From “spatial bond” to “spatial mismatch”: An assessment of changing jobs–housing relationship in Beijing

Abstract

For decades through the 1980s, housing units in major Chinese cities were “bonded” to jobs as they were located together with or very close to places of employment within large, walled danwei compounds. From the 1990s, accelerated suburbanization of population in major Chinese cities fueled by urban redevelopment, urban land reform and urban housing reform has fundamentally altered the jobs–housing spatial relation. The “spatial bond” that existed between urban jobs and urban housing for decades has dissolved and is being replaced by a prominent “spatial mismatch” when the jobs–housing relationship becomes increasingly imbalanced in space. This paper examines the new jobs–housing imbalance by assessing the extent of employment–residence spatial mismatch in Beijing. This analysis based on statistical data shows that the spatial imbalance between employment and population has become increasingly pronounced over time across urban districts. It is especially evident in the inner city where the loss of residents continues and the concentration of employment persists. The analysis of survey data, which focuses on people’s commuting patterns and travel behaviors, also provides strong evidence of spatial imbalance. Meanwhile, it reveals some of the impacts on job accessibility and other aspects of urban life. This study contributes to the understanding of how suburbanization has been unfolding in major Chinese cities and how it has been transforming urban development and urban life. It also adds to the understanding of the spatial dynamics of employment–housing relationship based on Beijing’s experience and sheds lights on the multifarious nature of the spatial mismatch problem.