Consideration of Proximity in Selection of Residential Location by Science and Technology Workers: Case Study of Hsinchu, Taiwan

The Hsinchu district has been one of the most rapidly developing areas of Taiwan during the past decade. The rise of the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (HSIP) has significantly influenced population growth and living environment in the Hsinchu district. To obtain new knowledge via knowledge proliferation activities that occur following knowledge innovation, science and technology workers have been established based on the proximity of informal social network interactions and the existence of a common culture. Based on social, identified and cognitive proximities, this investigation examines whether science and technology workers directly assess their living environment while considering housing purchases, seeking information and making residential location decisions. This investigation employs regression analysis to examine the correlation between individual proximity factors and spatial proximity, based on the hypothesis that individual proximity influences residential location choices of science and technology communities. The study results indicate that the housing choice behaviours of the science and technology community follow two proximity paths, that is, internal and external proximity factors. Consequently, the pull created by individual proximity has slowed the spatial expansion of the Hsinchu region.