Spatial variations of the minimum home-to-work distance in the north of Belgium

abstract
In many policy documents on mobility and transport much hope is set on realizing an "adequate spatial planning" as an effective means to improve the efficiency and sustainability of mobility. While the spatial structure is generally recognized as a prerequisite for trip generation, observed travel behavior and particularly trip distances are additionally induced by such "external" factors as the general prosperity, the level of congestion, the quality of roads, or the price of fuel. From the point of view of land use planning, it is essential to estimate what share of the actual traffic is caused by spatial structure itself, and what share represents in fact an extrapolation originating from the above mentioned external factors. In the pursuit of sustainable development, we examine the role of spatial structure in a quantitative way on the basis of "excess commuting", a concept that initially emerged in the early 1980s from Hamilton's seminal work. A case study in the north of Belgium shows that large variations in minimum commuting distances and excess rates occur, which define to a large extent opportunities for shrinking commuting distances again in the future by influences such as rising fuel prices, extreme congestion or dissuasive traffic policies.