Community attachment among residents living in public and commodity housing in China

Abstract

Since China’s housing reform, increasing attention has been paid to public housing. While the quantity of public housing units is increasing, residents’ attachment to the community remains underexplored. This study evaluates the social dimension of public housing from the perspective of community attachment in Guangzhou, China. We use a mixed methods approach to examine what factors influence community attachment in both public and commodity housing communities. We first analyse quantitative data (N = 344) collected from four public housing and commodity housing communities in Guangzhou using confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical regression, and moderation analysis. Results show that housing type has no significant effect on community attachment. Housing type moderates the relationship between community ties, perceived public services, and community attachment, whereas community ties and perceived public services are positively associated with community attachment only for commodity housing residents. Qualitative data from 21 semi-structured interviews are then used to explain the quantitative results. Our findings support the rationality of the public housing strategy in China from the perspective of community attachment. We also argue that community attachment must be analysed in a contextualized approach.