The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas

This study examines the patterns of car dependence in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal’s two largest metropolitan areas, utilising an innovative framework known as the ABC of mobility. This model categorises modes of transport into Active Mobility (A), Public Transport (B), and Car (C). Drawing from censu...

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Main Authors: Rafael Prieto-Curiel, Filipe Barroso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002386
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author Rafael Prieto-Curiel
Filipe Barroso
author_facet Rafael Prieto-Curiel
Filipe Barroso
author_sort Rafael Prieto-Curiel
collection DOAJ
description This study examines the patterns of car dependence in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal’s two largest metropolitan areas, utilising an innovative framework known as the ABC of mobility. This model categorises modes of transport into Active Mobility (A), Public Transport (B), and Car (C). Drawing from census data from 2011 and 2021, we assess the modal choices of commuting adults and students across municipalities. Our findings reveal that central urban areas exhibit a distinct modal distribution, with car use increasing by approximately 1 % for every additional 2 km from the city centre, primarily at the expense of Public Transport usage. In contrast, peripheral areas show significant reliance on cars, with over 75 % of trips made by car, whereas some central zones report car journeys at under 40 %. These results highlight the relationship between urban centrality and modal choice, emphasising the role of Public Transport availability in shaping commuting behaviours.
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publisher Elsevier
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series Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
spelling doaj-art-2dfb2fe8f0a641628d4bcf6a517593092025-08-22T04:58:05ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-07-013210155910.1016/j.trip.2025.101559The growing dominance of cars in suburban areasRafael Prieto-Curiel0Filipe Barroso1Complexity Science Hub, Metternichgasse 8, 01030 Vienna, Austria; Corresponding author.Department of Physics, University of Aveiro, Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication (i3N), Aveiro, PortugalThis study examines the patterns of car dependence in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal’s two largest metropolitan areas, utilising an innovative framework known as the ABC of mobility. This model categorises modes of transport into Active Mobility (A), Public Transport (B), and Car (C). Drawing from census data from 2011 and 2021, we assess the modal choices of commuting adults and students across municipalities. Our findings reveal that central urban areas exhibit a distinct modal distribution, with car use increasing by approximately 1 % for every additional 2 km from the city centre, primarily at the expense of Public Transport usage. In contrast, peripheral areas show significant reliance on cars, with over 75 % of trips made by car, whereas some central zones report car journeys at under 40 %. These results highlight the relationship between urban centrality and modal choice, emphasising the role of Public Transport availability in shaping commuting behaviours.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002386Urban formMobilityCar dependencyABC of mobility
spellingShingle Rafael Prieto-Curiel
Filipe Barroso
The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Urban form
Mobility
Car dependency
ABC of mobility
title The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
title_full The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
title_fullStr The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
title_full_unstemmed The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
title_short The growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
title_sort growing dominance of cars in suburban areas
topic Urban form
Mobility
Car dependency
ABC of mobility
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002386
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