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Sustainability
Volume 17
Issue 21
10.3390/su17219911
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Will Automated Vehicles Drive You to Move? Exploring and Predicting the Impact of AV Technology on Residential Relocation

by
Song Wang
1,†,
Xin Tian
2,†,
Zhixia Li
3,*,
Shang Jiang
4,
Wenjing Zhao
5,
Shiyao Zhang
6,
Hao (Frank) Yang
7 and
Guohui Zhang
8
1
Department of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China
2
Department of Information Science and Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China
3
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
4
Department of Civil and Natural Resource Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
5
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
6
School of Advanced Engineering, Great Bay University and Great Bay Institute for Advanced Study (GBIAS), Dongguan 523000, China
7
Department of Civil and Systems Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
8
Department of Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Sustainability 2025, 17(21), 9911; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219911 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 10 October 2025 / Revised: 31 October 2025 / Accepted: 1 November 2025 / Published: 6 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable and Smart Transportation Systems)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Automated vehicle (AV) technology is expected to alter travel behavior and residential location choices, yet the psychological motivations behind relocation decisions under current partial automation (Level 2) remain underexplored, as most studies focus on fully autonomous scenarios. This study explores why individuals might relocate in response to AV availability in both short-term and long-term contexts and predicts how willingness to relocate changes as automation levels advance. In a survey of Kentucky residents, data were collected on demographic and economic characteristics, travel needs, built environment attributes, AV familiarity, comfort with different automation levels, and willingness to relocate if AVs were available. Multiple machine learning models with Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) were used to predict and interpret changes in relocation willingness. Results indicate that greater comfort with high-level automation and higher AV familiarity increase relocation intentions, particularly among men, older adults with higher incomes, and urban residents. SHAP analysis reveals that built environment, age, and comfort with fully autonomous driving are the most influential predictors of changes in relocation willingness. Findings inform land use and housing policy by identifying where perception-driven relocation pressures are likely to emerge and by outlining adaptive tools to guide spatial growth as AV technology advances.
Keywords: automated vehicle; residential relocation; machine learning; sustainable transportation automated vehicle; residential relocation; machine learning; sustainable transportation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, S.; Tian, X.; Li, Z.; Jiang, S.; Zhao, W.; Zhang, S.; Yang, H.; Zhang, G. Will Automated Vehicles Drive You to Move? Exploring and Predicting the Impact of AV Technology on Residential Relocation. Sustainability 2025, 17, 9911. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219911

AMA Style

Wang S, Tian X, Li Z, Jiang S, Zhao W, Zhang S, Yang H, Zhang G. Will Automated Vehicles Drive You to Move? Exploring and Predicting the Impact of AV Technology on Residential Relocation. Sustainability. 2025; 17(21):9911. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219911

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Song, Xin Tian, Zhixia Li, Shang Jiang, Wenjing Zhao, Shiyao Zhang, Hao (Frank) Yang, and Guohui Zhang. 2025. "Will Automated Vehicles Drive You to Move? Exploring and Predicting the Impact of AV Technology on Residential Relocation" Sustainability 17, no. 21: 9911. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219911

APA Style

Wang, S., Tian, X., Li, Z., Jiang, S., Zhao, W., Zhang, S., Yang, H., & Zhang, G. (2025). Will Automated Vehicles Drive You to Move? Exploring and Predicting the Impact of AV Technology on Residential Relocation. Sustainability, 17(21), 9911. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219911

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