The determinants of the commuting burden of low-income workers: evidence from Beijing

The commuting burdens of disadvantaged groups have recently become a renewed topic of concern with social inequities and just city. It is widely believed that social restrictions and individual’s self-etermined actions become more important determinants of low-income workers’ commuting costs than spatial constraints. However, it is doubtable to recognise the belief as a ‘universal’ truth since the evidences for this are still fragmented and particularly are dominated by cases from the Western-developed countries. This paper reports on an initial investigation into low-income workers’ commuting burden and its determinants in a rapidly developing city, looking at the case of Beijing. Spatial constraints caused by uncontrolled urban sprawl, an insufficiency of affordable housing and lower levels of public transport services are still major factors leading to additional commuting time for low-income workers, in particular, for those who travel by public transit. Individuals’ preferences for housing have effects on low-income workers’ commuting times. For the car users, the effects are greater than that spatial constraints have. However, a preference for greater proximity to the workplace rather than a better quality living environment in a community has a significant influence on low-income workers’ commuting times. It suggests the basic need for housing and jobs explains the greater commuting burden on low-income workers. Thus, today’s commuting burden in China for low-income workers could be generally understood by social–spatial structure rather than social–cultural forces. But it seems that the impacts of individual’s self-determined actions on commuting burden will increase in the context of individualisation of the society in China.