Understanding job-housing relationship and commuting pattern in Chinese cities: Past, present and future

Abstract

There are debates about whether job-housing balance and short commuting distances could be achieved through government intervention in Western countries. However, few studies have been carried out in developing context. The present study aims to fill in this knowledge vacuum by studying how China’s changing socio-spatial context, particularly the spatial ideas of danwei, influences job-housing relationships and commuting patterns from a historical perspective. The results clearly show that the dominant trend in commuting patterns in Chinese cities has changed from intra-danwei commuting before 1978 to reverse commuting from the city center to the inner suburbs in 1978–1998, to long-distance suburb-to-city commuting since 1998. The findings suggest that government intervention could be helpful in achieving shorter commute in China, and that urban planning and policy that promote mixed land-use and job-housing balance should be considered. Some limitations of government intervention are also discussed.