A model for simulating residential location choices of working women considering compact city planning

In Japan, the ageing of the population and declining birth rate have led to a shortage of workers, making it necessary to consider more diverse work styles and create new urban structures that accommodate a variety of lifestyles. In this study, we developed a model to simulate the residential location choices of working women in the context of compact city planning. Our results showed that land costs can impact the compactisation of cities and that housing expenses and preferences for location are important factors in residential location decisions. We also found that differences in overall residential trends were based on housing expenses and preferences for location, rather than household type. Our model highlights the importance of addressing land costs and household preferences in compact city planning for working women and other diverse households. Specifically, we found that having a concentration of institutions leads to more compact cities, while restrictions on land cost can reduce compactness. When housing expense is high, households tend to be distributed throughout the entire space, including low-cost land areas.