Residential location,vehicle ownership and travel in Asia: a comparative analysis of Kei-Han-Shin and Kuala Lumpur metropolitan areas

The study examines the relationships between residential location, vehicle ownership and mobility in two metropolitan areas of Asia, Kei-Han-Shin area of Japan and Kuala Lumpur area of Malaysia. It shows that, behind apparent similarities of household auto ownership and travel time expenditure per household member, there are many causal relationships that are distinct between the areas. The similarities and differences between the two areas point to the conjecture that the evolution of a metropolitan area may be unique and path dependent, being heavily influenced by the history and culture of the locale, spatial and geographical constraints, and historical progression in infrastructure development.

Jamilah MohamadEmail:

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Metin Senbil   is an Associate Professor in City and Regional Planning Department at Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Engineering from Kyoto University, Japan. His research interests cover different aspects of urban travel demand and its interactions with telecommunications, land use, and policies directed at controlling as well as managing travel demand. Ryuichi Kitamura   is Professor of Civil Engineering Systems at Kyoto University, Japan. His past research effort spans in the area of travel behavior analysis and demand forecasting, in particular in activity-based analysis, and panel surveys and dynamic analysis of travel behavior. He is associate editor of Transportation. Dr Jamilah Mohamad   is Professor and Head of the Department of Geography, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Her main fields of research interest are travel behavior, the relationship between transport and spatial development and urban growth management.