Macro-Level Factors Shaping Residential Location Choices: Examining the Impacts of Density and Land-Use Mix

Mohammed M. Gomaa ()
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Mohammed M. Gomaa: Department of Architecture, Hekma School of Design and Architecture, Dar Al-Hekma University, Jeddah 22246, Saudi Arabia

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Many published papers have delved into the factors affecting the residential location choices of households using various logit models. Nonetheless, only a few pieces of literature have attempted to examine those associative attributes from a macroscopic view. Thus, this article investigates the factors that influence households’ preference to reside in densely populated locations or regions with a wide variety of land-use types using ordered choice models (ORM). This study proposes three indicators that are reflective of residential areas, namely population density, housing density, and land-use mix index, based on prior research. Population density and housing density are modeled at census block and tract levels to explore households’ sensitivity to different geographical scales. Regarding land use, this research classifies the diversity index into four categories: uniform, moderately diverse, more diverse, and the most diverse. Similarly, the study is predicated on 0.25-mile and 0.5-mile buffer zones. The findings are consistent with earlier research and highlight macro-level issues that influence residential location decisions. As for the residential preference for housing density, significant factors are the structure of households, the number of vehicles per household, and household income. Regarding the residential choices of population density, significant attributes refer to demographic characteristics, household income, and housing types. Concerning the residential choices based on land-use mix, the most influential factors turn out to be the interacting terms between demographics and housing-related index, household income, and housing-related indexes.

Keywords: residential choice; ordered choice model; population density; housing density; land-use mix (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:4:p:748-:d:1108026

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