Residential location choice modelling:a micro-simulation approach

Abstract

Micro-simulation models have been increasingly used for studying various urban and regional processes. Here, two experimental microsimulation models are applied to the study of residential location choices of inhabitants of the Tábor micro-region. A wide range of environmental and socio-economic characteristics are analysed for their potential impact on individual residential location choices. The microsimulation approach proves to be useful for analysing not only housing, neighbourhood, and accessibility characteristics, but also of the interactions between the characteristics of the present and potential new residential locations of individual inhabitants and the role of their personal characteristics in their choice of a new residential location. The ability of the micro-simulation models to replicate the observed residential choices is evaluated by several quantitative indicators with special attention given to the stochasticity of the model behaviour, which is a typical feature of micro-simulation models. The limited availability of sufficiently disaggregated data describing the demographics of households, their socio-economic characteristics, and real estate market dynamics needs to be resolved in order to exploit the full potential of micro-simulation modelling in the future.