Non-linear effects of built environment factors on mode choice: A tour-based analysis

Abstract

Understanding the connections between the built environment and travel mode choice is a major research topic in transportation. However, existing studies usually examine the relationship through trip-based analyses rather than tour-based approaches. A tour consists of multiple trips that originate and end at the same place, which is increasingly considered the more appropriate analysis unit for travel behaviors. Applying a tour-based approach, this study employs random forest to investigate the non-linear impacts of built environment factors and tour attributes on different mode combinations of a tour. We find that tour attributes and connectivity-related variables (e.g., block size and intersection density) have a strong association with the use of active travel modes when their values are within a certain threshold. In addition, capturing mode change behaviors offers more nuanced understanding of how various built environment variables shape people’s decision to combine modes in a tour.