ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses previous work in measuring commuting lengths and patterns. Some commuting literature suggests the unreliability of measuring commute length by travel time. A few studies examined the temporal change in commuting patterns and connected it with land use patterns. To measure commuting lengths in terms of distances, existing studies commonly estimated the Euclidean distances between centroids of zones. Some studies have shown great promise in using Global Positioning System data and activity travel surveys of individual trip makers in commuting studies. Explanation of commuting patterns naturally begins with a focus on the spatial separation of resident and employment locations. There are also nonspatial factors that lead to longer commutes beyond what can be predicted by the land use pattern. Wasteful or excess commuting is another line of research closely related to the paradigm of interrelatedness between land use and commuting and reflects the overall commuting efficiency in a city.
