Hybrid Work and the Restructuring of Urban Mobility in U.S. Cities

Baoqi Eileen Chen; Marta C. González

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arXiv · 2609.36428

Hybrid Work and the Restructuring of Urban Mobility in U.S. Cities

Baoqi Eileen Chen·Marta C. González

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Abstract

Entering the post-pandemic era, cities navigate a new normal shaped by hybrid work and space-time flexibility, but existing evidence is spatially scattered and temporally limited. Here we develop an analytical approach that examines this reorganization through three dimensions: remote work adoption via sector composition, daily travel behavior via trip-level metrics, and functional urban form via mobility-derived measures. To capture the interplay of urban dynamics, we synthesize three complementary spatial metrics. In particular, coupling overall trip centrality with work-trip concentration differentiates whether employment and daily activity organize around the same centers. Applied to population-scale data across 15 U.S. metropolitan areas spanning 2019-2024, our approach shows that daily car travel increased despite elevated remote work, a pattern consistent across cities with distinct spatial structures. Decomposition and regression identify trip frequency as the primary contributor to VKT growth, moderated by compact urban form and concentrated employment. The approach provides a replicable framework for comparative study of post-pandemic urban mobility.

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Baoqi Eileen Chen, Marta C. González. 2026-09-29. Hybrid Work and the Restructuring of Urban Mobility in U.S. Cities. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.36428

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