Choosing a home in a complex physical and social ecosystem [electronic resource] : how networks shape residential location choices and livelihood strategies in Bogotá, Colombia

Population increase in developing world cities is projected to account for nearly all of the growth in global urban population between now and 2050. Largely driven by the rapid and largely unplanned urbanization, residential vulnerability to environmental risk is increasing, too, as is the informality and vulnerability of the economic livelihoods of the urban poor. To address these combined challenges, numerous developing cities are already implementing large-scale urban development, redevelopment, and housing programs that drastically transform their urban form and have potentially irreversible consequences on the local social ecosystems. Yet, there is still only sparse and largely qualitative evidence on the role that these social ecosystems play in improving the livelihood security of their poorest residents or in influencing residential location decisions, including relocations to areas prone to environmental hazards. In this dissertation I argue that a better understanding of the social context and drivers of residential mobility can lead to new economic models that are better adapted to the developing city reality and that ultimately allow for more efficient environmental and economic resource planning. Focusing on the case of Bogotá, Colombia, my dissertation asks: Given the complexities of its physical and social ecosystem, what do individuals value most when choosing a home? What trade-offs are they willing to make, and what are their implications for planning? Is there heterogeneity among the 'urban poor' in their residential location choices and, and, if so, what explains it and what are its effects? My first two research papers analyze the revealed housing choices across the city to estimate the effect of environmental risk on housing consumption decisions and to identify ways in which it is moderated by family and non-family networks. The first paper shows that the effect of flood risk on housing values is significantly larger than measured in previous studies that did not account for omitted variable bias and/or measurement error associated with formal risk designation. The second paper shows that, through their influence on choice set formation and their locational amenity role, networks motivate and shape the vast majority of relocation decisions and, as a result, influence residential exposure to environmental risk. The third and the fourth papers rely on data from an original survey and economic choice experiment. The third paper provides quantitative evidence on the importance of physical proximity to family networks in the stated residential location choices of the city's low-income residents. It demonstrates that living near family networks is particularly valued by those for whom these networks represent a key source of livelihood support and a safety net in coping with economic and environmental crises. The fourth paper links data on individuals' support networks with data on the features of their spatial and built environment. It shows that specific urban planning interventions -- such as densification policies or investments in connectivity to central cities -- can have a significant influence on the socioeconomic and spatial properties of interpersonal networks and, hence, resource access through them.

Advisor: McFarland Daniel (Daniel A.) primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Sweeney James L. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Chatman Dan advisor. Thesis advisor
Ortolano Leonard advisor. Thesis advisor