What impact do private vehicle restrictions in urban areas have on car ownership? Empirical evidence from the city of Madrid.

City characteristics and transport policies influence individuals' decisions to own and use private vehicles, thereby impacting on externalities and quality of life. This research explores to what extent car ownership is influenced by the implementation of transport policies aimed at improving urban sustainability in the city of Madrid. Through the calibration of a Multilevel Ordered Logit Model, household car ownership is explained in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, city built-environment variables, transport network attributes, and policy-related variables. The results indicate that built environment factors play a key role in explaining car ownership trends. Moreover, ceteris paribus policies aimed at deterring private vehicles' use seem to discourage households from purchasing cars. • Madrid implemented on-street parking regulation and a LEZ intended to reduce the use of private vehicles in the city center • This paper conducts a multilevel ordered logit model to identify the explanatory factors for car ownership trends in Madrid • These policies lead to lower car ownership rates in the households located inside the area where they are implemented [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]