Nonwork Accessibility

Abstract

This chapter focuses on nonwork accessibility. Nonwork differs from work accessibility in three important ways. First, people's propensity to travel long distances is significantly greater for work trips than for nonwork trips. The relative shortness of nonwork trips may result from the closeness of available alternative destinations, a resistance to traveling longer distances for nonwork purposes, or some combination of the two. Second, there are frequently good substitutes for nonwork destinations. For example, one grocery store or restaurant may be readily patronized instead of another. Third, nonwork destinations are far more varied and less standardized than work destinations. The chapter then develops a comprehensive index of nonwork accessibility, applies it to large metropolitan regions in the United States, and compares the distribution of nonwork accessibility to work accessibility.