Analysing housing preferences with decision plan nets

In this paper we evaluate a method of analysing housing preferences that is, in our opinion, a useful addition to more traditional approaches to housing research. This method, called the Decision Plan Net (DPN), reveals which characteristics of dwellings, residential environments and locations the respondents have weighed before making a definite choice. With a DPN we can determine which characteristics are more important and which are less so. We can also identify characteristics that could be compensated by other ones. A DPN allows us to conclude which housing alternatives are not taken into consideration, and which alternatives might be feasible for a respondent under certain circumstances. In other words, a DPN may provide deeper insight in the final decision of the housing consumer. It is suggested to incorporate DPN‐like structures in more traditional methods of measuring housing preferences.