Residential experience and residential location choice. An analysis of centralization and suburbanization residential trajectories

The importance of residential experiences in mobility decisions is a well-known fact. However, there are fewer studies quantifying the effect of this residential background, and even less analyzing how it modulates mobility decisions. In this paper we answer two questions: how does previous residential experience with different environments influence residential location choice? And more important, are there differences in the individual triggers of choice according to such previous experience? To address these issues, the determinants of centralization and suburbanization in Spanish metropolitan areas are studied using logistic regression models on data from the last available census (2011). It is confirmed that previous experience in the different environments is a relevant factor to move towards them. Furthermore, mobility triggers vary substantially depending on previous residential experience with the environment, pointing out that first-time arrivals and return moves probably have different explanations.