Jobs-Housing Imbalances, Urban Segregation, and Intra-metropolitan Commute Flows in Mexico City

Abstract

This study uses data from a comprehensive travel survey in Mexico City to explore the relationship between the jobs-housing ratio and self-contained commute at the TAZ (Traffic Analysis Zone) level. A hierarchical clustering approach identified job-rich and housing-rich areas. Gravity regression models explored the determinants of work trips to job-rich and from housing-rich communities separately. Results indicate jobs-housing ratio had a modest positive association with locally employed residents but not with self-containment. Housing prices in the workplace were highly positively associated with work trips, and therefore it is suggested as a barrier to the co-location process.