D. King

Bio: D. King is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Macro. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 24 citations.

The scales of human mobility

Abstract: There is a contradiction at the heart of our current understanding of individual and collective mobility patterns. On the one hand, a highly influential body of literature on human mobility driven by analyses of massive empirical datasets finds that human movements show no evidence of characteristic spatial scales. There, human mobility is described as scale free1–3. On the other hand, geographically, the concept of scale—referring to meaningful levels of description from individual buildings to neighbourhoods, cities, regions and countries—is central for the description of various aspects of human behaviour, such as socioeconomic interactions, or political and cultural dynamics4,5. Here we resolve this apparent paradox by showing that day-to-day human mobility does indeed contain meaningful scales, corresponding to spatial ‘containers’ that restrict mobility behaviour. The scale-free results arise from aggregating displacements across containers. We present a simple model—which given a person’s trajectory—infers their neighbourhood, city and so on, as well as the sizes of these geographical containers. We find that the containers—characterizing the trajectories of more than 700,000 individuals—do indeed have typical sizes. We show that our model is also able to generate highly realistic trajectories and provides a way to understand the differences in mobility behaviour across countries, gender groups and urban–rural areas. A model shows that human mobility is organized within hierarchical containers that coincide with familiar scales and that a power-law distribution emerges when movements between different containers are combined.

Life Events and the Gap between Intention to Move and Actual Mobility

Abstract: Life events are frequently mentioned as a reason why people do not behave according to their mobility intentions. However, there is little empirical evidence concerning the role of life events in the discrepancy between stated mobility intentions and actual mobility behaviour. The authors clarify the role of life events in this discrepancy using a longitudinal dataset from the Netherlands, in which the Housing Demand Survey 2002 is enriched with register data from the Social Statistical Database. Union dissolution, union formation, and childbirth trigger moves among people who had initial intended to stay in the current home. These events also act as an extra stimulus to move for those who already intended to move for reasons other than household or job change. In contrast, the event of losing a job prevents people from realising their intention to move. The results also suggest that the majority of the moves after union dissolution are made by people who did not have an initial intention to move.

Population Turnover and Area Deprivation

Abstract: We know a great deal about the characteristics of deprived areas as a result of the development of neighbourhood statistics in recent years. By contrast, we know little about the dynamics of population turnover or migration that drive area change. Understanding these dynamics is key to improving efforts at neighbourhood regeneration and to developing mixed or sustainable communities.This report provides the first analysis of neighbourhood migration flows for the whole of England and Scotland, based primarily on data from the Census 2001. Three dynamics are examined in particular: • neighbourhood stability as measured by the scale of in- and out-flows; • neighbourhood connection, assessed through the geography of moves - where migrants come from or go to; • area change - how the social composition of each neighbourhood alters as a result of net migration flows.The findings challenge several of the "conventional wisdoms" about deprived neighbourhoods. The report is aimed at those working in neighbourhood regeneration projects and in the development of neighbourhood policy locally or nationally. It should also be of interest to those who seek to understand the functioning and development of neighbourhoods more generally.

The Impact of Residential Mobility on Measurements of Neighbourhood Effects

Abstract: Neighbourhoods and cities are dynamic; their characteristics and relative positions change over time due to constant moves in and out. However, neighbourhood effect theory and most attempts to quantitatively estimate neighbourhood effects seem to treat neighbourhoods as if they were static. This paper argues that such a view is not only strange but may also result in biased estimates. Four methodological challenges are highlighted that are directly related to mobility: (1) measures of exposure time; (2) neighbourhood change; (3) selection bias; and (4) endogeneity. These are all topics worthy of scholarly interest in themselves, but also challenges that all neighbourhood effect studies must address to convincingly argue that their results are indicative of causal relationships—results of neighbourhood transmission mechanisms—and not just statistical correlations. The paper discusses how and to what extent these challenges have been met by the quantitative neighbourhood effect literature and gives directio...

The Rise of Living Alone in Inner London: Trends among the Population of Working Age

Abstract: The 1980s was a significant decade in the demography of Inner London. Population increase replaced decades of decline, and household numbers grew even faster. One-person households accounted for most of the growth in household numbers, and the greatest increase was among younger and middle-aged adults. The authors examine the characteristics and changing geography of one-person households in Inner London, particularly between 1981 and 1991, within the context of broader demographic and socioeconomic changes during the decade. In particular, the characteristics of those people who migrated to live alone in Inner london are examined, and questions raised about the relationship between household changes, residential mobility, occupational structures, and housing markets. Reference is also made to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to explain some of the processes underlying household change. One-person households are an integral part of wider economic and social processes underway in large urban areas and f...