Is modal choice influenced by density, diversity, design and accessibility of the residential neighbourhood? What is the role of car ownership and tour complexity within research on the interaction between land use and travel behaviour? Is daily travel behaviour mainly influenced by these objective spatial characteristics, or as much as by subjective characteristics such as lifestyles and attitudes? And how do we measure these subjective influences?

This dissertation seeks to answer these and other related questions by analyzing data from the 2000-2001 Travel Behaviour Surveys Flanders and Ghent, and an Internet survey on mobility and lifestyles. The results indicate that residing in a high-density, mixed-use neighbourhood close to a city or village centre is associated with less car use, and more public transport, walking and cycling. However, these spatial effects on modal choices are generally small, and other influences are of greater importance. For example, modal choices are not only directly influenced by high density and more diversity, but mainly indirectly through the interaction with other aspects such as car ownership. Moreover, some people self-select themselves into a residential neighbourhood that fits their residential and travel attitudes and preferences in the first place. Other people's (car) travel liking dominates their modal choices, no matter what type of residential neighbourhood they live in. In such circumstances, the aims and goals of objective spatial planning policies such as a reduction in car use by densification are not always achieved. Consequently, policy must not only focus on designing and developing objective spatial plans but should be aware of its subjective implications.