Accessibility in a multi-ethnic city: Residential trade-offs among first-time parents

Abstract

Public transport accessibility is necessary to avoid transport disadvantage and car dependency. This study investigates how trade-offs between public transport accessibility, house size and the ethnic variation of neighbourhoods vary among residentially relocating first-time parents in the multi-ethnic Oslo region. The study employs structural equation models and observes two main patterns. First, households with higher income face, as expected, more opportunities and a reduced need to make difficult trade-offs. Second, as compared to immigrants, native Norwegians have a greater preference for spacious housing and ethnically uniform neighbourhoods, which leads to lower public transport accessibility levels. The results show how traditional theories of urban attractiveness and transport inequality are complicated in multi-ethnic cities. This knowledge is useful for policy makers developing policies intended to ensure a just transition to low-emission mobility.