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Do rural migrants ‘float’ in urban China? Neighbouring and neighbourhood sentiment in Beijing

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Listed:
  • Fulong Wu

    (University College London, UK)

  • John Logan

    (Brown University, USA)

Abstract

Urban China reached 50% of the nation’s population by 2010, mainly as a result of massive rural–urban migration. There is substantial evidence of their social marginality in terms of occupational and housing opportunities. Here we ask about their incorporation into the neighbourhoods where they live. Rural migrants are called the ‘floating population’ in China, suggesting that their residence in the city is only temporary and that they are unlikely to develop strong local ties. This study contrasts the neighbourhood socialising of migrant tenants with that of urban homeowners who were born in the city. It draws on original survey research in Beijing that included questions on relations with neighbours and neighbourhood sentiment. It is found that migrants are more likely to engage in socialising and exchange of help with neighbours, and consequently their neighbouring helps strengthen their sentiment towards the neighbourhoods where they live. It is argued that contemporary social changes – including rising education and homeownership – may actually reduce neighbouring, while rural migrants’ marginality makes them more dependent on their local social network.

Suggested Citation

  • Fulong Wu & John Logan, 2016. "Do rural migrants ‘float’ in urban China? Neighbouring and neighbourhood sentiment in Beijing," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(14), pages 2973-2990, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:53:y:2016:i:14:p:2973-2990
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098015598745
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fulong Wu & Shenjing He, 2005. "Changes In Traditional Urban Areas And Impacts Of Urban Redevelopment: A Case Study Of Three Neighbourhoods In Nanjing, China," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 96(1), pages 75-95, February.
    2. Leslie Shieh & John Friedmann, 2008. "Restructuring urban governance," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 183-195, July.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Shen, Yue & Luo, Xueyao, 2023. "Linking spatial and temporal contexts to multi-contextual segregation by hukou status in urban China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    3. Huimin Du & Si-ming Li & Pu Hao, 2018. "‘Anyway, you are an outsider’: Temporary migrants in urban China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 55(14), pages 3185-3201, November.
    4. Jaap Nieuwenhuis & Xinyi Shen, 2023. "The effect of meeting opportunities on local urban residents’ prejudice against migrant children in China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(5), pages 847-868, April.
    5. Sanqin Mao & Jie Chen, 2021. "Residential Mobility and Post-Move Community Satisfaction: Empirical Evidence from Guangzhou, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, July.
    6. Shenjing He & Junxi Qian, 2017. "From an emerging market to a multifaceted urban society: Urban China studies," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(4), pages 827-846, March.
    7. Si-ming Li & Sanqin Mao & Huimin Du, 2019. "Residential mobility and neighbourhood attachment in Guangzhou, China," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(3), pages 761-780, May.
    8. Zheng Wang & Fangzhu Zhang & Fulong Wu, 2020. "The contribution of intergroup neighbouring to community participation: Evidence from Shanghai," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(6), pages 1224-1242, May.
    9. Yang, Chen & Qian, Zhu, 2022. "The complexity of property rights embedded in the rural-to-urban resettlement of China: A case of Hangzhou," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    10. Qingjun Zhao & Meijing Song & Hanrui Wang, 2022. "Voting with Your Feet: The Impact of Urban Public Health Service Accessibility on the Permanent Migration Intentions of Rural Migrants in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-20, November.
    11. Xue Zhang & Yifan Tang & Yanwei Chai, 2023. "Spatiotemporal-Behavior-Based Microsegregation and Differentiated Community Ties of Residents with Different Types of Housing in Mixed-Housing Neighborhoods: A Case Study of Fuzhou, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-23, August.
    12. Fulong Wu, 2020. "Adding new narratives to the urban imagination: An introduction to ‘New directions of urban studies in China’," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(3), pages 459-472, February.
    13. Qirui Li, 2020. "Resilience Thinking as a System Approach to Promote China’s Sustainability Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-27, June.
    14. Weiming Tong & Kevin Lo, 2021. "Back to the Countryside: Rural Development and the Spatial Patterns of Population Migration in Zhejiang, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, August.
    15. Yu Chen & Yunxiao Dang & Guanpeng Dong, 2020. "An investigation of migrants’ residential satisfaction in Beijing," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(3), pages 563-582, February.
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    17. Zhilin Liu & Yiming Tan & Yanwei Chai, 2020. "Neighbourhood-scale public spaces, inter-group attitudes and migrant integration in Beijing, China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(12), pages 2491-2509, September.

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