Urban mobility in the city of Venice: An application of the nested logit model

The aim of this paper is the analysis of urban mobility in the city of Venice, in order to explain and evaluate the transport network. It makes use of discrete choice theory; in particular, the nested logit model is considered as the most suitable approach for representing flow patterns in the area examined. The empirical application is based on data from a survey conducted in 1984 on user choices and on aggregate data from the 1981 population census for the Venice area. Parameters estimation is achieved by a sequential procedure. Initial results show that users are much more sensitive to travelling conditions than to travel costs. This appears to be in agreement with the particular area of Venice, in which users are obligated to choose between only two alternatives-to travel by public boat or to walk.