Empirical Analysis on the Possible Impact of Railroad Development on Population Density and Car Use

Takamasa Suzuki and Yasunori Muromachi We investigated the possible impact of railroad development on population density and car use in Japan. A cross-sectional analysis confirmed the relatively high density and low car use near the railroad station. In a time-series analysis, it is shown that meshes with railroad station development experienced higher density growth and restrained growth of car use. Further, station development in the large metropolitan areas with significant railroad supply and demand possibly realized population accumulation and car use control effectively. It is proposed that public transportation development lies between the interrelationship between population density and car use, producing inverse relationship, in metropolitan areas with high density and convenient transportation services.