Moving to the Green? The Importance of Private, Semi-Private and Neighborhood Green Spaces in Residential Relocations across the Life Course.

Tetiana Dovbischuk , University of Hamburg
Stefanie A. Kley, University of Hamburg

Research on the benefits of green living environments in urban settings has gained attention, but comprehensive comparisons across life course phases remain scarce. Furthermore, the importance of green spaces in the context of residential relocations has been underexplored. This study addresses this research gap by testing hypotheses derived from a general theory of well-being generation and a three-stage migration model, demonstrating the importance of private, semi-private, and neighborhood green spaces for overall well-being and therefore for relocations. The analysis is based on data from a two-wave population survey, involving 1,856 randomly selected respondents in two major German cities. The results show that all three types of green spaces are relevant at the very beginning of relocation decision-making processes, when individuals form their moving intentions. Private gardens deter families from considering and planning relocation, joint green yards have a similar effect across all subgroups, and satisfaction with neighborhood green space availability decreases the probability of considering and planning relocation for families and the elderly. Notably, our study highlights the importance of subjective assessments of neighborhood green spaces, which have a more pronounced impact on forming relocation intentions compared to objective geocoded data. In terms of relocation behavior in the second study wave, none of the three types of green spaces directly influence the actual realization of relocations. This suggests that green spaces might be strongly underestimated in research on residential relocations that overlook the longitudinal nature of the relocations decision-making process.

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 Presented in Session P53. Flash session Climate Change, Individual Attitudes and Behavior