Is Poverty Concentrated in Shanghai? Spatial Patterns in Social Housing and Their Implications for Social Equality in Chinese Cities

Abstract

It is of general concern how poverty concentrates in cities, due to its close association with social equality issues. This research explores this topic at a citywide level. Spatial data of social housing regarding 2008 to 2020 in Shanghai are utilized to examine how the concentration patterns for low-to-moderate-income groups have changed. Multiple methods including spatial autocorrelation analysis, location quotient (LQ), and Mann–Whitney U test were employed to assess the spatial distribution of, and concentration patterns in, social housing, as well as investigating whether the spatial distribution of urban resources was equitable for residents in social housing. We found that the low-to-moderate-income groups were previously concentrated at the boundary of central city and then gradually deconcentrated into a relatively even pattern. However, it is important to note that this process has not effectively facilitated social equality due to the unequitable distribution of urban resources. Consequently, we recommend that policy makers in developing countries pay particular attention to site selection for social housing and the distribution of urban amenities in the future.