Residential location choices and the role of mobility, socioeconomics, and land use in Hafizabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Residential self-selection in developing countries and its relation to urban transportation are understudied and not fully understood. This knowledge gap is even greater in the case of small cities in the developing world. This study takes Hafizabad, Pakistan as a case study with the objective of providing data for future quantitative analyses about residential location choices in small cities on the Indian subcontinent. A sample of 365 residents was interviewed from four neighbourhoods with a combined population of 19,042. This resulted in individual and household response rates of 1.92% and 12.65% and confidence levels of ±5.08% and ±4.79% for individual and household questions. The results show that the most important factors influencing residents’ decisions about moving are availability of utilities/services and affordable prices. Factors related to transportation, accessibility, and social issues, such as proximity to work and relatives, come next. The role of transportation in residential location choices in Hafizabad is less important in comparison to high-income countries. This finding shows how urban form can shape residents’ travel behaviour and suggests that small cities are more compact and walkable because about 40% of job-related trips are made by walking. The results of this study will help inform relevant government organizations about how to effectively devise policies for small cities because policies grafted from large metropolises might not work well at a smaller scale.