Urban Mobility Environments and Citizen Perceptions: A Two-Level Investigation
(A2025-125923)

AUTHORS

Christof Backhaus, TU Braunschweig; Tobias Heußler, Wiesbaden Business School; David Woisetschläger, Technische Universität Braunschweig

ABSTRACT

A solid understanding of the impact of urban mobility environments on citizens’ well-being is crucial for cities and their planning activities. Despite its importance, there are very few empirical studies investigating mobility environments and its antecedents in transportation research literature. This study aims at contributing to bridging this gap by conceptualizing a model linking city-differences in urban mobility quality to citizens’ perceptions of self-determination in urban mobility and their well-being. Drawing on a nested dataset of 3,487 citizens from the 35 largest German cities, the results of a two-level hierarchical regression model show that autonomy, competence, and relatedness as antecedents of motivation and well-being are affected by characteristics of cities’ urban mobility environments. Based on the empirical results, the paper discusses the implications for theory, city planners and transport providers.