Defining the commuting regions of Latvia

Toms Skadins

University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences

DOI: 10.22364/fg.17.16

Keywords: travel-to-work patterns, commuting behaviour, regions, census.

Abstract

In this research paper the geography of travel to work is analysed based on origin–destination commuting flows between municipalities. The aim of this study is to define work-related commuting regions of Latvia using the most recent data derived from the 2011 Population Census. The analysis demonstrates potential insights to be gained in defining regional patterns in the structure of work-related commuting flows using census data. The findings identify 17 commuting regions in Latvia and highlight the importance of Rīga in the context of the Latvian labour market. Two types of commuting regions were identified – mono-centric regions attracting large numbers of commuters in the main employment centre and poly-centric regions with more diversified travel-to-work flows.