‘It's just one of those natural progressions': Stories of relocating to neighbourhoods of high and low walkability

Walkable neighborhood characteristics, such as connectivity and land use mix, have been found to correlate with people walking more and being active. However, the relationship between the built environment and behavior is highly complex making it difficult to develop generalizable and predictive models. This paper reports qualitative findings from 21 in-depth interviews conducted with urban residents who had relocated between neighborhoods of high and low walkability. Participants’ preferences are reported within key domains (shop access, green space and travel links). These reveal that walkable characteristics were preferred and desired regardless of whether the participant had moved to a high or low walkable area. The authors contrast surface preferences with an analysis of relocation stories: complex assemblages of biographical narratives, identity work and cultural representations. The findings reveal how neighborhood types are consistently associated with life stages and that moving to a suburban home was felt to be a definitive type of relocation in which it was acceptable to put neighborhood preferences aside. Residential self-selection is not yet properly understood and the authors recommend studies of relocation stories for examining the sociocultural meanings that are likely to inform relocation decisions.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102509
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829221000058
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13538292
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Whybrow, Paul
  • Bramley, G
  • Brown, Caroline
• Publication Date: 2021-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 102509
• Serial:
  • Health & Place
  • Volume: 69
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1353-8292
  • EISSN: 1873-2054
  • Serial URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/health-and-place/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Built environment; Neighborhoods; Travel behavior; Urban areas; Walkability
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01836888
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 24 2022 5:16PM