Abstract
Understanding trip generation at large-scale commercial land uses is essential for effective urban transport planning, particularly in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. This study investigates trip-generation patterns at extra-regional commercial centers in Mashhad, Iran, using an exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) framework that jointly examines physical attributes, built-environment characteristics, and socio-economic factors. Using observed trip counts from 33 extra-regional commercial sites, two dependent measures were analyzed: the total number of trips and trip rates normalized by floor area (trips per 100 m(2)). The findings suggest that, within the analyzed sample and under the current exploratory model specification, physical scale and surrounding built-environment characteristics are associated with higher total trip volumes, whereas the examined socio-economic indicators did not show statistically significant associations. In contrast, no statistically significant relationships were identified between the examined explanatory factors and trip rates normalized by floor area.Given the limited sample size and model-fit constraints, the results should be interpreted as exploratory rather than confirmatory. This study provides preliminary empirical evidence on commercial trip generation in a data-constrained context and underscores the importance of distinguishing between total trip volumes and density-based trip measures. Future research using larger samples and alternative modeling approaches is needed to validate and extend these findings.