Influence of land use and street characteristics on car ownership and use: Evidence from Jinan, China

- Land use and street characteristics influence car ownership and use.
- Parking supply, neighborhood permeability and street design affect car ownership.
- Most land use and street variables influence car use.

This study examines the effects of land use and street characteristics on household car ownership and use, based on a travel survey of 2540 households in 104 neighborhoods of Jinan, China. We performed two-step instrumental variable models, composed of a multinomial logistic model predicting the car ownership in the first step and a double-hurdle model predicting the car traveling distances in the second step with the use of car ownership as a mediating variable. It is found that parking supply, neighborhood permeability and street design influence car ownership. Most land use and street variables along dimensions of density, diversity and design, as well as the proximity to regional transport infrastructures, influence either the participation probability or the distance travelled by car. Overall, our study points to the importance of strategic urban planning favoring bus rapid transit development, mixed land uses, human friendly streets and restrictive parking to reduce car dependency in rapidly motorizing Chinese cities.