Abstract
Massive and rapid urbanization has led to population loss in rural areas, particularly in emerging and developing countries like China. As a result, houses in rural areas become vacant, and the house prices in cities, at the same time, skyrocket. While the research on the vacant farmhouses market (VFM) is a pressing issue for sustainable urbanization and has profound policy implications in China, few empirical studies have been conducted on analyzing the willingness of house owners and urban residents to participate in the VFM and any influencing factors—as there is no such operating market in China. To bridge the research gap, we first conducted a questionnaire-based survey on rural households and urban residents with a random sampling method in six cities in Sichuan Province, China. A total of 571 valid samples, including 284 rural households and 287 urban residents, were obtained. Based on these survey data, we then used logistic regression to estimate the influencing factors on the willingness of house owners and urban residents in renting in/out or selling/buying vacant farmhouses. The results showed that: (1) more than 60% of rural house owners and urban residents are willing to participate in a potential VFM; (2) the main influencing factors of house owners’ willingness to rent out or sell their houses include the sociodemographic characteristics of farmers (e.g., age, household income) and characteristics of the vacant houses (e.g., distance to the main roads, the status of vacant houses), while the major factors that affect the willingness of urban residents to rent in or purchase vacant rural houses are the sociodemographic characteristics of urban residents themselves (e.g., occupation), the status of the potential houses, and the perceived housing market; (3) most farmers want a regulated platform for the vacant farmhouses; urban residents pay more attention to the good natural environment in rural areas and the infrastructure and public service levels of vacant farmhouses in rural areas. This study thus showed the necessity, feasibility, and potential challenges and barriers involved in establishing a VFM in China.
Highlights
Fast economic development is often accompanied by rapid urbanization or rural-urban migration in developing countries
The willingness of house owners to participate in vacant farmhouses market (VFM) is very strong—63% of the
The willingness of house owners to participate in VFM is very strong—63% of the house owners interviewed expressed a willingness to sell/rent out vacant houses
Summary
Fast economic development is often accompanied by rapid urbanization or rural-urban migration in developing countries. Massive numbers of rural residents migrate into large and coastal cities [4,5,6]. Most of these people work and live in cities, even without holding an urban hukou (a residential registration system in China), while leaving rural homesteads in the countryside. Congested traffic, skyrocketing housing prices, and a shortage of public services (e.g., schools, hospitals) are causing adverse impacts on the welfare of urban residents. These phenomena are prevalent throughout the world, especially in fast-developing countries like China
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