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Drivers of Car Ownership in a Car-Oriented City: A Mixed-Method Study

Author

Listed:
  • Jukka Heinonen

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland, 107 Reykjavik, Iceland
    Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland)

  • Michał Czepkiewicz

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland, 107 Reykjavik, Iceland)

  • Áróra Árnadóttir

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland, 107 Reykjavik, Iceland)

  • Juudit Ottelin

    (Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland)

Abstract

This paper presents a mixed-method analysis of car ownership in Reykjavik, Iceland, a location with a high motorization level and deeply rooted car culture. We utilize qualitative interviews to understand vehicle possession reasons and elaborate the study with statistical analysis using a softGIS survey dataset with characteristics of the respondents and their residential location. We focus on adults aged 25 to 40, who are suggested to be less car-oriented than older generations. We also describe the historic development of Reykjavik’s car culture to give a perspective for the findings. We show that even among the studied age group, car ownership is still seen as a social norm, with few even seeing it possible to live without a car, and the public transport system is seen as giving a poverty stigma. However, we still find an increasing share of car-free households towards the city center. Still, the built environment impact is limited to the city center, which has a higher proportion of small adult-only households residing in shared apartments than other areas. Moreover, there seems to be a three-fold connection between having a child, acquiring a car (if not already possessed), and choosing a suburban residential location. Some indications of residential self-selection related to car ownership were found, but pro-car attitudes and residential location independently influenced car ownership. This study helps to understand the reasons for high car dominance and supports designing policies to reduce car-dependency, not just in Reykjavik but also elsewhere.

Suggested Citation

  • Jukka Heinonen & Michał Czepkiewicz & Áróra Árnadóttir & Juudit Ottelin, 2021. "Drivers of Car Ownership in a Car-Oriented City: A Mixed-Method Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-26, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:619-:d:478183
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Upham, Paul & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Monyei, Chukwuka G., 2022. "Energy and transport poverty amidst plenty: Exploring just transition, lived experiences and policy implications in Iceland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    2. Johanna Raudsepp & Áróra Árnadóttir & Michał Czepkiewicz & Jukka Heinonen, 2021. "Long-Distance Travel and the Urban Environment: Results from a Qualitative Study in Reykjavik," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(2), pages 257-270.

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