Causal mechanism of motorization in the medium-sized local cities of japan: A Cross-section Analysis in 1990

Abstract

Since the high economic growth period in Japan private motorcars have proliferated in the local cities, where they have become necessities of life for most dwellers today. This paper considers the present state of proliferation by applying some statistical methods to a set of cross-sectional data, an array of transportation and socio-economic variables in 1990 for each of eighty-four medium-sized cities located outside major metropolitan areas (Table 1). In order to solve the problem, the author studies the systematic relationship among the variables or the transportation system. The results may be summarized as follows: First, the eighteen variables on attributes of household, proliferation rate of private vehicle, modal choice in commuting, urban form, road environment and public transit shown in Table 2 were defined as indicators of the transportation system. Using exploratory factor analysis, they were grouped and simplified into five common factors which can be used as sorts of latent variables. The results of the factor analysis are given in Table 3. Of five factors extracted, Factor 5 was not identified even after a promax oblique rotation. Factor 1 was identified as household car ownership, Factor 2 as private traffic generation and traffic restraint, Factor 3 as public traffic generation, Factor 4 as compact car (Kei-jidosha) ownership in suburbs. These four factors correspond to essential elements of the above-mentioned transportation system. © 1994, The Human Geographical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.