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Patterns of relocation and housing mobility in the green compact city: class-based distribution of urban resources

What does densification in Greater Oslo mean for people's choice of housing? Does the climate-friendly city and housing policy lead to increased inequality?

Picture of a residential street lined with mid-rise buildings and a few young trees  outside the buildings.

Løren, Oslo. Picture taken by Marieke van der Star

Background

Cities are investing in sustainable housing strategies to meet the climate goals. The development of compact cities and urban areas is promoted as a central contribution to the green shift. In this process, former industrial areas are transformed into multifunctional urban residential areas. These housing projects are often characterized by higher housing prices, higher socio-economic status, and a central location.

Urban areas have become more attractive places to live and work. This has led to more people choosing to settle in the central parts of the city, especially a growing middle-class population. At the same time, many cities in Europe are experiencing processes such as gentrification and increasing poverty.

About the project

This Ph.D. project will examine how, in light of densification processes, housing mobility, and relocation patterns have changed socially and spatially for residents with different forms of (social, cultural, economic, and spatial) capital and in different household situations in Greater Oslo. The study will particularly consider the significance of the local context (or spatial capital) and the role it plays in housing choices both in terms of actual location and mobility options.

The study will also investigate the extent to which the sustainable and climate-friendly city and housing policy leads to a skewed and inequality-generating distribution of resources through the housing market, using longitudinal localized registry data, as well as surveys.

This is a doctoral project carried out by Marieke van der Star under the supervision of Per Gunnar Røe at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo, Cody Hochstenbach at the University of Amsterdam, and Lars Böcker at the Institute of Transport Economics, funded by the research center Include.

Duration

2022-2026

Published Apr. 29, 2024 8:41 PM - Last modified Apr. 29, 2024 8:46 PM