The alternative housing portal

Spatial Analysis Blok 1, 2007

University of Copenhagen
Department of Geography and Geology

Thomas Andersen (exam no. 15) and Sabrina Rothausen (exam no. 1)
Supervisor: Thomas Balstrøm
The alternative housing portal Spatial Analysis 2007

Background
Copenhagen is a centre for workplaces occupying over 400.000 persons just in the city and around
further 310.000 persons in the environs, which overall is proportional to 26 % of the Danish labour
force (Statistikbanken). As other European capitals, the square meter prices in Copenhagen are
some of the highest in the country. The average price for houses in Copenhagen is 27.000kr/m2,
which is approximately the double of the country average (Realkreditrådet). Consequently, the
housing market in the city is very expensive and hard to get in on. Especially for first time buyers
and families, it can be extremely difficult to find a house or apartment in Copenhagen with enough
space to an affordable price. Within the last 6 years a rising degree of people have been moving
away from Copenhagen choosing alternative housing on Sealand and in Malmo (Politiken). Many
settle down outside the Copenhagen area to get lower prices, more space, and surrounding nature,
while people at the same time often do not want to loose the advantages of living in a city. The
biggest challenge is finding a place to live outside the city without loosing easy access to good
infrastructure and services. When buying a house/apartment the location is of great importance. At
the moment most of the real estate market only provide information about the house but have
deficient information on the surrounding area and distance to services and nature. The area the
house is located in can be unknown to the buyer wherefore a simple illustration of the facilities of
the area is needed. What if a potential house buyer could quickly and easily locate areas matching
preferences indicated by the buyer himself?

Objective
This paper will illustrate how several factors relevant for choosing a house can be collected in a
database and through spatial analysis help find the optimal place to live. The goal is to create an
alternative housing portal where people can search for places to live outside Copenhagen. It should
in practice work as a homepage available for all. The portal is aimed at people working in
Copenhagen and commuting every day. It will provide the tools for locating areas and houses of
interest for the buyer. Different factors are specified in the portal and can be valuated by the user,
working in such a way that potential house buyers give in their preferences for acceptable distances
to the centre of Copenhagen and to other services. The areas complying with the certain specified
criteria are then pointed out. Within these areas the houses for sale are shown and various pieces of
information about the houses will be given in tables. Next step is then to set up search criteria for
the home. The final result also contains information about the distance to different nature types. The

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output will be presented as a map showing houses for sale where the nearness of nature in the areas
of interest can be displayed after request.

Software and Data

The software used for this spatial analysis is ESRI’ ArcGIS 9.1 – ArcView and Spatial Analyst
extension. The GIS application Model Builder is used for creating the flow of analyzing processes
giving the result. Further, Network Analyst has been used for defining test- and service areas. The
data used is shown in the Table 1. Most of the data is vector data except the nature layer that are in
grid files (raster).

Table 1: Applied data

Data Feature Source

Danish Square net - raster Cells University of Copenhagen
Road network - vejnet_dk Lines University of Copenhagen
CPH_C Points Digitized
Stations Points University of Copenhagen
Schools Points Geomatic aps – CVR register
Shopping Points Geomatic aps – CVR register
Homes for sale Points Boligtorvet
Nature: woods, ocean, lake, Polygon KMS - TOP10DK
beach with rescue equipment Converted into raster

The road network data, from which the service areas are created, contains information of road type,
speed limits, and one-way streets. This makes it possible to calculate the real travel distance by car
to the city centre. The housing data shows the location of houses/apartments for sale with attached
information about cash price, address, house/ground area, number of rooms, and construction year.
This data is acquired from a national housing portal called “Boligtorvet” that among other things
provides an overview of all house and apartments for sale in Denmark.

Because of limited time, we have made the assumption that the raw data and the created data inputs
are accurate and valid for our model. If we have had the time, the data should have been tested and
verified continuously throughout the process of making and running the model.

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Method
The alternative housing portal is meant to be running as a homepage where users can find houses
and apartments of interest online. We have therefore chosen primary to work with simple vector
data and a delimited test area. Large amounts of raster data require more storage capacity than
vector, which could limit the accessibility for users and reduce the speed for getting a result.
Especially, more data layers or an expansion of the test area would take up more computer space
and thereby increase the expenses for the model (Longley et al. 2005;181-186). Additionally, vector
data is good for this type of model because input data is based on merged service areas, which
contain a limited amount of polygons. The size of the data is then relatively small, which makes it
fast to work with.
As mentioned above network analyst is used to identify firstly; the test area, secondly; the service
areas. With the help of linear referencing these areas can be pointed out within a specified distance
from the chosen origin(s) (Longley et al. 2005;188). Access to nature is represented as layers of
raster data. Raster is chosen to give a simpler grid structure e.g. with the usage of scales.
Furthermore, it will not slow down the operation of the model because the data is not used as input
in the analysis but only for visualizing (Longley et al. 2005;181).

The model for finding alternative areas to live outside Copenhagen is created in Model Builder.
With this application it is possible to create, edit, and manage GIS models by specifying input data,
the functions to be used, and the output data. It is also possible to have a changing parameter, which
is essential in this model because the distance to certain areas is specified by the user (ESRI 2007).
The tools used in the model are selection and clip, which are relatively easily operating functions.
The selection function extracts features from an input layer and stores them in a new output. The
selection in this model is based on a Structured Query Language (SQL) expression. SQL may be
used directly via an interactive command line interface (Longley et al. 2005;225), working as a
statement or expression that command the database to perform a function. It could for example be a
selection of houses over (>) 100 sqm. In this model data manipulating language is mainly used. The
clip function cuts out a piece of a feature using one or more of the features as overlay (see figure 1).
In this model it is a very useful function because most the output dataset can be preformed as clips
of the specified service areas. Moreover, the clip function is a simple procedure which makes it fast.
This is important since these functions are meant to be active (should be defined by the users) while
offering quick operating.

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Figure 1: Illustration of the clip function (ESRI 2007)

Analysis
The first step was choosing a test area for running our model. We choose only to work with the area
of a 70km travel distance from Copenhagen central station to limit the amount of data. This area is
also within the most attractive distance to live outside Copenhagen when commuting. The test area
was identified through Network Analyst and is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Test area

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The data on infrastructure was prepared for the model. In Network Analyst service areas were
created by loading all the points of interest to the application. From these points distance intervals
were set and drawn as polygons. The polygons from all the service areas were exported to a new
shape-file, which is used in the model. Table 2 describes the type of points and defined intervals of
the points of interest. Figure 3 shows an example of a service area in this case shopping. All the
supermarkets in the test area are presented as points. Every point has 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 km service
areas, shown as lines creating polygons, around it. If any of the service area overlaps, the polygons
are merged together.

Table 2: Service areas created in Network Analyst

Point of interest Type Intervals

CPH_C Central Station 5,10,20,30,40,50,60,70 km
Stations IC-, Re-, S-, and Metro-train 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 km
Schools Elementary 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 km
Shopping Supermarket 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 km

Figure 3: Example of a service area (shopping)

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Data on houses and apartments for sale on Sealand was lent to us by Boligtorvet; this data contains
the basic real estate information such as address, price, number of rooms etc. For loading this file
into GIS we had to geo-code the addresses in X-point (program available at Geomatic aps) for
assigning them with X and Y position. Once the geo-coding was executed the tabular file was
loaded into ArcMap with the help of the add XY data tool in ArcMap. Finally, the file was exported
to a shape-file.

Model 1 – Locate homes in areas of interest

The next step was to create a model that could locate homes for sale in the area of a given interest.
The service areas were loaded to Model Builder and the select and clip functions were applied.
Annex 1 shows the complete model as a flowchart. The preferred maximum distance to the different
services are then meant to be specified by the user. In the flowchart parameters that can be applied
by the user are shown in a light blue colour. The service layers are continuously clipped together
and the output will be houses/apartments within the areas of interest.

Figure 4: Example of selection in Model 1

Figure 4 shows an example of the selection in Model 1. The distance to areas of interest (km) can be
specified in the fields. The expressions are simple SQL statements that select areas with a maximum
distance to Copenhagen Central, train stations, schools and shopping. If the distance to one of the
areas does not matter, the statement can be deleted and will not have any influence on the output.
When the distances have been specified, the model will run the selection and the clips. The last clip
is in the layer with all the houses and apartments for sale. The final output is the areas of interest,
wherein the houses and apartments for sale are shown as points.

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Model 2 – Specify criteria for the home

This model will help the user in closing in on the houses of interest by specifying certain factors
about the home. The model is exclusively using the select function with the parameters listed below

• Price: max kr
• Size: min sqm
• Rooms: min number
• Age of house: max age (calculated from construction/restoration year)

Annex 2 shows the flowchart of model 2. After executing the model only houses/apartments that
apply the choices/wishes of the user in the areas of interest will be shown.

Figure 5: Example of selection in Model 2

Figure 5 shows an example of selection in Model 2. The parameters of importance for finding a
house or apartment, in the area of interest, can be specified in model 2. When all the parameters are
specified, the model selects and shows all the houses and apartments within the specified criteria in
the area of interest.

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The nature factors

The distance to nature can be displayed as background on the output. Four nature types can be
showed – sea, lake, forest and beach with rescue equipment. These nature types will appear as raster
layers showing the distance in the form of a colour code. Low distances are coloured red and
orange, where a long distance to nature will appear blue on the map (a hot-cold scale). A legend
according to the nature types will indicate the scale of the colouring. Figure 6 demonstrates the test
area with the beach layer displayed. The layers can be clicked on and off after desire of the user.
This makes it straightforward for users to divide between nature types in case they e.g. prioritise
nearness of forest above other nature types.

Figure 6: Distance to different nature types

The total search system with both models is attached as a CD-Rom and Annex 3 is a guide in how
to run the search.

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Results
The purpose of the alternative housing portal is to gather all factors that could influence on the
choice of place to live, on a web-based portal. ArcMap should be seen as an Internet browser where
the homepage of the housing portal is open to all. The search options are illustrated by the models
in ArcToolbox and the layers in the left part of the figure are the nature types, which users can click
on and off to see the distance to certain nature themes. The map to the right visualizes the results of
the search using the models. Figure 7 shows an example of a search on the “webpage”. The distance
parameters input for this specific search was:
• CPH C <= 10 km • Schools <= 3 km
• Stations <= 1 km • Shopping <= 1 km

Figure 7: Example of a search on the alternative housing portal (Model 1)

The figure shows the output of the search where the area of interest is the brown layer and the
houses/apartments of interest are the points. There are 3695 houses and apartments within these
specific search criteria. Some of these homes are shown in the attribute table (Figure 8).

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Figure 8: Attribute table of a specific search

Figure 9: Example of a specific search on the alternative housing portal (Model 2)

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For reducing the number of houses/apartments the user can specific criteria for these by using the
second model. An example on a search is shown in Figure 9. The input parameters here were:
• Price <= 2 million kr
• Size >= 70 sqm
• Number of rooms >= 3
• Age of house – expression was deleted because it did not matter

The output of this more specific search is 85 houses and apartments. So by running Model 2, the
number decreases considerably and helps the users to find the right house/apartment in areas of
interest.

Discussion
The alternative housing portal offers a new approach in the search for a place to live. Here several
factors are gathered in one database. Infrastructure, services in the area, the home and nearness of
nature are all factors that influence on the choice of place to live. By joining all these variables in a
single portal the search for a new house/apartment can be more efficient and focused. At the same
time the search builds on an individual valuation of the different factors, which shapes the result
after the users own personal preferences. In the design of the models and the layout output, we have
considered the importance of a simple, well-arranged application that is easy and fast operating.
This is significant if the portal should work as a homepage. On top of that it is uncomplicated to
update the data for the home to current houses for sale.

There are ways to improve or expand the portal. The selected nature types do of course not
represent all types of nature, but gives a good picture of the nearness of the most common nature
types. Landscape topography and the slope of the site are also factors that would influence on the
amenity value of an area. South-facing gardens or a great view over the surroundings could increase
the amenity value considerably. Although, amenity value has great importance, a representation of
it would demand great amounts of data and processing of this. A way to do it in a housing portal
like this could be as a weighted average in raster cells between the different natural amenities. This
would be very difficult to calculate because; firstly, there are many factors to be considered.
Secondly, it is hard to make an objective valuation of subjective things such as forest or a view.
Thirdly, when we tested the weighted average function on our data it seemed to run slow, so if the

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function should run online it had to be optimized quite a bit. However, the amenity value has a huge
impact on the price of a house.

Beside the nature factors that can have a positive effect on the house prices, there are also features
that can have a negative effect. These are environmental issues such as;
• soil and air pollution
• noise from big roads, windmills or airports
• industry
• waste disposal site or waste water treatment plant

Alternatively, a weighted average of the amenity value should include these negative factors. This
would complicate the calculation and data processing further, but could be of great importance for
the buyers.

At other housing portals demographic factors for the neighbourhood area are shown when searching
for houses. Here data concerning the age distribution or the average income or education levels and
other demographic factors are available for the user to study. These factors could be displayed as
raster layer similar to the nature factors. The frequency of crime and types of crime in an area are
also factors that might be interesting to consider displaying.
On this type of portal where travel distance and distance to services is of great importance the most
obvious thing to incorporate is travel time, both with personal and public transportation. Users
could then specify a more precise timeframe in which they would be willing to travel per day. At
the homepage www.rejseplanen.dk users can calculate travel time for travelling with public
transportation when the addresses from and to are given. If this system with specific addresses and
public transport could be incorporated, it would be a big asset for the model. The model could then
give more exact distances (address to address) which would have a wider focus than on the people
with a car.

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Conclusion
In this project we have created an alternative housing portal for people looking for a place to live
within the range of Copenhagen. We have managed to collect various important factors influencing
on the choice of home. The models have shown to be well functioning and fast in the process of
helping people find houses/apartments in areas of their interest. Therefore, we can conclude that
Model Builder with the right data can be a very useful tool for creating a model (portal) for people
searching for a new home.
Furthermore, we can conclude that the model is dependent on the amount of data available.
The more data available, the more specific and aimed toward the individual user, the output can be.

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References

¾ Longley, P.A. et al (2005): Geographic Information Systems and Science. 2nd Ed., Wiley.

¾ ESRI (2007): ArcGIS Desktop Help

http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.1/index.cfm?TopicName=welcome

¾ Politiken: Middelklassen flygter fra København (4.4.2007)

http://politiken.dk/erhverv/article278763.ece

¾ Realkreditrådet: www.realkreditraadet.dk

¾ Statistikbanken: www.statistikbanken.dk

Data

¾ Boligtorvet

¾ Geomatic aps

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