The time allocation and spatio-temporal structure of the activities of migrants in 'village in city’: Surveys in five 'villages in city&rsquo|in Beijing

Abstract

Since the 1900s,the research of human geography has changed from macro to micro perspective.Time-geography,which was born during the late 1960s,provides an effective tool for the micro-research.During the last several decades,the theory and research method of time-geography has been deeply developed.As an important part of time-geography,the research of spatio-temporal structure of daily activities has made great progress,with the trend of classified individual research.At the same time,as the special phenomenon during the development of the city,'village in city' has been paid more and more attention by the government,scholars and so on.Thus,the study on the migrant,which is the main body of population in 'village in city',is significant for the transformation of 'village in city'.What is more,the study can also provide references for analyses of the spatio-temporal structure of daily activities from the classified individual research with questionnaire survey. Based on the questionnaire surveys in five 'villages in city' in Beijing,the article analyzes the characteristics of time allocation and spatio-temporal structure of the activities of migrants in 'village in city' through the individual perspective.The conclusion can be drawn as follows.First,work is the dominating activity on weekdays and has restrictive function on other activities,while recreation is the dominating activity on weekends.Thus,gender differences are significant in characteristics of time allocation.Second,many characteristics are consistent between men and women on the spatio-temporal structure of the activities of migrants in 'village in city' on weekdays and weekends.Third,as to the time allocation of the activities of migrants in 'village in city',most time is spent at home on weekends.Fourth,the people take most recreation activities in the evening and make a busy hour.Fifth,as to the gender differences,men spend more time on recreation activities outside while women spend more time on housework,especially,men's trip distance is greater than women's.The conclusions can be useful for the policy making of 'villages in city' and it can provide fundamental materials for the further study on urban spatio-temporal structure and urban planning through the analysis of the regularity of individual activities.