Preference Planning and Unsustainable Desires: A Hypothesis toward 'How' Contextual and Psychological Factors Influence Travel Attitudes through Qualitative and Quantitative Measures

<p>Counter to the prevailing view that sees travel attitudes as influencing neighbourhood location decisions, this dissertation sets out to examine if where individuals choose to live has an effect on travel attitudes. To achieve this, both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relationship between travel attitudes, place attachment and length of tenure is performed. An association between place attachment and travel attitudes would suggest that travel attitudes, and subsequent travel behaviours, are a result of neighbourhood location considerations rather than an influencing factor on them. This too is the case for an association between length of tenure and travel attitudes. While previous research identifies associations between contextual physical factors or psychological factors and travel behaviour, how these factors exert their influence is relatively undefined. With the proposition of an association between travel attitudes, place attachment and length of tenure, an underlying mechanism to these previous associates is tested. Because place attachment occurs over time and after a decision has been made to reside in a particular neighbourhood, and likewise because length of tenure is time dependent, a connection between either of these factors and travel attitudes supports the hypothesis that travel attitudes may just as likely be a result of residential location choices as they are an influence on them. For this reason, both of these variables are referred to as post-decision reasoning factors and are perceived as the mechanisms through which decisions are justified after they have been made. While travel behaviour literature is currently focused on the role latent travel attitudes have on residential location choices, housing choice literature consistently finds travel attitudes or neighbourhood factors a distant second to dwelling considerations. Dwelling size versus price, housing quality, yard and overall house size all have a greater influence on residential location decisions. Even when neighbourhood considerations are made in addition to dwelling characteristic factors, travel attitudes again rank lower than school quality, perceived safety and even the image of the neighbourhood. This dissertation is placed to add clarity to the discrepancy between travel behaviour and housing choice literature. An initial pilot study examined the relation between liveability and density and guided this dissertation toward travel behaviour, neighbourhood location decisions and the important role of attitudes to these two domains. Typically travel behaviour is compared between two neighbourhood typologies. These are either conventional or traditional. The former reflects status-quo land development with long winding cul-de-sacs, separated uses, a lack of centeredness and low connectivity. The latter is more akin to neighbourhoods developed before the Second World War and have higher densities, mixed uses, and are generally directed towards pedestrians rather than the automobile. Two traditional and two conventional neighbourhoods from Canada and New Zealand were used as case studies for the main research. Three-hundred households in each of the four case studies received a survey that inquired about residents' preferences toward travel modes and neighbourhood types and included psychological variables used for the prediction of travel behaviour as well as typical socio-demographic variables and the two post-decision reasoning factors of place attachment and length of tenure. This survey was analysed using multiple regression to determine the influence of post-decision reasoning variables. In addition to this quantitative survey, an on-line qualitative survey assessed residents' opinions for what motivates their travel and neighbourhood location decisions. The relative discourse patterns that developed from the qualitative survey provide a context against which the quantitative findings are interpreted. This provides validation to the quantitative findings as well as a theoretically robust method to infer causation. Findings indicated that attitudes were not correlated to post-decision reasoning variables but that they may still have formed after a neighbourhood selection decision was made and not prior. Here an unanticipated correlation between perceived behavioural control and travel attitudes was observed. Likewise, another unanticipated result suggests a greater mismatch between travel preferences and behaviours than previous studies have found. While the focus in environmental psychology is on segmenting survey populations into personality cohorts, with the aim of tailoring policy to these subgroups, the findings from the present study suggest a greater concentration should be paid to the context within which diverse populations develop. Here, both the qualitative and quantitative results indicate that rather than attitudes informing environmentally supportive behaviours, such as travel behaviour, an individual's social and physical context may afford them opportunities to hold environmentally supportive attitudes instead of the other way around. While the vast majority of research within this field appears satisfied with correlating varying attitudes to positive environmental behaviour rather than explaining why these differences exist, the present study explores a hypothesis toward this rationalization. Here, post-decision reasoning provides a reliable explanation of travel behaviour and this understanding further informs how to more effectively engage with groups and individuals toward increased sustainable behaviour.</p>

Preference Planning and Unsustainable Desires: A Hypothesis toward 'How' Contextual and Psychological Factors Influence Travel Attitudes through Qualitative and Quantitative Measures

<p>Counter to the prevailing view that sees travel attitudes as influencing neighbourhood location decisions, this dissertation sets out to examine if where individuals choose to live has an effect on travel attitudes. To achieve this, both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relationship between travel attitudes, place attachment and length of tenure is performed. An association between place attachment and travel attitudes would suggest that travel attitudes, and subsequent travel behaviours, are a result of neighbourhood location considerations rather than an influencing factor on them. This too is the case for an association between length of tenure and travel attitudes. While previous research identifies associations between contextual physical factors or psychological factors and travel behaviour, how these factors exert their influence is relatively undefined. With the proposition of an association between travel attitudes, place attachment and length of tenure, an underlying mechanism to these previous associates is tested. Because place attachment occurs over time and after a decision has been made to reside in a particular neighbourhood, and likewise because length of tenure is time dependent, a connection between either of these factors and travel attitudes supports the hypothesis that travel attitudes may just as likely be a result of residential location choices as they are an influence on them. For this reason, both of these variables are referred to as post-decision reasoning factors and are perceived as the mechanisms through which decisions are justified after they have been made. While travel behaviour literature is currently focused on the role latent travel attitudes have on residential location choices, housing choice literature consistently finds travel attitudes or neighbourhood factors a distant second to dwelling considerations. Dwelling size versus price, housing quality, yard and overall house size all have a greater influence on residential location decisions. Even when neighbourhood considerations are made in addition to dwelling characteristic factors, travel attitudes again rank lower than school quality, perceived safety and even the image of the neighbourhood. This dissertation is placed to add clarity to the discrepancy between travel behaviour and housing choice literature. An initial pilot study examined the relation between liveability and density and guided this dissertation toward travel behaviour, neighbourhood location decisions and the important role of attitudes to these two domains. Typically travel behaviour is compared between two neighbourhood typologies. These are either conventional or traditional. The former reflects status-quo land development with long winding cul-de-sacs, separated uses, a lack of centeredness and low connectivity. The latter is more akin to neighbourhoods developed before the Second World War and have higher densities, mixed uses, and are generally directed towards pedestrians rather than the automobile. Two traditional and two conventional neighbourhoods from Canada and New Zealand were used as case studies for the main research. Three-hundred households in each of the four case studies received a survey that inquired about residents' preferences toward travel modes and neighbourhood types and included psychological variables used for the prediction of travel behaviour as well as typical socio-demographic variables and the two post-decision reasoning factors of place attachment and length of tenure. This survey was analysed using multiple regression to determine the influence of post-decision reasoning variables. In addition to this quantitative survey, an on-line qualitative survey assessed residents' opinions for what motivates their travel and neighbourhood location decisions. The relative discourse patterns that developed from the qualitative survey provide a context against which the quantitative findings are interpreted. This provides validation to the quantitative findings as well as a theoretically robust method to infer causation. Findings indicated that attitudes were not correlated to post-decision reasoning variables but that they may still have formed after a neighbourhood selection decision was made and not prior. Here an unanticipated correlation between perceived behavioural control and travel attitudes was observed. Likewise, another unanticipated result suggests a greater mismatch between travel preferences and behaviours than previous studies have found. While the focus in environmental psychology is on segmenting survey populations into personality cohorts, with the aim of tailoring policy to these subgroups, the findings from the present study suggest a greater concentration should be paid to the context within which diverse populations develop. Here, both the qualitative and quantitative results indicate that rather than attitudes informing environmentally supportive behaviours, such as travel behaviour, an individual's social and physical context may afford them opportunities to hold environmentally supportive attitudes instead of the other way around. While the vast majority of research within this field appears satisfied with correlating varying attitudes to positive environmental behaviour rather than explaining why these differences exist, the present study explores a hypothesis toward this rationalization. Here, post-decision reasoning provides a reliable explanation of travel behaviour and this understanding further informs how to more effectively engage with groups and individuals toward increased sustainable behaviour.</p>

You Can’t Get There from Here: Mobility Networks and the Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program represents the largest subsidized housing program in the United States. While families with vouchers can, in theory, lease any housing of reasonable quality renting below a rent ceiling, the empirical evidence suggests that they rarely use their vouchers to move to lower poverty neighborhoods. This paper examines the question of how spatial boundaries impact the residential possibilities of HCV subsidized families, both the visible boundaries of Public Housing Authority (PHA) catchment areas and the invisible boundaries of racial and economic segregation. I use administrative data supplied by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which includes all moves by HCV families between 2005 and 2015 in the Baltimore, MD, Cleveland, OH, and Dallas, TX, metropolitan areas. Using a Louvain method of network cluster detection, I subdivide each metro into distinct mobility clusters—sets of census tracts within which voucher holders move but between which they rarely do. I find that the empirical mobility clusters at the metropolitan level are highly defined by PHA’s catchment areas. Even though families are technically allowed to “port” their voucher from one PHA catchment area to another, such behavior is rare. Within the PHA catchment areas, HCV mobility clusters are defined by patterns of race, income, and history. These findings suggest that patterns of racial and economic segregation seem to partially define the mobility clusters within PHA catchment areas, but not across them.

A study of boundedly rational behaviour in housing choice: evidence from Malaysia

Purpose Housing choice is always a complicated decision with its dual functions as a roof over the head and as an investment good. This paper aims to investigate the boundedly rational behaviours that affect the housing choice three bounded behaviours play roles in explaining the decision-making behaviour of homebuyers when they acquire/sell a property. These behaviours are endowment effect, loss aversion and herding, which have implications on the decision-making process. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on cross-sectional questionnaires and collected from 587 respondents. Factor analysis and reliability tests were used to identify the latent construct of bounded rational housing choice behaviour. In the meantime, the study used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine whether there are any differences in the housing choice based on the respondents’ demographic backgrounds. Findings The findings indicated that a total of 11 items were reduced to three factors that accounted for the decision-making in housing choice. There are significant differences in herding behaviour amongst respondents with different level of education and their purpose of looking for a house. Research limitations/implications This paper helps to identify latent constructs that shed light on the housing choice, especially on the bounded rational behaviour. Originality/value This is one of the few studies to explore boundedly rational behaviours in housing choice from the angle of homebuyers. Previous studies addressed housing choice in terms of price, demand and supply in general but not on individual homebuyers. The results will be useful to developers, policymakers, homebuyers as well as scholars in understanding the decision-making process in housing choice.

Factors influencing Jamaican householders’ housing choice

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap in knowledge of Jamaican householders’ housing choices and to provide empirical research that will support the inclusion of the householders’ perspectives in developing housing policies and programmes in Jamaica. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey of 430 householders drawn from public housing developments in 6 of 14 parishes in Jamaica was conducted. A pragmatic approach was taken in this study. As such, both qualitative and quantitative data were used to investigate the factors influencing householders’ housing choices. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis to extract the main factors influencing the householders’ housing choices. Findings The research revealed that the dwelling features and its environment, accessibility and neighbourhood attributes are three factors influencing householders’ housing choice. Notably, the dwelling and its immediate environment explained the majority of the variance in housing choice. This suggests that if householders are given a choice between a larger more desirable dwelling in a clean, safe and well-maintained community and housing with proximity to work, job opportunities, urban services and other proximity variables, they are less likely to choose the latter. Research limitations/implications The factors obtained from this study provide some insights into the scale of preference of the household heads and desired attributes of affordable housing solutions. They also shed some light on what might have caused some past affordable housing solutions to be undesirable. In addition to this, there is some intuition that there may be efficacy in adopting a community development approach to housing. These results have strong implications for housing planning. However, given the island’s challenge with the proliferation of squatter settlements, it is recommended that further research, which includes these householders’ be carried out. Originality/value This research is the first to examine the views of Jamaican householders’ with the purpose of understanding what influences their choice of housing. The findings provide new insights into the trade-off that householders may be willing to make in choosing their housing. The results provide a source of reference in reviewing the performance of past policies and programmes.

Obstacles and opportunities for reducing dwelling size to shrink the environmental footprint of housing: Tenants’ residential preferences and housing choice

The environmental footprint of housing is greatly influenced by the size of a dwelling. Housing size is the result of households’ dwelling selections; accordingly, it is critical to consider residential preferences and choices to inform efforts towards housing sustainability. This study aimed to understand tenants’ preferences for and choices of housing size as one amongst several dwelling characteristics and identify obstacles and opportunities for reducing size in the light of promoting sustainable housing. We employed logistic regression models to analyse a survey with 878 Swiss tenants, and our results identify preference for large dwellings as a major obstacle for reducing dwelling size among affluent tenants. Conversely, tenants with lower income might be forced to move to a smaller dwelling due to financial constraints or attribute higher importance to the financial benefit of lower rents. However, financial disincentives along with substantial non-monetary costs of moving, such as the disruption of local bonds and the difficulty of finding a satisfactory dwelling, can outweigh the benefits of moving to a smaller dwelling. To overcome such obstacles, we suggest offering incentives and other facilitating measures for downsizing moves as well as ensuring an adequate supply of smaller dwellings capable of providing high living quality. We highlight the potential of studying housing functions to conceptualize dwellings fulfilling these requirements.