ACTION SPACE FORMATION: A BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO PREDICTING URBAN TRAVEL BEHAVIOR

Abstract

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR EXAMINING THE PROCESS OF ACTION SPACE (THE COLLECTION OF ALL URBAN LOCATIONS ABOUT WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL HAS INFORMATION AND THE SUBJECTIVE UTILITY OR PREFERENCE HE ASSOIATES WITH THESE LOCATIONS) FORMATION, A PROCESS IMPORTANT IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF URBAN TRAVEL BEHAVIOR IN URBAN AREAS, IS DELINEATED. URBAN TRAVEL BEHAVIOR IS CONSIDERED A DIRECT PRODUCT OF THE ACTION SPACE OF HOUSEHOLDS LIVING WITHIN URBAN AREAS. ACTION SPACE FORMATION IS CONSIDERED THE OUTCOME OF A TWO-STAGE PROCESS. THE FIRST CENTERS ON THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE HOUSEHOLDERS' RESIDENTIAL LOCATION LENGTH OF RESIDENCE, SOCIOECONOMIC ATTRIBUTES, OBJECTIVE URBAN SPATIAL STRUCTURE (THE LOCATION OF A HOUSEHOLD RELATIVE TO THE ACTUAL LOCATIONS OF ALL POTENTIAL ACTIVITIES AND THEIR ASSOCIATED OBJECTIVE LEVELS OF ATTRACTIVENESS WITHIN AN URBAN AREA), AND TRAVEL PREFERENCES AND PERCEPTION OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. THE SECOND STAGE TREATS THE INTERRELATIONS OF TRAVEL PREFERENCES, PERCEPTION OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ACTION SPACE FORMATION PROCESS. AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK, DESIGNED TO TEST AND CALIBRATE THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, IS PRESENTED. PRELIMINARY EMPIRICAL FINDINGS RELATED TO THE STRUCTURE OF AGGREGATIVE ACTION SPACES OF TWO QUITE DIFFERENT URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS ARE PRESENTED LINKAGES BETWEEN THE ACTION SPACE OF AN URBAN HOUSEHOLD AND ITS URBAN TRAVEL BEHAVIOR ARE DEFINED IN THE EMPIRICAL ANALYSES.