How do the effects of local built environment on household vehicle kilometers traveled vary across urban structural zones?

Many studies have examined the effects of the local built environment (LBE) on household car usage. However, it remains unclear how these effects vary across urban structural zones. This study examines the case of Shenzhen and employs a multigroup structural equation model to reveal the varying LBE effects among car-owning households in inner-city, inner-suburban, and outer-suburban zones. The empirical modeling results indicate that the distance from the residence to the city center and the work-home distance have the greatest influence on household vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT). Average household VKT decreases with the distance from the residence to the city center after it peaks at the threshold radius distance of 8–10 km to the city center. In general, dense, mixed, small-block land use patterns reduce household VKT. However, the magnitude and significance of the LBE effects on household VKT vary across urban structural zones. These findings suggest that land-use policies can be developed specifically for different urban structural zones to effectively decrease household VKT.