Abstract
The Paris-Île-de-France (IDF) region, as the capital of France, exerts significant influence extending beyond its borders. Its robust economy and job market attract a substantial number of commuters from across the country. Interregional commuting to IDF is characterized by longer distances, lower frequencies, and an exclusive reliance on motorized transportation compared with intraregional commuting. To explore this phenomenon, we segmented the French territory into concentric rings centered on Paris and examined the evolution and geographical distribution of interregional commuters to IDF (“outsiders”) relative to their distance from Paris. Key commuting variables—distance, frequency, and mode share—were calculated based on the origin and destination rings of the commuters. The analysis revealed a clear metropolitan effect of IDF extending across France. Two types of distances were identified: the distance to the commuters’ destinations, which decreased as they moved further from Paris, and the distance from their origins, which initially increased before declining to the national average. Although outsiders made up only 6.5% of IDF workers, they contributed 29% of overall commuting-related emissions. Interestingly, although IDF jobs represent 21% of national employment, they accounted for only 14.6% of France’s total commuting emissions. These results suggest that carbon mitigation policies should be directed not only toward emissions-intensive suburban commuters but also to those from outside the Parisian basin. The study highlights a significant disparity in commuting emissions among IDF commuters, largely because of the high number of outsiders.
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