Attractiveness of the city center as a place to live in: A case of families with children in Sandnes

Abstract

In recent years, Sandnes and its city region have experienced tremendous population growth. However, this growth has been accommodated by a more suburban development pattern where the growth is mainly taking place outside the existing urban mass. In combination with shopping center development, and economic growth in business districts outside the city center, these development trends weaken the livability of the city center. To try to counter this development path, current policies have progressively put more focus on facilitating the city center for families with children, but little is known about what makes a place attractive to live in for families with children. As an attempt to answer the problem, this thesis explores the preferences of this target group and the qualities that they perceive as attractive, in the context of Sandnes, Norway. Four supporting questions were developed to answer the main research questions: "How can Sandnes city center be made more attractive to live in for families with children?". The empirical findings were generated through a survey of families with children in Sandnes, as well as in-depth interviews of planning, development, and real estate professionals.