Which Reduces Vehicle Travel More: Jobs-Housing Balance or Retail-Housing Mixing?

Which land-use strategy yields greater reductions in vehicular travel: improving the proximity of jobs to housing or bringing retail and consumer services closer to residential areas? We probe this question by examining the degree to which job accessibility is associated with reduced work travel and how closely retail and service accessibility is correlated with miles and hours logged getting to shopping destinations. Based on data from the San Francisco Bay Area, we find that jobs-housing balance reduces travel more, by a substantial margin. The article concludes by discussing policy measures that have been introduced in California to bring housing, workplaces, and retail centers closer together.