HOUSING CONSTRUCTION, VACANCY CHAINS, AND RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY IN WINDSOR

Abstract

Residential mobility is one of the most important forces underlying changes in the social composition and physical characteristics of urban areas (Rossi 1955, p. 2). Consequently, numerous studies on residential migration have been carried out in order to comprehend this process better and thereby aid in the assessment of migration theories and in the development of appropriate models. Mobility studies have examined the characteristics of outmigration areas and households, motivations to move, satisfaction achieved through relocation, and the impact of residential changes. However, as Maher (1974) points out, previous analyses are incomplete in that they tend to focus on the demand characteristics of residential relocation and to omit the supply side of the process, the available housing stock. This study attempts to rectify this omission by considering the provision of newly constructed single-family detached housing in Windsor and the resultant migration patterns and processes through vacancy chain analysis. The demand and supply concepts of residential mobility are examined with regard to the housing multiplier generated by different locations and values of new homes, the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of households at various positions in the turnover process, the reasons for moving, and the spatial patterns of residential moves originating from new housing. In addition, by focusing on a specific form of housing the study avoids problems which may arise from aggregate level analyses of households adjusting to new housing opportunities.