The immigrant effect on commuting modal shares: variation and consistency across metropolitan zones

ABSTRACT

The literature has identified an “immigrant effect” in commuting modal shares, accounting for higher reliance on public transit. Few studies have, however, studied the immigrant effect at the intra-metropolitan scale. This paper relies on individual- and census tract-level data to identify relations between immigrant modal shares and housing location within three metropolitan concentric zones (inner city, inner and outer suburb) and selected socioeconomic variables. Findings from the Toronto metropolitan area confirm the existence of an immigrant effect, as immigrants register higher levels of transit use than the domestically born population in all categories of residential location across the metropolitan region. The paper reflects on reasons for, and sustainability consequences of, disproportional immigrant transit reliance in sectors, such as the outer suburb, that are poorly served by transit. It suggests a demand-driven transit strategy that would involve adjusting services to the higher transit reliance of immigrants.

KEYWORDS:

• Immigrant Settlement
• transportation pattern
• suburbanization
• Toronto

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Driving corresponds to the use of car, truck or van for work-related travels as a driver, whereas carpooling corresponds to passengers in these same vehicles.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rafael Harun

Rafael Harun, PhD is a Researcher in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. His research is on immigrant issues in metropolitan regions and the urban planning implications.

Pierre Filion

Pierre Filion, PhD is a Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo and a registered professional planner. His research is on downtown and inner city planning, metropolitan region planning, and land use transportation interactions.

Markus Moos

Markus Moos, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo and a registered professional planner. His research is on urban housing markets and the changing demography, social structures, and economies of cities.