On 30 June 2020, Mayara Monteiro defended her PhD thesis entitled “Adaptation of transnational short-term residents: understanding the factors influencing residential location choice and travel behavior.”
Congratulations, Mayara!
She was supervised by prof. João de Abreu e Silva as principal supervisor and prof. Jorge Pinho de Sousa as co-supervisor.
Examiners were prof. Francisco Pereira (Technical University of Denmark – DTU), prof. Filipe Moura (Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa), prof. Sofia Kalakou (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa) and prof. Cecília Silva (Universidade do Porto).
Find below the abstract of the thesis! For more information, feel free to contact Mayara at maymmo@dtu.dk.
Relatively new technological advances have facilitated migration processes, as they have created cheaper and improved communication and transportation options. Those advances fostered a substantial increase in opportunities for studying and working abroad. Hosting this emergent highly educated population is of interest to cities as it brings positive economic and societal impacts. Thus, by understanding their mechanisms of adaptation and their residential and travel preferences, cities can better prepare and become more attractive to them. However, the literature on that is scarce. More than help cities to attract this population, it is also relevant to better understand the mobility adaptation process after the occurrence of simultaneous key events.
This thesis focus on intra-urban travel behavior adaptation and residential location choice of temporary residents in the context of an international relocation. Initially, we explored and identified the elements that influence travel behavior adaptation. Then, we examined how the past travel behavior and habits created in the city of origin and the use of technology influence on temporary residents´ behavior and choices in the host city. According to the results obtained, we decided to explore the impact of residential location satisfaction on travel satisfaction. And finally, we have examined the trade-offs involved in residential location choice. Interviews and online surveys were designed to support the study and these were answered by students and researchers that were living in the metropolitan area of either Porto, Lisbon, or Copenhagen at the time. Structural equation models, discrete choice model and algorithms for causal structure discovery (FOFC and MIMbuild) were used to analyze the collected data. The results include qualitative and quantitative evidence that temporary residents present a low likelihood of buying vehicles and replace private individual transport by Public Transport (PT) alternatives and/or non-motorized modes. The easier an individual perceives the use of public transport, the more s/he uses it and the higher is her/his associated satisfaction with it. To help on that, the use of technology as a mobility support tool was found to boost the ease of use of public transport, helping newcomers to have a smoother transition between different cities and countries. Self-selection was also identified in the context of international temporary relocations, where previous travel habits influence the choice of residential location. However, individuals tend to focus more on the desired public transport accessibility due to their low levels of knowledge on specific neighborhood features. About the influences of the residential location’s built environment, evidence was found suggesting that it influences on the frequency of PT use, satisfaction with PT, residential location satisfaction, and travel satisfaction. Finally, about the trade-offs involved on the residential location choice, the results highlighted the central role of high capacity, dedicated and high-speed transportation options as attractors for locations that are more distant from study/workplace locations. Thus, improving the accessibility of public transport to study/workplace locations may reduce the burden of housing stock close to them.