Why Higher Income Households Move to Central Cities

ABSTRACT:

To the extent that urban revitalization depends on the attraction and retention of affluent households, it is important for planners to know why higher income movers choose central city destinations. Data from the 1983 national Annual Housing Survey are used to examine the destination choices of recent movers and their reported reasons for moving to central cities and suburbs. Contrary to expectations, no statistically significant differences exist between reported reasons for moving to cities and suburbs among higher income households; rather, former central city locations plays the most important role in predicting central city destination. Implications of these findings for policy planning are discussed.