Commuting times increase as cities grow, and then fall as areas mature

With more than 80 percent of Americans now living in urban areas, the consequences of city growth are more important than ever. But how does the growth of cites affect the way people commute? In order to investigate how this ‘commuting transition’ works, Selima Sultana and Joe Weber examined commuting times across 50 U.S. metropolitan areas. They find that, across time, commuting times are highest in new neighborhoods or in booming housing areas. As cities grow, these areas become more mature, and commuting times fall, with new areas again experiencing longer commutes.