TELECOMMUTING AND URBAN SPRAWL: MITIGATOR OR INCITER?

There is some evidence to the effect that as cities become increasingly congested new housing starts occur at greater distances from urban centers while jobs tend to remain center-concentrated or develop in the suburbs. In either case, mean commute distances tend to increase. Telecommuting is seen as a means of increasing the job-housing balance in urban and suburban areas by enhancing the ability to move work to, or closer to, the workers' residences rather than requiring workers to commute to work daily. This has the immeidate side effect of decreasing automobile congestion and associated energy consumption and air pollution. There is a possible longer term adverse impact of telecommuting resulting from its ability to decrease constraints on household location, thereby enhancing the rate of spread of suburbia. This paper reviews the evidence concerning the possible effects of telecommuting on urban sprawl, as derived from a two-year test of telecommuting in California, and describes two scenarios of urban form development made more feasible by telecommuting.

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• Authors:
  • NILLES, J M
• Publication Date: 1991

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 411-432
• Serial:
  • Transportation (Netherlands)
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
  • ISSN: 0049-4488

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commuting; Telecommunications; Telecommuting; Urban sprawl; Work trips
• Uncontrolled Terms: Home offices; Telework
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00622131
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: May 31 1996 12:00AM