Volume List  / Volume 12 (3)

Article

RESIDENTIAL DENSITY AND VEHICLE MILES TRAVELLED: EVIDENCE FROM HARARE METROPOLITAN REGION

DOI: 10.7708/ijtte2022.12(3).08


12 / 3 / 394-403 Pages

Author(s)

James Kanyepe - Department of Supply Chain Management, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe -

Marian Tukuta - Department of Supply Chain Management, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe -

Innocent Chirisa - Department of Demography and Settlement, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe -


Abstract

The transport system has always been closely linked to urban development. This study was motivated by the growing concerns over rising fuel prices, vehicle ownership and greenhouse-gas. There has been considerable interest on the effect of residential density on vehicle miles travelled (VMT). While this issue has been extensively researched, there remains uncertainty regarding how effective land-use planning might be used as an arsenal in reducing VMT. The study population was comprised of 530 668 households in Harare Metropolitan. Conferring to Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) formula the sample size for this study was 384 households at 95% confidence level. The study used stratified, convenience and purposive sampling. The researchers used a household survey to collect data from respondents. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to test the validity of all the items used in the study. While the research hypothesis was tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in Amos version 21. The study concludes that residential density positively influences vehicle miles travelled. The fact that travel is a derived demand should encourage planners and policy-makers to consider residential development as an alternative approach to reducing vehicle miles travelled.


Download Article

Number of downloads: 279


Acknowledgements:

Our sincere appreciation goes to all the respondents for their cooperation and support on data collection.


References:

Atalay, M.; Anafarta, N.; Sarvan, F. 2013. The Relationship between Innovation and Firm Performance: An Empirical Evidence from Turkish Automotive Supplier Industry, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 75: 226–235.

 

Bagozzi, R. P.; Yi, Y. 1988. On the evaluation of structural equation models, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 16(1): 74–94.

 

Bandauko, E.; Bobo, T.; Mandisvika, G. 2016. Towards smart urban transportation system in Harare, Zimbabwe. In B. H. Goh (Ed.), Smart cities as a solution for reducing urban waste and pollution, Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

 

Beaudoin, J.; Farzin, Y.H.; Lawell, C.Y.C.L. 2015. Public Transit Investment and Sustainable Transportation: A Review of Studies of Transit’s Impact on Traffic Congestion and Air Quality, Research in Transportation Economics 52: 15-22.

 

Brownstone, D.; Golob, T.F. 2009. The impact of residential density on vehicle usage and energy consumption, Journal of Urban Economics 65(1): 91-98.

 

Cervero, R.B. 2013. Linking urban transport and land use in developing countries, Journal of Transport and Land Use 6(1): 7-24.

 

Chikede, T. 2015. Zimbabwe – knowing all facts about Highfields: investing in the heart of Harare. Available from Internet: https://terezimproperties.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/zimbabwe-knowing-all-facts-about-highfields-investing-in-the-heart-of-harare/.

 

Choi, K. 2018. The in fl uence of the built environment on household vehicle travel by the urban typology in Calgary, Canada, Cities 75: 101–110.

 

Diao, M. I.; Ferreira, J. 2014. Vehicle Miles Traveled and the Built Environment: Evidence from Vehicle Safety Inspection Data, Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 46(12): 2991–3009.

 

Dieleman, F.; Wegener, M. 2004. Compact city and urban sprawl, Built Environment 30(4): 308–323.

 

Dube, C.; Chigumira, G. 2011. The scope for public-private partnerships for infrastructure development in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit.

 

Durand, C. P.; Oluyomi, A. O.; Gabriel, K. P.; Salvo, D.; Sener, I. N.; Hoelscher, D. M.; Knell, G.; Tang, X.; Porter, A. K.; Robertson, M. C.; Kohl, H. W. 2016. The Effect of Light Rail Transit on Physical Activity: Design and Methods of the Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods Study, Frontiers in Public Health 4(103): 1-10.

 

Duranton, G.; Guerra, E. 2016. Urban accessibility: Balancing land use and transportation. Available from Internet: https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Urban-accessibility-Balancing-land-use-and-transportation-Gilles.pdf.

 

Ewing, R.; Hamidi, S.; Grace, J. B. 2016. Urban sprawl as a risk factor in motor vehicle crashes, Urban Studies 53(2): 247–266.

 

Field, A. P.; Miles, J. 2009. Discovering statistics using SPSS : (and sex and drugs and rock “n” roll). SAGE Publications.

 

Fornell, C.; Larcker, D. F. 1981. Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: A Comment, Journal of Marketing Research 18(3): 382-388.

 

Frenkel, A.; Ashkenazi, M. 2008. Measuring Urban Sprawl: How Can We Deal with It? Environment and Planning B, Planning and Design 35(1): 56-79.

 

Geurs, K.T.; Van Wee, B. 2004. Accessibility Evaluation of Land-Use and Transport Strategies: Review and Research Directions, Journal of Transport Geography 12(2):127-140.

 

Gordon, P.; Kumar, A.; Richardson, H. W. 1989. The Influence of Metropolitan Spatial Structure on Commuting Time, Journal of Urban Economics 26:(2): 138-151.

 

Gulhan, G.; Ceylan, H.; 2016. Relation Between Land Use and Transportation Planning in the Scope of Smart Growth Strategies: Case Study of Denizli, Turkey, in M. Ergen (ed.), Sustainable Urbanization, IntechOpen, London.

 

Hair, J. F.; Ringle, C. M.; Sarstedt, M. 2013. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling: Rigorous Applications, Better Results and Higher Acceptance, Long Range Planning 46: 1-12.

 

Hong, J. 2017. Non-linear influences of the built environment on transportation emissions: Focusing on densities, Journal of Transport and Land Use 10(1): 229–240.

 

Izraeli, O.; McCarthy, T. R. 1985. Variations in travel distance, travel time and modal choice among SMSAs, Journal of Transport Economics & Policy 19(2): 139-160.

 

Kamusoko, C.; Gamba, J.; Murakami, H. 2013. Monitoring Urban Spatial Growth in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe, Advances in Remote Sensing 2(4): 322-331.

 

Kanyepe, J.; Tukuta, M.; Chirisa, I. 2021. Urban Land-use and Traffic Congestion: Mapping the Interaction, Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs 5(1): 77-84.

 

Kusumastuti, D.; Nicholson, A. 2018. Mixed-use development in Christchurch, New Zealand: Do you want to live there?, Urban Studies 55(12): 2682–2702.

 

Lee, G.; Jeong, Y.; Kim, S. 2015. Impact of Individual and Urban Traits and Urban Form on Vehicle Hours Traveled, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering 14: 601-608.

 

Machakaire, D.G. 2015. Transformation of urban planning practices using geo-spatial technology in managing rapid urbanisation in Harare: Zimbabwe (Doctoral dissertation, Cape Peninsula University of Technology).

 

Magidimisha, H.H.; Chipungu, L. 2011. Unconventional Housing Provision: Reflections on Health Aspects – A Case Study of Zimbabwe, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 26(4): 469-485.

 

Marondedze, A. K.; Schütt, B. 2019. Dynamics of land use and land cover changes in Harare, Zimbabwe: A case study on the linkage between drivers and the axis of urban expansion, Land 8(10): 1-20.

 

Matamanda, A.R. 2020. Battling the Informal Settlement Challenge through Sustainable City Framework: Experiences and Lessons from Harare, Zimbabwe, Development Southern Africa 37(2): 217-231.

 

Mbara, T.; Pisa, N. 2019. An Analysis of Impediments to Deliver Sustainable Transport in Cities of Developing Countries: The Case of Harare, Zimbabwe, WIT Transactions on the Built Environment 182: 241-252.

 

Mbara, T. C. 2015. Achieving Sustainable Urban Transport in Harare, Zimbabwe: What are the Requirements to Reach the Milestone? CODATU 2015 Energy, Climate and Air Quality Challenges: the Role of Urban Transport Policies in Developing Countries.

 

Monteiro, A. P.; Soares, A. M. 2017. Entrepreneurial orientation and export performance : the mediating effect of organisational resources and dynamic capabilities Orlando Lima Rua, Journal International Business and Entrepreneurship Development 10(1): 3–20.

 

Morar, T.; Bertolini, L. 2013. Planning for pedestrians : a way out of traffic congestion Planning for Pedestrians : A Way Out of Traffic Congestion, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81: 600–608.

 

Mukherjee, B. A.; Patel, N.; Krishna, P. A. 2014. Development of Heterogeneity Index for Assessment of Relationship Between Land Use Pattern and Traffic Congestion, International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering 4(4): 397–414.

 

Munzwa, K.; Wellington, J. 2010. Urban development in Zimbabwe: A human settlement perspective, Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management 5(14): 120–146.

 

Nasution, H. N.; Mavondo, F. T.; Jekanyika, M.; Oly, N. 2011. Industrial Marketing Management Entrepreneurship : Its relationship with market orientation and learning orientation and as antecedents to innovation and customer value, Industrial Marketing Management 40(3): 336–345.

 

Ogra, A.; Ndebele, R. 2014. The role of 6Ds: density, diversity, design, destination, distance, and demand management in transit-oriented development (TOD). In Neo-International Conference on Habitable Environments, 539–546.

 

Pallant, J. 2011. SPSS survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS. Routledge, London. 378 p.

 

Patel, S.; Kheni, A.; Patel, H.; Patel, M.; Chauhan, D. 2019. Evaluation of Traffic Congestion Using Comparative Land Use Pattern-a Case Study of Surat City, Internation Research Journal of Engineering and Technology 6(3): 1282–1284.

 

Sarzynski, A.; Wolman, H. L.; Galster, G.; Hanson, R. 2006. Testing the conventional wisdom about land use and traffic congestion: The more we sprawl, the less we move?, Urban Studies 43(3): 601–626.

 

Soteropoulos, A.; Berger, M.; Ciari, F. 2019. Impacts of automated vehicles on travel behaviour and land use: an international review of modelling studies, Transport Reviews 39(1): 29–49.

 

Spears, S.; Houston, D.; Boarnet, M. G. 2013. Illuminating the unseen in transit use: A framework for examining the effect of attitudes and perceptions on travel behavior, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 58: 40–53.

 

Wilfred, G.; Bwire, H.; Mattsson, L.; Jonsson, D. 2015. Effects of residential land use on trip generation in urban areas: Comparison between estimated trip generation rates and planning practices in Dar es Salaam. In Proceedings of the 34th Annual Southern African Transport Conference, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 35–53.

 

Zhu, Z.; Li, Z.; Liu, Y.; Chen, H.; Zeng, J. 2017. The impact of urban characteristics and residents’ income on commuting in China, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 57: 474–483.