Factors Influencing Residential Location Choice towards Mixed Land-Use Development: An Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

This study is aimed to determine the MLU development factors by executing a Delphi Method (DM). The MLU factors can contribute to the land-use development process in the thickly populated urban centers of developing countries. This is the first study of its type conducted to clarify MLU development factors in urbanized settlements of Sindh province, Pakistan. Karachi and Hyderabad are thickly populated cities in Pakistan where mixed land-use (MLU) development prevails over the years. The DM was attempted in two rounds focusing on the opinion of urban development specialists and academic experts. The experts initially provided a set of forty-two factors identified from the literature. These factors were arranged in a Likert-based questionnaire and determined through the coefficient variation. The prominent factors were identified as household savings, travel costs and low rent, nearby household items and shared utility services, economic vitality, variety in purchasing grocery and shopping items, demographic change and social poverty, accessibility to nearby public services, reduction in commuting time and easy access to restaurants. This proposed research recommends policy implications focusing on identified key parameters of MLU development, such as low carbon exposure, livable environment, and planned municipal system.