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Although built environment effects on travel behavior have become a popular research topic globally, studies on the subject have rarely examined how built environment effects may differ between household members. The distinction between household members may be especially important in countries like China where the household registration system and the culture encourage a clear designation of the household head. Using data from Nanjing, China, this paper applies a cluster analysis method to characterize three distinct types of residential built environment and applies the propensity score technique to control for self-selection when examining the travel behavior effects of the three built environment types. Results show that, after controlling for self-selection, built environment effects on travel behavior differ significantly between the household head and other household members. Changes in the built environment do not affect car travel duration or car trip frequency of the household head, but affect significantly car travel behavior of other household members. Moving from the outer area to core or inner urban area is associated with an increased number of leisure trips for the household head, an increased number of maintenance trips for other household members, and increased walking and bicycling travel for both the household head and other household members. The study provides unique evidence on intra-household differences when it comes to the built environment and travel behavior connection. Overlooking intra-household differences may lead to inequitable and/or inefficient urban planning and transportation policy decisions in the context of Chinese cities. • Built environment (BE) effects on travel behavior differ between household members. • BE does not affect car travel of the household head but other household members. • BE affects active travel of both the household head and other household members. • Self-selection leads to overestimation of BE effects for the household head. • Self-selection leads to underestimation of BE effects for other household members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies examine the correlates of car ownership, only a few have quantified the relative contributions of individuals' socio-economic characteristics, alternative transportation choices, and built environment attributes to car ownership in developing cities. By employing gradient boosting decision trees to the 2020 regional household travel survey data from Wuhan, a megacity in China, we estimated the respective impacts of these factors on car ownership. The results of this study highlight household wealth as the dominant factor in predicting car ownership. Additionally, the ownership of Ebikes, an alternative travel option, emerges as an important mitigator of car ownership. However, most transit and built environment variables contribute marginally to the prediction of car ownership – though an exception is to direct future development into inner city neighborhoods. The findings suggest that Ebikes not only serve as a crucial alternative to cars but also complement limited transit services. Therefore, in developing cities with growing economies, banning Ebikes would not be conducive to curbing car growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been witnessing prominent demographic ageing because of its sustained low fertility (one-child policy) and mortality rates. In 2017, nearly one in four elderly adults in the world live in China. The rapid increase of the elderly population is supposed to dramatically influence the urban and transportation system. Active travel plays an important role for the ageing Chinese population to sustain their mobility and wellbeing. To provide suitable policy implications for age-friendly travel environments in China, this study investigates how the built environment affects active travel behavior. Particularly, we explore the influences of built environment on daily active travel frequency and time expenditure while taking into account travel attitudes. A zero-inflated ordered probit model and a Cox proportional hazards model are respectively estimated based on the Nanjing Travel Survey data. Results show that the social and cultural contexts exert pronounced impacts on the travel pattern of Chinese older people. Specifically, it is found that the living pattern of co-residence, and the proximity to market, park/square, and chess/card room are influential in shaping active travel patterns. In addition, the built environment shows larger effects on the active travel behavior of older adults than on that of young people. Attitudes towards active travel are not significant in explaining the senior's travel behavior, indicating limited self-selection effects. The findings will offer insights to establish effective and appropriate land use strategies and public facility distribution for the elderly during the Chinese urban renewal process. • Active modes are the primary travel means for the Chinese ageing population. • Chinese socio-cultural norms make elderly's active travel and its determinants unique. • Household structure, the proximity to market, park/square, and chess/card room are influential factors. • Built environment shows larger effects on elderly's travel behavior than on that of young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]