Examining the effects of the built environment on auto ownership in two Norwegian urban regions

Based on a study in the Oslo and Stavanger metropolitan areas in Norway combining quantitative and qualitative methods, this paper sheds light on influences of built environment characteristics on auto ownership. In both metropolitan areas, the distance from the dwelling to the main city center, a measure of regional destination accessibility, has an important effect on auto ownership. A quasi-longitudinal analysis shows that outward residential relocation tends to increase auto ownership and inward relocation to reduce it. Neighborhood density variables including population and employment also exert important influences. The analysis of qualitative interview material substantiates the causal mechanism about the effects of the built environment characteristics on auto ownership.