Built environment and mode choice relationship for commute travel in the city of Rajkot, India

• Relation between built environment and mode choice for commute travel in Rajkot city, India is studied.
• Built environment is quantified as density, diversity, design, access to destination and distance from transit stop.
• A strong tendency to preselect residential location to suit modal preferences is observed among residents.
• Access to destination and land use variable have significant influence on mode choice for commute travel.

Metropolitan areas around the world are looking for sustainable strategies to reduce use of private automobiles, energy consumption and emissions, often achieved by built environment interventions that encourage use of sustainable modes of transport. This study contributes by providing the empirical evidence on the relation between built environment and mode choice in context of Indian city of Rajkot. Using personal interview data and data available from Rajkot Municipal Corporation it is observed that there is a strong tendency among Rajkot residents to preselect their residential location to suit their modal preferences. This is especially true for non-motorized transport users. Among the built environment variables, access to destination and land use related indicators also have significant influence on mode choice. The study Infers that the land use policy should focus on accessibility and mixing of diverse uses, and transport supply will have to be location based to support non-motorized and public transport travel.