Mobility is in the eye of the beholder: A comparison of travel patterns and urban spatial use between migrants and the original residents of Danang, Vietnam

Abstract

The development of an arterial road named the Nguyen Tat Thanh Road along the Danang Bay in Vietnam shows how changes in mobility can influence the transformation of the urban landscape in a formerly residential neighborhood. The road opened along the coastal lines of the city in 2003. In this study, approximately 460 residents, including migrants who moved to the area after the road development and the original residents who live near the road, were interviewed. The survey was designed to identify the travel routes, mode of transportation, and location of jobs, shopping, leisure, education, and religious activities of residents before and after the road development. The research found that the original residents endured longer commutes than the migrants, which was associated with a greater dispersion of jobs after the road development. Compared to the original residents, migrants often lived in a newly available parcel close to the new road and formed a mixed use community with a good jobs-housing balance. However, migrants traveled farther to non-job-related destinations. For the use of urban space, the original residents attempted to improve the quality of their daily lives through small-scale transformations of privately owned outdoor spaces, which were often shared by their neighbors and other family members. Migrants largely contributed to the formation of commercialized streets that were scattered with fairly large accommodations and high-end residential buildings.