Gated Community and Housing Segregation: Empirical Evidence from Chongqing, China

Abstract

Researches on the gated community in Chinese cities have been growing very fast, but empirical studies are limited, especially those on the relationship between gated community and housing segregation. Three micro-districts in Chongqing are selected for the questionnaire survey. Retrospective questions are included to obtain information about the homeowners’ condition before moving into the gated communities, and then by comparing it with their current situation we can estimate the impact of the gated community on housing segregation. The survey found that, after moving into the gated communities, many homeowners’ familiarity with the neighbors and their contact with other people decreases. It is also found that homeowners’ participation in local public affairs decreases. This supports the view that gated community aggravates housing segregation. However, the survey also found that many homeowners feel the income differences among the neighbors increase and the changes of several types of their external activities don’t show a consistent pattern. All these evidence suggests a complex relationship between gated community and housing segregation in Chinese cities and the removal of danwei from the housing system affects people’s experience in the gated community.