The role of the arts and bohemia in sustainable transportation and commuting choices in Chicago, Paris, and Seoul

ABSTRACT

Past studies have shown that a denser, mixed urban form is a key determinant of alternative commuting choice. However, the role of cultural environments of neighborhoods and cities in the choices of sustainable transportation is rarely studied. This article examines the presence and the role of the arts and bohemia on measures of walking, bicycling, and public transit use in a cross-national context. I quantitatively measure bohemia and the arts in the cities of Chicago, Paris, and Seoul and test their association with alternative commuting choices and transit ridership. In cross-sectional multivariate regression analyses, I find that bohemia and the arts are strongly associated with alternative modes of transportation after controlling for density and demographic factors. In particular, bohemia in both the United States and France is significantly associated with bicycle commuting. In addition, the presence of the art amenities and artists shows a robust relationship with walking in Seoul.

Acknowledgments

I thank Terry Nichols Clark, Ian Nutting, and the International Scenes research group for their continuous support and advice. I also thank two anonymous reviewers for their insights and comments that greatly improved this article. I am also immensely grateful to discussants and participants whom I met at the Neubauer Collegium at the University of Chicago and Urban Affairs Association annual meeting for insightful feedback.

Notes

1. Gu is an administrative unit in South Korea that is equivalent to district in the West. Dong is the smallest unit, and each gu is composed of several dongs.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hyesun Jeong

Hyesun Jeong is an Architect and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Urban Innovation Analysis, Inc., in Chicago. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology. Main research topics include sustainable urban design, arts and cultural place-making, and alternative transportation that incorporates cultural policies of global cities.