Compensation or cosmopolitan attitudes: Explaining leisure travel of Nordic urbanites

Czepkiewicz, Michał; Klaas, Valentina; Heinonen, Jukka

doi:10.1016/j.tbs.2020.06.002

Cited by 12 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…The study identifies potential areas of improvement for the theoretical framing. The results of the study expand on recent quantitative studies conducted in Reykjavik (e.g., Czepkiewicz et al, 2019Czepkiewicz et al, , 2020aCzepkiewicz et al, , 2020bCzepkiewicz et al, , 2020c) by providing a more nuanced understanding of the travel motivations of Reykjavik urbanites, and uncovering more kinds of causal connections between residential location, the built environment, and long-distance travel.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Ottelin et al (2014Ottelin et al ( , 2017 further connect reduced car ownership with higher levels of air mobility among middle-income groups of Finnish urbanites and suggest focusing on reducing driving rather than car ownership in urban policies. Conversely, Czepkiewicz et al (2019Czepkiewicz et al ( , 2020b found that high rates of air mobility occur particularly among those who drive the most, concluding that the proposed monetary rebound effect is not visible in aggregate travel patterns in this highly affluent locality. Existing qualitative studies conducted in the Icelandic context did not observe shifts in spending between car ownership and flights but pointed to the existence of similar trade-offs in daily consumption and housing costs (Czepkiewicz et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Monetary Rebound Effectmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Higher urban density and living in a larger city have been related to higher rates of second home access (Große, Fertner, & Carstensen, 2019) or use (Strandell & Hall, 2015), but other similar studies did not find such association (Naess, 2006). Access to a private garden and local area density have been associated with less frequent long-distance travel for leisure purposes (Czepkiewicz et al, 2020b;Holden & Norland, 2005) but the studies have been ambiguous in attributing it to compensatory behavior. Recent studies also show a lack of connection between dissatisfaction with dwellings or residential neighborhoods and long-distance travel (Große et al, 2019).…”

Section: Compensation Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The deficiencies of the urban environment typically mentioned in this framing include a lack of nature in densely built cities and neighborhoods, and that the travel destinations facilitate contact with nature (Naess, 2006). Studies on the hypothesis have thus far been inconclusive (Czepkiewicz et al, 2020b;Maat & de Vries, 2006). There are clear examples of seeking nature and calmness as an important motivation of inner-city residents' travel, primarily to domestic destinations in qualitative studies (Czepkiewicz et al, 2020a;Naess, 2006) but quantitative studies show mixed results.…”

Section: Compensation Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study is based on 21 interviews with people aged 26-42 living in the Reykjavik Capital Region (Reykjavik) in Iceland, selected from voluntary respondents of a preceding survey (e.g., Czepkiewicz et al, 2019;Czepkiewicz, Heinonen, Árnadóttir, & Njeru, 2020c;Czepkiewicz, Heinonen, Naess, & Stefánsdóttir, 2020a;Czepkiewicz, Klaas, & Heinonen, 2020b). Iceland is an interesting subject for such a study because it is an island with air travel being the main mode of transport to any other country.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-Distance Travel and the Urban Environment: Results from a Qualitative Study in Reykjavik

Raudsepp

Árnadóttir

Czepkiewicz

et al. 2021

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A compact urban form has shown many benefits in efficiency. Yet multiple studies have found that residents of urban, dense, and centrally located areas travel more frequently than those living in suburbs, small towns, or the countryside. As air travel is already causing more emissions than ground transport in many affluent urban locations and is predicted to increase, this pattern could undermine efforts in climate change mitigation. Explanations of these patterns and motivations for long-distance travel connected to the built environment have been examined quantitatively before, but with inconclusive answers. We studied this topic qualitatively in Reykjavik, Iceland, offering an in-depth perspective through semi-structured interviews. Results showed various links between the urban environment and long-distance travel. Some indications of compensatory travel behavior emerged, particularly connected to a lack of quality green areas, hectic urban life, and commuting stress. Compensatory trips were typically domestic. Furthermore, residential preferences seemed connected to leisure travel preferences—living in green neighborhoods was connected to more domestic travel to nature. The results show there are more factors for ‘escape’ trips than urban density and lack of green spaces. Examples of car-free lifestyles hindering domestic leisure travel were also found. Our study shows how a qualitative approach offers nuanced insight into the travel motivations of urbanites. Considering our results and travel motivation literature, the compensation hypothesis appears to be an overly narrow theoretical framing. Our study supports the conclusion that planning policies should aim at reducing car-dependence. Further research is needed for specific policy recommendations.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 66%