What makes people stay longer in the densifying city? Exploring the neighbourhood environment and social ties

Residential mobility, the movement of households within urban areas, is an important issue for urban planning and development. However, little is known on how residential mobility intentions are shaped in densifying cities. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative survey material from the densifying inner city of Oslo, Norway, we investigate potential drivers of intentions to live longer in a neighbourhood of a densifying inner city. Findings show that dwelling ownership, dwelling size, perceived neighbourhood safety, and socializing with friends and neighbours locally are all associated with intentions to live longer in a neighbourhood. Residents of older compact neighbourhoods are found to participate more frequently in activities locally and seem to have stronger local social ties than residents of newly densified neighbourhoods. Moreover, residents’ insights suggest that newly densified neighbourhoods are often inadequately designed or developed in terms of physical attributes, and this may contribute to possible moving intentions. These findings shed further light on the challenging path towards liveable urban densification.