Residential Location Choice Research Articles

Exploring gaps in residential and parking location choice models for autonomous vehicles: a proposed evaluation framework

ABSTRACT The advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is poised to transform urban landscapes, notably by altering perceptions of travel time value, reshaping parking structures, and introducing additional travel demand through empty-cruising and self-parking capabilities. These changes are anticipated to influence both residential and parking location choices. This study delves into the complexities of these decisions by integrating insights from 28 modelling studies on residential and/or parking location choices in the context of AVs and by proposing an evaluation framework for future modelling efforts. A critical gap identified is the oversight of empty-cruising and parking costs in the context of residential relocation choice for owners of privately-owned AVs. Furthermore, no study has adopted a joint-choice modelling approach for residential and parking location choices. By offering guidelines for the incorporation of these elements, this study contributes to the development of a holistic residential and parking location choice model with AVs, thus providing a valuable roadmap for future research in urban planning and transportation economics.

Determinants of Intra-City Residential Migration Patterns of Older Adults: A GIS and Decision Tree Analysis of Yancheng City, China

This study investigates the spatial patterns of residential migration among older adults in the city center of Yancheng and the influencing factors using data on the home purchases of individuals aged 65 and older from 2016 to 2018, along with peripheral point of interest (POI) data, analyzed with ArcGIS and a decision tree model. The results indicated that persons aged 60–65 accounted for 42.8% of the total sample and primarily chose to migrate in the early stages of retirement. The intra-city migration of older adults exhibits both centripetal and centrifugal patterns, with a greater tendency toward the city center. House prices, floor levels, and commercial facilities significantly impact their choice of migration destinations. Among these, house prices were the most critical determinant, with the majority of older adults migrating to neighborhoods with lower house prices. This study contributes by integrating residential migration and location choice research and constructing an analytical framework based on facility accessibility. The findings provide insights into the key determinants of location choice for intra-city residential migration among older adults and the construction of livable neighborhoods for them.

Energy policies and pollution in two developing country cities: A quantitative model

We study the effect of energy and transport policies on pollution in two developing country cities. We use a quantitative equilibrium model with choice of housing, energy use, residential location, transport mode, and energy technology. Pollution comes from commuting and residential energy use. The model parameters are calibrated to replicate key variables for two developing country cities, Maputo, Mozambique, and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In the counterfactual simulations, we study how various transport and energy policies affect equilibrium pollution. Policies may induce rebound effects from increasing residential energy use or switching to high emission modes or locations. In general, these rebound effects tend to be largest for subsidies to public transport or modern residential energy technology.

Planning urban proximities: An empirical analysis of how residential preferences conflict with the urban morphologies and residential practices

Urban proximity planning is foreseen as a solution to foster a “sustainable” city, including economic viability, environmental soundness and social inclusivity. This paper focuses on the inclusivity aspects by questioning the adoption of urban proximities: how far planning for urban proximities resonates or conflicts with current residential preferences and practices? Based on functional, social, and sensitive attributes, five latent residential preferences have been identified: spatial proximity, tranquility, elitism, social proximity, and conviviality. These aspirations form the basis for a longitudinal, spatial, and clustering analysis. The results of the analysis, conducted on 2200+ respondents in Geneva, reveal characteristics in residential preferences. Firstly, preferences are stable over time, but malleable to changing circumstances. Secondly, some preferences show clear spatial distribution patterns when regressed with residential location choice. Thirdly, the gap between preferences and actual residential practices varies across morphological attributes. As a main result, the clustering analysis shows that 43 % of the population aspire more to tranquility than to functional proximity; and those aspiring for proximities (32 %) are the youngest and wealthiest. This questions the relevance of models of urban proximities as an inclusive solution – raising issues of generational divide, territorial segregation, and injunctive and targeted planning.

The impact of relocations on distances traveled for commuting and grocery shopping: structural equation models of panel data

AbstractResidential relocations open a window of opportunity to decrease distances to work and other important daily destinations, such as grocery stores. This study investigates changes in trip distances after residential relocation, using data from a panel survey of 435 movers in Germany. We estimate two structural equation models for changes in commute and shopping trip distance. These models additionally allow us to draw insights into the relationships between spatial structure, travel attitudes, satisfaction with the accessibility of the workplace or shopping facilities, and housing preferences in residential location search. We find that there is a weak indication of an association between residential location choice and changes in trip distances. However, the analysis suggests that especially long trip distances are shortened through relocation. While residents in urban areas travel on average shorter distances, both for working and grocery shopping, only the shopping distance decreases after a move to a more urban location. A preference for urban structures leads to an increase in urbanity after relocation only in the model for grocery shopping trips. Even though long trips before relocation lead to dissatisfaction with the commute, we do not observe a direct effect of dissatisfaction with trips or reasons for moving on trip distances after a move.

A joint model of residential mobility and location choice decisions

ABSTRACT Residential relocation is a process involving the interdependent decisions of mobility (i.e. the decision to move) and location choice. Location choice is a discrete choice decision, whereas mobility has a continuous time dimension. Since households relocate along their life course for different reasons such as the birth of a child, these reasons could influence the duration of stay as competing events. This paper develops a joint model for mobility and location choice decisions. Data come from a retrospective survey conducted in the Central Okanagan of British Columbia, Canada. A reason-based competing hazard model is developed for the mobility component of the joint model. For the location choice component, a latent segmentation-based logit model is developed to capture unobserved heterogeneity. The influence of location utility on mobility is addressed through log sum parameters. The model confirms the effects of life-cycle events, parcel, socio-demographic, land use, transportation, neighbourhood and accessibility characteristics. The findings reveal that households relocating for the occurrence of life-cycle events are active in the housing market following the birth of a child, marriage and vehicle purchase. Relocation to live in a desirable neighbourhood is found to delay the move for the reason of living closer to activity points. Results also indicate that duration is likely to be shorter with the increase in expected utility from the following location. Regarding the location choice, preferences for dwellings closer to schools are evident. In the case of heterogeneity, it is observed that urban dwellers are more likely to prefer locations closer to the workplace with the addition of jobs in the household. In contrast, suburban dwellers are more likely to prefer residing far from the workplace. The developed joint model has been included in an integrated urban model, currently under development at the University of British Columbia.

Residential location choices and commuting patterns considering telecommuting

The COVID-19 pandemic has initiated more telecommuting (or working from home) than ever. This paper provides an economic analysis of the impacts of telecommuting on the residential location choice equilibrium. In particular, this paper employs a simplified monocentric city model of urban spatial structure to analytically examine the impacts of telecommuting on residential location choices and the associated commuting pattern in a city, considering that telecommuting may have positive, zero, or negative impact on individual income level. We found that the income effect of telecommuting and its relative magnitude against the commuting cost govern whether telecommuting will attract more to live in the suburb or the downtown. Moreover, the impacts of housing supply and commuting costs on the residential location choice equilibrium are dependent on the level of telecommuting, where such impacts diminish when the level of telecommuting increases. Furthermore, this paper derives and examines analytical solutions for the optimal level of telecommuting, the optimal housing supply and the optimal transport investment (that reduces commuting cost) in order to improve social welfare or the housing operator’s profit in the context of telecommuting. How these optimal solutions are related to the level of telecommuting is also analyzed. This study provides understanding on how telecommuting may affect the joint equilibrium of residential location choice and commuting and how housing supply and transport investment should be adjusted in response to telecommuting.

Are young adults’ choices temporary or permanent? Navigating economic recession with residential location and household expenditure

ABSTRACT This study started from changes in young adults’ choices of residential location and travel behavior since the 2010s, which differ from the prior generations. This study aimed to determine whether the observed choices represent permanent shifts in preference changes or temporary responses to specific circumstances. Using longitudinal data and statistical models, this study analyzed the impact of the economic recession on the residential choices of young adults and their household expenditure. The analysis results indicate that young adults’ choices are likely temporary responses to economic hardship. Young adults showed different choices in relocation and household expenditure during the recession, compared to before and after the recession, and reduced their housing and transportation expenditures during the recession, whereas the older age group did not. The young adult model indicated that increasing the location distance from cities increased their housing and transportation expenditure, which differed from the older adult model. Lastly, lower-income young adults chose to relocate, and the lowest-income group moved to areas closer to city centers. These findings have implications for urban development and smart growth policies, namely, providing various housing options in cities, including more affordable housing, and improving public transit systems for more young adults to use.

Effects of autonomous driving on residential location choice behavior: A travel-based multitasking perspective

Fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) allow users to engage in multitasking behavior while traveling, potentially inducing longer travel because multitasking in AVs would generate a positive utility. Eventually, this may further induce residential relocation, as positive utility virtually reduces the value of time. Such influence may vary depending on whether the AV is used individually or with others (i.e., ride-sharing), as well as the type and amount of multitasking activities carried out in the vehicle. This study examines the influence of the type of AV (ride-sharing or individually used) and the type and amount of in-vehicle multitasking activities on residential location choice behavior through a pivoted stated preference survey. Residential location choice behavior is represented by a panel binary mixed logit model. The model estimation results indicate that the willingness to pay for monthly rent to shorten commuting time is significantly lower when individually used AVs are introduced, compared to non-AVs (i.e., existing automobiles) and ride-shared AVs. Hence, further urban sprawl could occur if individually used AVs become prevalent. Such negative impacts on urban form, however, would be substantially small when AV is introduced under the ride-sharing scheme. It was also found that individuals who can engage in more multitasking behavior in an AV will accept longer travel regardless of the type of AV (ride-sharing or individually used), while individuals who can hardly perform in-car activities tend to resist additional commuting travel time. Moreover, the impact of automated driving at the city scale was examined by running simulations of residential choice in Hiroshima City as a case study. The results suggest that multitasking behaviors in AVs would have modest impacts on urban structure.

Questioning the Covid-19-induced ‘counterurbanisation story’: Discourse coalitions in the promotion of a new counterurban movement in the Austrian public media

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a discursive change in the representation of urban-rural mobilities in the Austrian public media. Before the pandemic, a narrative of ‘rural decline’ had dominated the media discourse. Media have since changed this narrative to one of counterurbanisation as a result of the (perceived) effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on residential location choices. However, in contrast to media perceptions, scientific debates were more reluctant to identify a Covid-induced counterurban movement. In this paper, we take the opposition between the media representation and the scientific evidence as a starting point for a critical investigation of the media representation of counterurbanisation in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the approach of discourse coalitions, we investigated the actors and the coalitions they had formed to promote a Covid-induced ‘counterurbanisation story’. We could identify two coalitions that created two variations of the Covid-induced ‘counterurbanisation story’: a prudent and an idealised discourse. These two discourses were promoted by different actors with different interests. Through our findings, the paper adds another layer to study of the construction of a ‘counterurbanisation story’.

Where to live? English proficiency and residential location of UK migrants

This study aims to identify the causal effects of English proficiency on residential location choices of immigrants. Based on the ideas that (i) immigrants whose mother tongue is linguistically close to English learn the language more easily, and that (ii) young children learn a new language more easily than older children, we construct an instrument for English proficiency, exploiting linguistic distance from English, and age at arrival in the United Kingdom for childhood migrants. Using a unique dataset, we construct various measures of residential clustering aimed at capturing different types of immigrant enclave, and find a negative impact of better English skills on residency in a language enclave, but a positive impact on residency in an ethnic enclave. We also find strong evidence of an impact of poorer English proficiency on living in a neighbourhood of lower quality.

A new model for residential location choice using residential trajectory data

Traditional residential location choice (RLC) models are based on the characteristics of location and demographics, revealing important patterns of RLC, but no RLC models have yet incorporated individual preferences. This study fills this gap by integrating the pattern of home-based travel into the RLC model. Firstly, by analysing residential trajectory data collected from Beijing and Shenzhen, we find that both residents’ commuting time, that is, time spent commuting to work, and home-based non-commuting (HBNC) time, that is, time spent on the consumption of amenities when departing from homes, follow an extreme value distribution (EVT). This indicates that, based on time budget and financial constraints, residents strive to minimise commuting time and maximise HBNC time. Subsequently, by integrating these findings into individual-level RLC analysis, we obtain an RLC model that aligns with the gravity model. Throughout the model training process, we demonstrate that the RLC model exhibits strong robustness by incorporating control variables, changing the spatial scale of the observation unit, testing for endogeneity, and considering historical RLC. Moreover, the model performs well in applications including assessing dynamic changes in RLC behaviours and making predictions based on previous travel behaviours. The RLC model in this study advances our understanding of human habitat selection behaviour and can be utilised by policymakers to develop and implement effective urban planning and epidemic management policies.

Optimization of regulation and fiscal policies for urban residential land use and traffic network management

Residential land use density regulation is an important policy instrument for reducing the local external diseconomies caused by concentration of population and buildings in urban areas. But density regulation also affects the distribution of population across the whole urban space, which determines the travel demands hence traffic flows over the transportation network in the city. In this paper, we formulate a model integrating the residential location choice equilibrium, traffic network equilibrium and the housing market equilibrium, subject to floor area ratio (FAR) regulation, a representative practical strategy for density regulation. The restriction of FAR regulation on housing supply is formulated as a development coordination cost function dependent on the level of FAR that is actually realized under the designated upper FAR limit. Complementary location-specific tax/subsidy policies, and road pricing schemes, are also addressed in a unified manner.The mathematical structure of the model is explored, and efficient algorithms are developed for solving the equilibrium equations, and for the optimization of FAR regulations and the pecuniary strategies.

Residential location choice: an investigation of transportation, public facilities, and social factors

Residential location choice is a crucial topic in transportation planning research since land use as well as residential land use can significantly affect a city's attractiveness for development and residence. Understanding the factors that influence households in their residential location choice is essential for policymakers to evaluate the effect of their decisions. In this study, the impact of transportation factors on the attractiveness of residential areas was investigated in Qazvin city, Iran, using the stated preference (SP) method and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that the type of housing and private house preference were significant factors influencing the residential location choice. Additionally, proximity to health centers, low pollution levels, and access to public transportation and taxi stations were the top priorities for residents when choosing a place to live. Notably, households with children in education had a greater emphasis on air pollution and the proximity to taxi stations, as these factors could affect their children's health and education. Overall, the findings suggested that transportation factors played a critical role in the residential location choice and that policymakers should prioritize public transportation and taxi services, as well as reduce pollution levels, to make residential areas more attractive and livable for Qazvin residents.

A quasi-dynamic location equilibrium model for urban policymaking as autonomous cars increase mobility

The growing utilization of autonomous cars may affect people's residential location choice behavior and change the population distribution in a city, contrary to compact city policy. This paper proposes a model to estimate the time-series impacts of autonomous cars on population distribution in a city. The model basically consists of the primary factors cohort method and a housing land location equilibrium model. The location equilibrium model considers the residential location choice behavior of individuals, while prior models have been based on the behavior of households. We applied the model to Niigata City, Japan and analyzed the impact of permission to utilize autonomous cars (an increase in car availability to non-drivers) in the whole area of the city and only in the suburbs. Results indicated that permission to utilize autonomous cars only in the suburbs may lead to urban sprawl.

Factors influencing the residential location choice of individuals working at an integrated township

The ‘Integrated Township Project’ is an urban development policy scheme by the Government of India to promote mixed land-use and result in reduced trip lengths. This study examines the prevalence of short work trip length scenario and the factors influencing the residential location choice at the Megapolis Township (MGT), Pune, India. The mean work trip length worked out from the trip data collected from individuals working at some of the employment centres in the MGT does not certify the short work trip length scenario as expected. With the help of a Stated Preference (SP) survey data administered on these individuals and the land-use data of Pune, a binary logit model is developed. Mixed land-use, house rental value, household size, and car ownership are found to be the significant factors influencing the residential location choice. This study infers that the promotion of mixed land-use through Integrated Townships coupled with the regulation of house rental prices within the townships can help in reducing work trip lengths. As an alternative to the regulation of house rental prices, provision of incentives to attract the individuals (working at various employment centres in the township) to reside within the township may help in reducing the work trip lengths and thus aid the process of sustainable urban land-use and transport growth. Hence, this study calls for necessary attention regarding the regulation of house rental values or alternative strategies at Integrated Townships to promote short work trip length scenario from policy makers involved in urban infrastructure and transport planning.

Unraveling transit service and land use components of the socio-spatial inequality of access

This study proposes a framework that delineates the mobility and place components of access to help identify areas potentially suffering from insufficient transit service, limited job opportunities, or both. The framework introduces Spatial Inequality of Transit Services (SITS) and Spatial Inequality of Opportunities (SIO) measures to guide the structural reform of transit development policies through the lens of equity, equality, and need. It is tested on transit access to employment opportunities at the block group level in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Three observations are perceived. First, mobility and place components of access should be untangled to tailor effective transit and land use plans and policies. Second, transit services are less equally distributed than employment opportunities and disproportionately serve the residents of core cities. Third, carless and low-income households disproportionally reside in areas with better transit services regardless of their proximity to employment opportunities, and African Americans are discriminated against the most by the unequal distribution of employment opportunities. The findings serve as an essential input for developing regional transit plans and may be utilized to evaluate and prioritize proposed interventions based on their potential to reduce observed access deficiencies. However, further targeted research on residential location choice is necessary to delve into the decision-making processes, understand underlying motivations, identify potential barriers in seeking alternative options, and determine if it is a result of self-selection.

A simultaneous model of residential location, mobility tool ownership and mode choice using latent variables

This paper investigates the interplay between three key choice dimensions in transport modeling: (i) Residential location, (ii) mobility tool (e.g., car and/or public transport season ticket) ownership and (iii) mode choice. We use a unique panel dataset of recently moved Swiss respondents to better assess the impact of changes in the respective dimensions. An expected trend is that the more accessible the residential location, the more likely the respondent owns a public transport season ticket, and the more likely public transport rather than a car is chosen. However, our model allows to disentangle the decision process and provides a more comprehensive picture of respondents’ behavior. For example, our simple mode choice model shows a strong and positive effect of income on the choice of car. In the simultaneous approach, given respondents’ increase in car ownership for increasing income, this effect becomes even more substantial if the residential location is assumed to be constant. With the latter assumption lifted, however, the effect decreases again, since respondents with higher income tend to live in areas with higher accessibility, lowering their car usage. An important general finding is that if the longer-term decisions (i.e., the choice of residential location and mobility tools) are considered, the short-term effects of level-of-service attributes (such as travel time) on mode choice is substantially weakened by more than 20%.

Factors influencing residential location choice in South Africa: exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)

AbstractThis paper employs a quantitative approach, in which a structured questionnaire containing 90 indicator variables identified from literature was administered to a total of 266 households in South Africa. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were utilised in analysing the collected data, with goodness-of-fit based on a two-index strategy used in determining model acceptability. The SEM results showed that all eight identified exogenous (independent) factors (demographic characteristics, dwelling unit features, neighbourhood features, services provided by the government, household self-congruity, functional congruity, green building features and stakeholders’ relations) had a direct positive and significant influence RLC in South Africa. The general hypothesis that the choices of households in choosing where to reside or stay are a product of the direct influence of the exogenous variables in influencing RLC in South Africa is proven. This suggested that all eight (8) variables included in the model are the most significant determinants of the RLC in South Africa.

Urban travel time and residential location choice: The impacts of traffic congestion

The rapid growth of urban transportation has led to increased pressure on transportation infrastructure in many urban areas. In this paper, we examine the relationship between urban travel time and decision-making on the spatial mobility of the labor force to optimize the labor space distribution pattern. Using Gaode map traffic congestion delay data, China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) data, and a conditional logit model, we conduct the first study to examine the relationship between travel time and residential location choice in 100 major cities in China, specifically from the perspective of traffic congestion. Our research finds that extended urban travel time significantly promotes population outflow, particularly among individuals with light family burdens, low job loyalty, and more choices. The population outflow effect formed by the extension of travel time shows the law of decreasing in line with the size of cities, with medium-sized cities experiencing the most serious inhibition effect. We also propose the concept of transportation accessibility wage bargaining and estimate the monetary compensation value to be ¥22.50 ($3.33) per day. This finding provides a quantitative reference for the design of a corresponding compensation mechanism to improve residents' willingness to stay in cities.