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This research aims to analyse the housing demand in northern France with respect to socio-demographic variables and the distance between the residence and the workplace.

Econometrics with discrete choice models are used to study the three main dimensional choices of housing demand: tenure, type and location. A contribution is to use a heteroscedastic logit model where the variance of the error term is allowed to differ over alternatives and to capture in particular the heterogeneity of tastes. As a matter of fact, household characteristics are very likely to influence the magnitude of the scale parameter in the choice of housing alternatives and then influencing the results if it is not taken into account. Applications for housing demand are nearly non-existent. This paper fills this gap.

Econometric estimation confirms that residential choices are influenced by age, income and size of the household, as well as by the rent-to-income ratio. An increase in any of these variables decreases the probability of choices of all the alternatives other than the most often chosen alternative (which is for this application house ownership in the suburb). Moreover, the distance to work systematically influences the housing choice for single-parent families and two-earner households. Additionally, preferences are found to significantly differ between local housing markets, specifically between Lille (a large agglomeration and capital city of the North area) and Dunkerque (an industrialised area). The geographical areas are defined based on INSEE employment zones (“zones d’emplois”).

This research has been performed for the north of France and may not hold for other areas even though the methodology can be replicated and the mechanisms at play are quite similar elsewhere.

An important conclusion for sustainable development is the importance to improve city centre amenities relative to those of the suburb or to increase the services associated with high-density dwelling because clearly the most desired alternative remains a house in the suburb. The housing market in the Dunkerque area has some special features characterised by a strong industrial landscape (with port and heavy-duty industrial activities). In this context, amenities provided by the city centre offset the strong attraction of a house in the suburb.

This research shows that households with similar characteristics tend to prefer the same type of real estate property. Therefore, to avoid social segregation, it is important that housing supply respond to different household preferences and needs in the different segments of the housing market. Moreover, the housing supply should take into account the specificities of the geographical areas (both in terms of population who may have a different profile) and in terms of amenities.

This research is one of the very few conducted ones on discrete housing choices in France (with the notable exception of De Palma et al., 2007 for the choice of location). Three simultaneous choices are considered: tenure (including social housing which is almost always ignored), type of building and location. The authors have shown that it is important to take into account the heterogeneity of the preferences in the econometric model with a heteroscedastic logit model.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Affordability and lifestyle choices in housing are critical to meet basic human needs for shelter, security and wellbeing. The meaning of a house for a particular group of people and what is ‘affordable’ for a particular community is the critical issue. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has greater population density and rate of expansion compared to almost any other mega cities of Asia. The historic core of the city known as old Dhaka is a combination of several traditional neighborhoods. Houses in these traditional neighborhoods are not only places to live, rather an integral unit of a social system, having a good mix of place of work and individual expression in living. They also show flexibility and adaptability (with more scope for personalization and individual life style choices) compared to the contemporary housing stock. One of the success factors in these traditional houses is the healthy mix of the income ranges to avoid a ghetto effect of low cost housing. The recent rapid urbanization has led to a discontinuity of the traditional housing form of old Dhaka, leading to a disintegration of the mix of lifestyle choices and affordability. Following popular market trends, they are often replaced by housing blocks in a higher density ignoring the need for a diverse mix. This paper studies the traditional housing of old Dhaka with two case study neighborhoods. Several elements of housing like the common price, materials and construction, space layout, scale, social space, facades, street interface, etc are selected for a qualitative study. Local residents interview, archival records, maps, Plans, figure-ground, aerial images are used to analyze, identify and demonstrate the elements that made them socio-culturally sustainable and affordable for the community. With the analysis, lessons from the traditional housing form that may contribute to the new housing in Dhaka are identified.

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.

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.

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.

This paper helps to identify latent constructs that shed light on the housing choice, especially on the bounded rational behaviour.

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.

Housing sufficiency is an indication of national development, and in recognition of this, a longstanding development objective of the Malaysian Government is the provision of affordable housing. The government has introduced various policies, schemes and regulations to increase housing supply. However, despite these measures, homeownership rates are dropping, and housing prices are outstripping inflation. For this reason, this paper aims to explain the determinants of housing choices. The issues in affordable housing supply in Malaysia are that of shortage and distributions. The problem of distribution is largely addressable through choice reconciliations.

The research is based on a cross-sectional survey questionnaire, comprising 20 determinants and 468 householders/users. The questionnaire was developed via a review of the literature and the authors’ experience. The survey forms are administered by hand.

Six determinants were found to be extremely important to households’ choice of housing. The Kaiser’s measure of sampling adequacy (MSA) indicated that the strength of the relationships among the determinants was strong (MSA = 0.762). Bartlett’s test of sphericity, was significant χ² (1035) = 5013.814, p < 0.001), indicating the data were drawn from the same population and that the determinants were related. Using principal component analysis, all the 20 determinants were reduced to seven factors that accounted for some 60 per cent of the total proportion communalities. The factors were general factor, financial factor, building factor, income factor, accessibility factor, market factor and location factor.

Previous research only addressed factors affecting housing price, not a choice. This is the first study that explains determinants of housing choice determinants in Malaysia. This is the first study that involves large respondents. Previous research addressed housing in general and not affordable housing. The results will be useful to developers, homebuyers and policy makers towards affordable housing delivery.

The case of metropolitan Doha presents a unique study that has witnessed several transition phases in the urbanization process. It has embarked in massive urbanization processes as part of the national planning vision. Nationals constitute 11% and expatriates constitute 89% of the total population of Qatar, which is environed by the government to manage the economic dynamism. Housing choice reflects the joint influences of government policies, housing market conditions, and personal factors such as housing preferences and the income level. The paper aims at studying housing choices for nationals and expatiates in metropolitan Doha through assessing the factors that limit housing choice for nationals and expatriates, providing policy recommendations to address the demand-supply gap in the market, and propose housing distribution in view of the developed housing choice framework. Three tools have been used: content analysis of reference data, questionnaire survey of housing preferences, and qualitative interview of experts' perceptions. This study has provided qualitative data on the issues of housing distribution and expansion in relation to housing choices. It has concluded baseline information for the nationals and expatriates housing distribution and the demographic dilemma.

This paper aims to discuss the link between socio-economic characteristics of house buyers and their housing location choices. The major objective of the study is an examination of the role of household socio-economic characteristics. The research addresses the importance of previous residence location and latent housing motives for intra-urban housing mobility.

The research examines housing preferences structure and analyzes housing location choices in the city of Krakow (Poland) using discrete choice model (conditional logit model). The research is based on stated preference data from Krakow.

The results of this study suggest that demand for housing alternatives is negatively linked to the distance from current residence. Other factors stay equal, the further the distance, the less likely a household is willing to choose a location within the metropolitan area. The study indicates that housing motives can help explain housing location decisions.

The paper provides an empirical assessment of housing decisions in Krakow, one of the major metropolitan areas in Poland.

The paper contributes to a better understanding of the nature of housing decision and housing preferences in emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe. As a result, presented research helps to fill the gap in housing market and urban economics literature.

It was not until the late 1960s that housing attracted much attention from academic social scientists. Since that time the literature has expanded widely and diversified, establishing housing with a specialised status in economics, sociology, politics, and in related subjects. As we would expect, the new literature covers a technical, statistical, theoretical, ideological, and historical range. Housing studies have not been conceived and interpreted in a monolithic way, with generally accepted concepts and principles, or with uniformly fixed and precise methodological approaches. Instead, some studies have been derived selectively from diverse bases in conventional theories in economics or sociology, or politics. Others have their origins in less conventional social theory, including neo‐Marxist theory which has had a wider intellectual following in the modern democracies since the mid‐1970s. With all this diversity, and in a context where ideological positions compete, housing studies have consequently left in their wake some significant controversies and some gaps in evaluative perspective. In short, the new housing intellectuals have written from personal commitments to particular cognitive, theoretical, ideological, and national positions and experiences. This present piece of writing takes up the two main themes which have emerged in the recent literature. These themes are first, questions relating to building and developing housing theory, and, second, the issue of how we are to conceptualise housing and relate it to policy studies. We shall be arguing that the two themes are closely related: in order to create a useful housing theory we must have awareness and understanding of housing practice and the nature of housing.

Expectations of an aging population increases the need for accurate models and reliable forecasts of housing demand in the later stages of life. This paper aims to examine whether the only published forecasting model predicts the actual movement of older Americans into retirement housing.

A logistic regression model is used to test which older movers chose retirement housing using data from the 2002 and 2004 Health and Retirement Survey.

Age is found to have a positive relationship with the choice to move into retirement housing, but the other socioeconomic variables are not significant and the model is not robust.

More investigation is necessary to identify the variables that will provide a reliable estimate of those choosing retirement housing. Segmented by housing type may be necessary rather than estimating total retirement housing demand.

The paper tests whether a model previously used to forecast senior housing demand actually predicts housing choice. It demonstrates that additional research is needed to develop models that can more accurately estimate demand in this growing segment of the housing market in aging countries.

Concerning migration on a national level, two phenomena emerge: people migrating from one region to another and people moving from the countryside to the cities. The geographical shift of the population between regions in a country is a slow process. In Sweden, only a few percent of the population migrate yearly. Nevertheless, migration has caused and still causes considerable redistribution of the population toward the metropolitan regions in Sweden. This section will emphasize general trends in population concentration through urbanization and migration in Sweden and compare these trends with changes in other countries.