How does social network mediate/moderate the effects of the built environment on travel behavior?

Abstract

Extensive literature has well-documented the impacts of built and social environments on travel behavior. Recently, research attention has focused on the spatial, temporal, and socioeconomic heterogeneities of these impacts. This paper aims to contribute to this growing body of literature by studying the heterogeneity of travel behavior impacts of the built environment among individuals with different social networks. We argue that the built environment may influence travel behavior in different ways for individuals with varying social networks. Using data from a two-day activity-travel diary survey conducted in Shanghai in 2018, we examine how personal social networks mediate and moderate the relationships between the built environment and travel behavior. The modeling results show that personal social networks partially mediate and significantly moderate the effects of the built environment on travel behavior. This study contributes to both the literature on the built environment and travel behavior and that on social networks and travel behavior.