Disaggregating Multifaceted Destination Effects on Residential Mobility by Regional and Age Groups in South Korea

Residential mobility is not only a demographic process but also a mechanism that reshapes urban form, economic vitality, and spatial inequality. In South Korea, where rapid population decline and stark regional disparities pose urgent planning challenges, analyzing the determinants of residential in-migration provides critical insights into how cities and regions adapt to these demographic shifts. This study addresses the questions of why individuals relocate and how migration drivers vary across regional typologies and age cohorts. Using a Negative Binomial Regression framework applied to spatially disaggregated migration data, this study identifies several key patterns. Housing prices, population density, and network centrality consistently act as strong and positive predictors of in-migration across regions and cohorts. Even shrinking cities retain attractiveness through density, likely reflecting service accessibility and agglomeration benefits. Employment opportunities, school proximity, and road network density play crucial roles in peripheral regions. Katz centrality strongly shapes decisions among younger populations (≤39), while older adults (65+) prefer areas with lower economic intensity and better access to public transportation. These findings advance theoretical understandings of residential mobility and offer policy-relevant insights for age-sensitive and regionally differentiated urban planning.