Understanding residential relocation satisfaction and intention in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

With the deepening of housing reform, housing mobility in urban China is on the rise. Extant studies on relocation satisfaction and relocation intention pay much attention on rural to urban relocation. Yet little is known about intra-urban relocation in Chinese cities. This study attempts to fill this void by offering an updated and nuanced analysis of intra-urban relocation and unraveling the complex mechanism and outcomes of residential mobility in post-reform urban China. Based on a questionnaire survey in three types of neighborhoods representative of the dominant residential patterns in contemporary Chinese cities, namely traditional inner city neighborhood, urban villages and commodity housing estates, this paper examines the determinants of relocation satisfaction and relocation intention of local residents. Results from linear regression and multivariate logistic regression models show that relocation satisfaction in the three types of residential neighborhoods are influenced by different factors, but generally shaped by community attachment and housing facilities; meanwhile, residential satisfaction is negatively associated with residential time, while positively related to the average cost of housing management. Relocation intention is generated by a combined effect of various factors, and varies in different residential neighborhoods. In traditional inner city neighborhoods, residents are less likely to develop relocation intention, and their satisfaction level goes down with the age of the housing estates. The situation is slightly different in urban villages, where residents with weak sense of community prefer to relocate. The diversified determinants of relocation intention in the three types of neighborhood are by no means sporadic. They are in fact closely related to the demographic composition, build environment, and development history of the neighborhood. This study offers a multilayer explanation to existing understanding of intra-urban relocation which tends to provide singular explanation either concentrating on socioeconomic indicators or neighborhood sentiments, or life course.