Assessing the impacts of job and worker relocation policies on commuting

This paper assesses the impacts of multiple job and worker relocation policies on commuting by predicting average minimum commutes by worker type. Each relocation policy contains a set of policy constraints including the worker shift ratio as a measure of jobs-housing balance. The objectives are: (1) to develop a disaggregated linear program measuring the minimum commutes under different relocation policy scenarios, (2) to examine the impacts of worker shift ratio on commuting by worker type, and (3) to identify the effect of occupational heterogeneity on the average minimum commute. Census Transportation Planning Package data are used for the analysis of a tri-state area including Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. The empirical results suggest that the worker shift ratio has impacts on the minimum commutes and varying levels of minimum commutes are found across occupational groups.

► This paper assesses the impacts of theoretical job and worker relocation policies on commuting.
► A disaggregated linear program is developed to examine the impacts of worker shift ratio on commuting.
► This paper identifies the effect of occupational heterogeneity on the average minimum commute.
► The worker shift ratio has impacts on the minimum commutes and varying levels of minimum commutes are found across occupational groups.