Heterogeneous housing choice and residential mobility under housing reform in China: Evidence from Tianjin

Chinese cities have changed from an egalitarian work unit based residential system toward a diversified housing estate-based neighborhood system under market-oriented reform and housing commercialization. It is important to understand the dynamics of residential mobility and the emerging pattern of the diversified new urban residential neighborhoods in Chinese cities. In this study, we examined the heterogeneity of intra-city residential mobility that resulted from diversity in households' demographics and variety in housing and neighborhood features after China's urban housing reform. The analysis and discussion are based on data from a face-to-face household questionnaire survey conducted in Tianjin. Using the K-Prototype clustering method we identify eight interesting patterns of residential mobility, which vary in households' social demographics, change of housing size and value, residential location choice, etc. The heterogeneity of residential mobility reveals the process of residential diversification and education induced gentrification. Economic status is an important factor in explaining residential diversification, and variation of public and commercial resources attached to places or housing is a key subjective driver for relocation. Heterogeneous intra-city residential mobility is changing urban residential neighborhoods.