Travel Behaviour and Carbon Emissions of Residents of Public Housing Areas in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Public housing tenants in many countries have multiple challenges, often including socioeconomic disadvantage, family health and disability limitations, and compromised potential to earn income. An understanding of this group’s travel behaviours is particularly salient when policies to limit carbon emissions are being considered because such policies can exacerbate transport inequities. The current study makes use of an ongoing national travel survey in New Zealand that uses in-person interviews. We studied travel behaviours from neighbourhoods with mostly public housing tenants compared to other areas with no, or low numbers of, public housing tenants. Respondents from public-housing-intensive areas tended to be younger, have lower incomes, have more dependent children, have fewer household vehicles, and reside in areas with the highest levels of socioeconomic deprivation, all features that are known to affect travel patterns. The public-housing-intensive areas had a much higher proportion of trips made as passengers and hence higher levels of car occupancy than people living in other areas. The distance driven per person was less than half that of other areas, as were carbon emissions per person arising from private vehicle travel. Public housing providers and transport planners need to collaborate so that public housing is close to public transport and active transport facilities to allow tenants ready access. Public housing tenants are likely to suffer aspects of transport poverty, and where policies designed to limit carbon emissions increase the price of fossil-fuelled private car travel, other affordable and accessible transport options need to be available.