Urban Polycentrism and Car Use

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Urban Polycentrism and Car Use

• Anne Aguiléra
• LVMT
• aguilera_at_inrets.fr

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Key questions

• Does the development of employment subcenters
  lead to better proximity between place of
  residence and place of work (reduction of
  commuting distance)?
• What is the consequence of urban polycentrism on
  car use?

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Methodology

• Analysis of the Paris urban area (1990 and 1999
  Census of the Population)
• Identification of employment subcenters and
  evolution (1990-1999)
• Analysis of the growth of commuting distances
• Consequences on car use

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The Paris Urban Area (1999)

• 11 millions of inhabitants
• 5.1 millions of jobs
• 1583 municipalities
• We consider only workers living and working in
  the urban area (4.9 millions)

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Urban Sprawl (1990-1999)
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The identification of urban subcenters

• Attractivity municipality that attract 85 of
  the commuters
• Maximisation of internal commutes group of
  municipalities (subcenters)

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Subcenters in the Paris urban area (1999)
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The subcenters in 1999

• 25 subcenters
• 13 of the municipalities
• 55 of the jobs (83 of the jobs located outside
  the city center)

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The subcenters in 1990 and in 1999

• No new subcenter
• Some subcenters have sprawled (new
  municipalities) along the motorways
• Decrease in the total number of workers (-3)
• Increase in the total number of jobs (4)
• Growing jobs-housing imbalance

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Type of commute and associated distance (1999)
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Type of commute and car use
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The main evolution (1990-1999)

• Decrease of intra-subcenter commutes (-7.6)
• Increase of inter-subcenter commutes
• Decrease of commutes to the center but increase
  of commutes from the center (to the suburban
  subcenters)
• Increase of commutes from and to the rest of the
  urban area

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The increase of commuting distance (1990-1999)