Residential preferences, place alienation, and neighborhood satisfaction: A conjoint survey experiment in Toronto’s inner suburbs

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, we study neighborhood preferences among residents of highly diverse, lower income suburban neighborhoods in Toronto, Ontario. By extending the typical application of conjoint designs to the urban domain, we show techniques for measuring place alienation—a sense of disconnection from place—and its impact on neighborhood satisfaction. We find that residents in lower SES neighborhoods share many of the same priorities as residents in higher SES neighborhoods when it comes to safety, transit, school quality, neighborliness, public spaces, and building types. However, differences appear across a range of preferences including bike usage, local commercial spaces, and cultural and recreation facilities. When considering place alienation and neighborhood satisfaction, we find a consistent, robust inverted relationship—as place alienation decreases, neighborhood satisfaction increases. Moreover, this relationship is not mitigated by socioeconomic factors, neighborhood conditions, or even attitudinal and experiential factors. We end with suggestions for future research.