A spatial analysis of housing prices in Chinese coastal cities, a case study of the city of Xiamen, China

Abstract

This paper used geostatistics and spatial analysis functions in GIS to investigate the spatial variation in housing prices in Xiamen Island (a typical coastal city in China). The authors found that: 1.) The spatial distribution is not evenly balanced and the house prices in the southwest, east and northeast areas are high, while the north and south areas are low. 2. ) The spatial distribution of housing price is scattered and non-continuous, which is different with other inland cities. 3.) The spatial distribution of housing prices for Xiamen Island is single centered and a double center is beginning to form. 4.) The edge effect of a coastal city, public service facility allocation, urban development history, and urban planning are the main reasons affecting the spatial variation of housing prices in Xiamen Island.