Decomposing Residential Self-Selection via a Life-Course Perspective

Abstract

We propose a decomposition of residential self-selection by understanding the process of its formation. We take a life-course perspective and postulate that locations experienced early In life can have a lasting effect on our locational preferences later in life. In other words, what was experienced spatially is a key factor contributing to our residential self-selection, and our preferences in residential locations are formed long before the onset of our self-selection. We further hypothesize that this prior-location influence is modified by the duration and recency of the prior stay. Using a dataset collected in the New York City Area, we estimated a series of multinomial logit models to test these hypotheses. The results eonfirm the prior-location influence and demonstrate that this precedes residential self-selection and is impacted by its own properties such as duration and recency. Furthermore, the analysis separating child-bearing households from non-child-bearing households shows an interaction between prior-location influence and the presence of children.

The promises of big data and small data for travel behavior (aka human mobility) analysis

“…Because of the existence of residential self-selection, studies evaluating the effect of the built environment on travel behavior must control residential self-selection. A number of studies have also brought in the life-cycle perspective, seeking to understand the root of residential self-selection ( Chen et al, 2009 ; Chen and Lin, 2011 ). Because of its longitudinal nature, 5 big data can shed insights in this particular area by identifying individuals who relocated (home or work locations) and analyze how the consequent mobility patterns may have changed.…”

Compact development and preference heterogeneity in residential location choice behaviour: A latent class analysis

“…These tastes are also contingent upon household tenure (rent or own) (e.g. Cao, 2008) and important events in a life cycle, particularly childbirth (Chen and Lin, 2011). Besides socio-demographics, recent studies have shown that ‘subjective’ (or soft) factors, such as attitudes and environmental awareness, greatly influence residential location decisions (Olaru et al, 2011; Rid and Profeta, 2011; Yang and O’Neill, 2013).…”

Housing Liberalisation and Gentrification: The Social Effects of Tenure Conversions in Amsterdam

“…While this is a valuable avenue of enquiry, tenure change may also have repercussions for the ethnic and demographic composition of urban neighbourhoods. For an individual household, the decision to buy a dwelling in the city is not only a matter of available economic capital, but it is also linked to life course, ethnicity and other household characteristics (Clark and Dieleman ; Özüekren and Van Kempen ; Mulder ; Sampson & Sharkey ; Chen & Lin ). In the literature on tenure conversion and gentrification, this type of social change has been remarkably under‐researched.…”