Polycentric urban growth with dense, diverse, and accessible centers is assumed to have multiple economic, social, and environmental benefits for the region. Yet, evidence on the benefits of polycentricity in the transportation sector remains less studied, and previous research has found mixed results. Besides, to our knowledge, none of the previous research focuses on trip chains or tours (sequence of trips that begins and ends at home) in centers. This paper investigates trip chaining efficiency in 28 U.S. regions, comparing three different types of tours, i.e., tours that are within a center, tours that are partially inside a center, and tours that are completely outside a center. I consider a tour to be efficient if it comprises travel modes other than the personal automobile. The results of parametric tests show that tours within a center are associated with higher walk, bike, and transit mode shares and lower car share. Effect sizes are larger for walk and car shares than for bike and transit shares. The findings of this research can encourage and guide planners to design environments that promote active transportation while maximizing resident access to services and amenities and minimizing their expenditure on mobility and travel time.

具有密集、多样化和可达性中心的多中心城市增长被假定为该地区带来多种经济、社会和环境效益。然而，关于交通部门多中心优势的证据仍然很少被研究，之前的研究发现了不同的结果。此外，据我们所知，之前的研究都没有关注中心的旅行链或旅行（在家里开始和结束的旅行顺序）。本文调查了美国 28 个地区的旅行链效率，比较了三种不同类型的旅行，即在中心内的旅行、部分在中心内的旅行和完全在中心外的旅行。如果旅行包括个人汽车以外的旅行方式，我认为旅行是有效的。参数测试的结果表明，中心内的旅行与较高的步行、自行车和公共交通方式份额以及较低的汽车份额相关。步行和汽车共享的影响大小大于自行车和公共交通共享。这项研究的结果可以鼓励和指导规划者设计促进主动交通的环境，同时最大限度地提高居民获得服务和便利设施的机会，并最大限度地减少他们在流动性和旅行时间上的支出。