Habit as a better way to understand urban mobilities

There is increasing empirical evidence in social psychology and geography for the idea that habit plays a major part in mobility behaviour. The rationale is that a large part of our mobility behaviour (especially commuting trips) is characterized by relatively stable contexts and repeated behaviours. This stability and repetitiveness saves on cognitive resources while forming and reinforcing specific mobility skills.

After clarifying the significant differences between the terms “habit”, “repeated behaviour”, and “routine”, this chapter will focus on what the concept of “habit” contributes to a better understanding of mobility behaviour and on how the strength of a habit is measured.