Higher educated residential preferences and the marketing of private housing in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area and Hong Kong Thesis submitted as part of the Research Master Urban Studies, University of Amsterdam Author: Michael Stuart-Fox Student number: 10011455 Email address:
[email protected] Supervisor: Prof. Sako Musterd Second reader: Dr. Marco Bontje Date of submission: 19 June 2015 Table of contents Acknowledgements p. 3 Remarks p. 4 1. Introduction and research questions p. 5 2. Theoretical framework, conceptualisation, and operationalisations p. 9 2.1 Lifestyles, values and residential preferences in modern societies p. 9 2.2 Occupational groups, orientation of capital, and residential preferences p.13 2.3 Studies on the intra-metropolitan residential preferences of creative class p.14 2.4 Conceptualisation and type of preferences: stated and intra-metropolitan p.16 2.5 Operationalisations p.18 2.6 Conceptual model p.19 2.7 Definitions and importance of the creative and high-tech sectors p.20 2.8 Theoretical expectations p.21 3. Research design, cases, and methodology p.22 3.1 Case selection and type of case study p.22 3.2 Approach to comparison as a research tool p.23 3.3 Other features of the research design p.24 3.4 Methods of data collection and analysis p.25 4. Descriptions of samples in the MRA and Hong Kong p.27 4.1 Demographic characteristics p.27 4.2 Socio-economic characteristics p.30 5. Stated residential preferences, differences between the MRA and Hong Kong, and the influence of urban contextual factors p.34 5.1 Importance fo amenities in the region and neighbourhood p.34 5.2 Assessment of moving, reasons for (not) moving and dwelling preferences p.39 5.3 Ranking of features of the dwelling, neighbourhood and location p.48 5.4 Ranking of urban and suburban images and locations p.54 5.5 Conclusion p.59 6.