The socio-economics of travel behavior and environmental burdens: A Detroit, Michigan regional context

The transportation industry-particularly light-duty vehicles-is a significant contributor of greenhouse gasses, accounting for about one-third of overall emissions in the U.S. Research to date has studied various factors that impact travel behavior of residents with varying socio-economic characteristics. However, research on the socio-economic characteristics of residents and their impact on environmental burdens within a single urban region, as measured by fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, is recognized as under-represented in the U.S. planning and transportation literature. This study focuses on the Detroit region, Michigan, a unique case study due to the scale of suburbanization and urban decline, yet representative of many mid-western cities. The article explores how socio-economic characteristics impact travel patterns and environmental burdens within six Detroit region neighborhoods. Data on individual travel behavior and personal vehicle characteristics gathered from a mail survey enabled an analysis into how associated environmental burdens varied with socio-economic composition. The analysis explores contributions to environmental burdens between poorer urban and wealthier suburban populations.