Remembrance of Cars and Buses Past
Publication Year: 2017

Remembrance of Cars and Buses Past

Citation:

Smart, M. J., & Klein, N. J. (2018). Remembrance of Cars and Buses Past: How Prior Life Experiences Influence Travel. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 38(2), 139–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17695774

Abstract
Does living in a neighborhood with high-quality public transit influence travel behavior later in life, even if you move to a neighborhood with worse transit service? To test this, we construct residential histories of individuals using decades of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We find that past experiences shape transportation futures. Exposure to transit during young adulthood in particular is associated with an auto-light lifestyle and greater transit usage later in life. This research suggests a long-term benefit for encouraging transit at younger ages to foster a “transit habit.”