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Changes in the Structure of Public Housing Provision in Urban China

Author

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  • Fulong Wu

    (Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Wales College of Cardiff, P.O. Box 906, Cardiff, CF1 3YN, Wales, UK. WUF@cfac.uk)

Abstract

Housing provision in a socialist country is generally characterised by the dominance of public housing. However, provision of public housing is a complicated process, which involves various social agencies. In the case of China, the simple notion of 'state provision' covers huge differences between municipally-managed and work-unit housing. The lack of understanding in the structure of public housing provision has led to unsuccessful efforts in promoting the 'commercialisation' of housing in recent years. This paper, adopting a perspective of structure of housing provision (SHP), attempts to examine the changes in public-sector housing in China and to reveal the critical role of state work-units in the SHP. Housing reform has led to some significant changes in the SHP. The transformation, however, is far from a process of commercialisation or privatisation of public housing stock. On the production side, work-units do withdraw themselves from direct involvement in housing construction. However, on the consumption side, the low incomes of state workers, due to the political economy, have forced the work-unit system to remain as an indispensable part of the SHP. The increasing role played by state work-units shows the contradiction embedded in a socialist market economy—i.e. the reproduction of labour through market mechanisms and the persistence of public ownership of production. The changes certainly have profound implications for the nation's urban development and urban spatial structure.

Suggested Citation

  • Fulong Wu, 1996. "Changes in the Structure of Public Housing Provision in Urban China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 33(9), pages 1601-1627, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:33:y:1996:i:9:p:1601-1627
    DOI: 10.1080/0042098966529
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lim, Gill-Chin & Lee, Man-Hyung, 1993. "Housing Consumption in Urban China," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 89-102, January.
    2. Renaud, B., 1991. "Housing reform in socialist economies," World Bank - Discussion Papers 125, World Bank.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Shijun Jia & Yourong Wang & Gang-Zhi Fan, 2018. "Home-Purchase Limits and Housing Prices: Evidence from China," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 386-409, April.
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    5. Zhao Zhang & Niamh Moore-Cherry & Declan Redmond, 2018. "A Crisis of Crisis Management? Evaluating Post-2010 Housing Restructuring in Nanjing, China," Housing Policy Debate, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 29-49, January.
    6. Zhao, Pengjun & Lü, Bin & Roo, Gert de, 2011. "Impact of the jobs-housing balance on urban commuting in Beijing in the transformation era," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 59-69.
    7. Zhao, Pengjun & Lu, Bin, 2010. "Exploring job accessibility in the transformation context: an institutionalist approach and its application in Beijing," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 393-401.
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    9. Ali Cheshmehzangi, 2018. "The Changing Urban Landscape of Chinese Cities: Positive and Negative Impacts of Urban Design Controls on Contemporary Urban Housing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, August.
    10. Chen, Jie, 2016. "Housing System and Urbanization in the People’s Republic of China," ADBI Working Papers 602, Asian Development Bank Institute.

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