Family structure and spatial patterns of residential choice

Abstract

The residential land use of urban areas presents spatial heterogeneity, in which agglomerations of similar groups are observed in certain locations. Household structure is pointed out in the literature as a potential factor in determining residential location. The hypothesis is that different household structures have specific needs of consumption of space and accessibility. In addition to that the income restriction should consider the number of members in the household. To verify this hypothesis, the present work investigates the distribution of household structures in the city of São Paulo and observes a possible relationship between household composition and constructive attributes. The methodology of this study is based on exploratory spatial data analysis and cluster analysis method. The main results show the existence of location patterns based on family structure and per capita household income as an important inducer of location.