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Energy Consumption
The Impact of Residential Density on Vehicle Usage and Fuel Consumption
Authors:
Kim, JinWon; Brownstone, David
University of California, Irvine - Department of Economics, 3151 Social Science Plaza Irvine, CA 92697
; University of California Transportation Center - 2614 Dwight Way, Mail Code 1782 Berkeley, CA
94720-1782 ; University Transportation Centers Program - 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington,
DC 20590
Monograph
3/1/2010
Abstract:
This paper investigates the impact of residential density on vehicle usage and fuel consumption. The
empirical model accounts for both residential self-selection effects and non-random missing data
problems. While most previous studies focus on a specific region, this paper analyzes national level data
from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey. Comparing two households that are equal in all
respects except residential density, the household residing in an area that is 1000 housing units per square
mile denser (roughly 50% of the sample average) will drive 1500 (7.8%) fewer miles per year and will
consume 70 (7.5%) fewer gallons of fuel than the household in the less dense area. The effect of the
contextual density measure (density in the context of its surrounding area) is quantitatively larger than the
sole effect of residential density. A simulation moving a household from suburban to urban area reduces
household annual mileage by 15%.
Subject areas and Index Terms
Energy; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management
Automobile ownership; Density; Econometric models; Fuel consumption; Land use models;
Socioeconomic factors; Urban sprawl; Vehicle miles of travel; California; National Household Travel
Survey
Availability: Available from UC Berkeley Transportation Library through interlibrary loan or document
delivery Order URL: http://library.its.berkeley.edu; Find a library where document is available Order
URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/589077900
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