Disentangling the effects of the built environment on car ownership: A multi-level analysis of Chinese cities

Reducing the reliance on car-based transportation is a common goal of academics and policy makers, one element of which is car-ownership. This paper contributes to our understanding of the links between socio-economic attributes, the built environment and car ownership. Based on a sample of 3480 individuals across China in 2012, this study examines the impacts of the built environment at both neighborhood and city levels on car ownership and its moderating effects on household income. The results indicate that built environment elements at both levels affect car ownership significantly, and while some elements mitigate the effects of household income on car ownership, others strengthen them. Thus, urban transportation policy should focus on the built environment at both the neighborhood and city levels and promote compact development for the sake of restraining car ownership and encouraging more sustainable modes of travel. Moreover, policy should not ignore the interaction effects between individual socio-economic attributes and the built environment, as their directions are heterogeneous.