and on-site measurement. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the rural built environment and rural household vehicle ownership in rural China through a multinomial logit (MNL) model. Results showe that household structure attributes have the most significant relationship with household vehicle ownership, followed by rural built environment attributes and the respondents’ driving skills. In the process of urbanization, with increases in building density, road density, and destination accessibility, an increase in high-carbon vehicle ownership is an inevitable trend among rural households. However, low-carbon-oriented rural planning can effectively control the increase in high-carbon vehicle ownership. For example, the distance between rural households and important destinations, such as hospitals, schools, and markets, should be shortened, and rural residents should be encouraged to learn to ride bicycles. Moreover, rural residents riding motorcycles can effectively reduce household car ownership.