Group Spatial Preferences of Residential Locations—Simplified Method Based on Crowdsourced Spatial Data and MCDA

Residential location preferences illustrate how the attractiveness of particular neighbourhoods is perceived and indicate what improves or lowers the comfort of life in a city according to its residents. This research analyses the residential preferences of students who were asked to indicate their most preferred residential locations and to define their selection criteria. The study was conducted in two phases: in 2019, before the outbreak of the pandemic, and in 2020 during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. The methodology of spatial multi-criteria analyses and the developed simplified approach to determining collective preferences from crowdsourced data FCPR (first criteria partial ranking) were used to analyse the preferences. The following research questions were asked: (1) whether the developed simplified FCPR methodology would provide results similar to the methods currently used to determine group weightings of criteria; (2) what spatial aspects were important for the students when choosing where to live, and (3) whether these aspects change in the face of the pandemic. The results obtained confirmed the effectiveness of the simplified approach. They indicated a significant relationship between an efficient public transport system and residence preferences, even with prolonged distance learning. They also showed the increased importance of location close to family or friends in the face of the pandemic. Only a combined analysis of the preferences expressed both in the form of a ranking of criteria and directly indicated locations provides complete information.