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Title
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Sustainability and change in the institutionalised commute in Belgium : exploring regional differences
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Author
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Abstract
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| This paper examines regional differences in commute-energy performance in Belgium, and explores
their relationships with spatial characteristics such as the distribution of population and housing, the
metropolitan influence of the Brussels agglomeration, and the compactness of cities and towns. We also
investigate contradictions between Belgian state-wide commute policy and regional differences in
average commuting distance and mode choice. Against a background of long-term federal measures that
traditionally encourage long-distance commuting in Belgium, we find striking discrepancies between the
structure and the development of commuting patterns in the three administrative regions of Flanders,
Wallonia and Brussels. Residents of Brussels show the most sustainable commuting patterns, due to the
metropolitan spatial structure. Residents of Wallonia represent the least sustainable commute. Given the
rather weak regional economy of Wallonia compared with Flanders, commuters must frequently seek
employment far from their residence. Population changes and consequent developments in the housing
market seem to exacerbate this competitive disadvantage, since most growth occurs in relatively remote
rural areas that are nevertheless within reach of the main employment centres. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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Applied geography. - Guildford
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Publication
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Guildford
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2012
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ISSN
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0143-6228
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Volume/pages
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35
:1-2
(2012)
, p. 95-103
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ISI
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000313380200010
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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