An L.A. story: The impact of housing costs on commuting

The empirical impact of housing costs on commuting is still relatively poorly understood. This especially salient in California given the state's notoriously high costs, which have forced many lower- and middle-class households to move inland search affordable at cost longer commutes. To investigate this linkage, we relied Generalized Structural Equation Modeling analyzed 2012 CHTS data for Los Angeles County – most populous county U.S. Our model, jointly explains distance time, accounts residential self-selection car use endogeneity, while controlling household characteristics land around residences workplaces. We find that who can afford more expensive neighborhoods shorter commute distances (−2.3% − 3.1% per additional $100 k median home values workplaces respectively). Job density, CBD, land-use diversity a greater than corresponding variables commuters' residences. Compared non-Hispanics, Hispanic workers (+3.5%), so do African American (+5.1%) Asian (+2.0%) compared Caucasians, college educated (−2.6% −3.6%) Furthermore, commuters top income brackets tend faster commutes lower workers. Finally, women's are ~41% men's, possibly because they balancing work with domestic responsibilities. Better understanding determinants critical inform transportation policy, improve health commuters, reduce air pollution, achieve climate goals.