Built Environment Impact on Transit Usage: A Complex Relationship

The influence of the built environment characteristics surrounding transit stops on transit usage has been studied extensively (Ding et al., 2019; Ewing & Cervero, 2010; Loo et al., 2010). Some studies have indicated that higher density within the station service area can stimulate travel demand and increase transit ridership (Arrington & Cervero, 2008; Nasri & Zhang, 2014). However, findings from other studies have been inconsistent. For instance, while land use mix has been found to have a positive correlation with metro ridership in Seoul (Sung & Oh, 2011) and Nanjing (Zhao et al., 2013), it did not show a significant correlation in New York (Loo et al., 2010). These inconsistencies may be attributed to variations in urban contexts as well as limitations inherent in widely-used travel survey data (Nasri & Zhang, 2014; Park et al., 2018). For example, the sample size and study areas of travel surveys are often limited and may not represent the entire population.