IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i9p3243-d169089.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding the Living Conditions of Chinese Urban Neighborhoods through Social Infrastructure Configurations: The Case Study of Tianjin

Author

Listed:
  • Xuan Sun

    (Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
    Experimental Teaching Center of Applied Social Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China)

  • Weikai Wang

    (School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RS, UK)

  • Tao Sun

    (Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China)

  • Ya Ping Wang

    (School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RS, UK)

Abstract

Under the unprecedented wave of urbanization and pace of economic development, the living conditions of residents have been unevenly changed in Chinese cities. To understand the diversified living conditions in Chinese urban neighborhoods from the supply-side point of view, new spatial and residential data were gathered to investigate the social infrastructure configurations around the residential communities. Using Tianjin as a case study, the research focuses on six important categories of human needs: education, healthcare, leisure, culture, entertainment, and transportation. Based on the cumulative accessibility measurements of 25 types of facilities, the social infrastructure configurations within neighborhoods are statistically and spatially analyzed and compared. The study discovered that: (1) despite the great diversity of living conditions in the city, the neighborhoods that have better services and strong associations with entertainment and education are prominent; (2) the neighborhoods with advantageous living conditions in different aspects tend to cluster at different places; (3) the neighborhoods of different types of communities, belonging to different administrative districts, or in different urban zones, all have distinctive characteristics in living conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Xuan Sun & Weikai Wang & Tao Sun & Ya Ping Wang, 2018. "Understanding the Living Conditions of Chinese Urban Neighborhoods through Social Infrastructure Configurations: The Case Study of Tianjin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:9:p:3243-:d:169089
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3243/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/9/3243/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cecilia Bergstad & Amelie Gamble & Tommy Gärling & Olle Hagman & Merritt Polk & Dick Ettema & Margareta Friman & Lars Olsson, 2011. "Subjective well-being related to satisfaction with daily travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Wang, Donggen & Chai, Yanwei & Li, Fei, 2011. "Built environment diversities and activity–travel behaviour variations in Beijing, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1173-1186.
    3. David Brasington & Donald R. Haurin, 2006. "Educational Outcomes and House Values: A Test of the value added Approach," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 245-268, May.
    4. Jiang, Shiqing & Lu, Ming & Sato, Hiroshi, 2012. "Identity, Inequality, and Happiness: Evidence from Urban China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1190-1200.
    5. Cheng, Yang & Rosenberg, Mark W. & Wang, Wuyi & Yang, Linsheng & Li, Hairong, 2011. "Aging, health and place in residential care facilities in Beijing, China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(3), pages 365-372, February.
    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. Ranjan Ku Dash & Pravakar Sahoo, 2010. "Economic growth in India: the role of physical and social infrastructure," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 373-385.
    8. Cheng, Lin & Chen, Chen & Xiu, Chunliang, 2017. "Excess kindergarten travel in Changchun, Northeast China: A measure of residence-kindergarten spatial mismatch," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 208-216.
    9. Lin, Tao & Wang, Donggen & Guan, Xiaodong, 2017. "The built environment, travel attitude, and travel behavior: Residential self-selection or residential determination?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 111-122.
    10. Pan, Jay & Qin, Xuezheng & Li, Qian & Messina, Joseph P. & Delamater, Paul L., 2015. "Does hospital competition improve health care delivery in China?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 179-199.
    11. Delmelle, Elizabeth Cahill & Casas, Irene, 2012. "Evaluating the spatial equity of bus rapid transit-based accessibility patterns in a developing country: The case of Cali, Colombia," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 36-46.
    12. John Friedmann, 2007. "Reflections on Place and Place‐making in the Cities of China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 257-279, June.
    13. Matthew Roskruge & Arthur Grimes & Philip McCann & Jacques Poot, 2012. "Social Capital and Regional Social Infrastructure Investment," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 35(1), pages 3-25, January.
    14. Ranjan Ku Dash & Pravakar Sahoo, 2010. "Economic growth in India: the role of physical and social infrastructure," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 373-385.
    15. Pravakar Sahoo & Ranjan Kumar Dash & Geethanjali Nataraj, 2012. "China¡¯S Growth Story: The Role Of Physical And Social Infrastructure," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 53-75, March.
    16. Ya Ping Wang & Yanglin Wang & Jiansheng Wu, 2009. "Urbanization and Informal Development in China: Urban Villages in Shenzhen," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 957-973, December.
    17. Ravi Kanbur & Juzhong Zhuang, 2013. "Urbanization and Inequality in Asia," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 30(1), pages 131-147, March.
    18. Zheng, Siqi & Hu, Xiaoke & Wang, Jianghao & Wang, Rui, 2016. "Subways near the subway: Rail transit and neighborhood catering businesses in Beijing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 81-92.
    19. Paul Collier & Anthony J. Venables, 2017. "Urbanization in developing economies: the assessment," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(3), pages 355-372.
    20. Brown, Philip H. & Tierney, Brian, 2009. "Religion and subjective well-being among the elderly in China," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 310-319, March.
    21. Jifu Guo & Mingzheng Sun & Ting Wang & Lu Lu, 2015. "Transportation development and congestion mitigation measures of Beijing, China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(5), pages 651-663, June.
    22. Kurt Sartorius & Benn Sartorius, 2016. "Service delivery inequality in South African municipal areas: A new way to account for inter-jurisdictional differences," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(15), pages 3336-3355, November.
    23. Arthur Grimes & Matthew Roskruge & Philip McCann & Jacques Poot, 2010. "Social capital and regional social infrastructure investment: Evidence from New Zealand," Working Papers 10_03, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    24. S L Handy & D A Niemeier, 1997. "Measuring Accessibility: An Exploration of Issues and Alternatives," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 29(7), pages 1175-1194, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xuan Sun & Tao Sun & Yushan Jin & Ya Ping Wang, 2019. "Spatial Organization of Hierarchical Medical Services within the City Proper of Tianjin, China: Towards Efficient Medical Alliances," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Yenisetty, Pavan Teja & Bahadure, Pankaj, 2021. "Assessing accessibility to ASFs from bus stops using distance measures: Case of two Indian cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    3. Yu Ye & Hanting Xie & Jia Fang & Hetao Jiang & De Wang, 2019. "Daily Accessed Street Greenery and Housing Price: Measuring Economic Performance of Human-Scale Streetscapes via New Urban Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Dan He & Zixuan Chen & Shaowei Ai & Jing Zhou & Linlin Lu & Ting Yang, 2021. "The Spatial Distribution and Influencing Factors of Urban Cultural and Entertainment Facilities in Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Yangli Zhang & Qiang Fan, 2020. "The Application of the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process in the Assessment and Improvement of the Human Settlement Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.
    6. Marcus Adolphson, 2022. "Spatial Lifestyle Clusters and Access to the City: Evidence from the Stockholm Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Fenglong & Mao, Zidan & Wang, Donggen, 2020. "Residential relocation and travel satisfaction change: An empirical study in Beijing, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 341-353.
    2. Hülya Saygılı & K. Azim Özdemir, 2021. "Regional economic growth in Turkey: the effects of physical, social and financial infrastructure investment," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 2039-2061, April.
    3. Ignas Lukosevicius, 2020. "European Union Transport Infrastructure: Roads and Railways Subsectors Case," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 8(4), pages 305-318.
    4. Gao, Yuan & Tian, Li & Cao, Yandong & Zhou, Lin & Li, Zhibin & Hou, Deyi, 2019. "Supplying social infrastructure land for satisfying public needs or leasing residential land? A study of local government choices in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Timilsina,Govinda R. & Hochman,Gal & Song,Ze, 2020. "Infrastructure, Economic Growth, and Poverty : A Review," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9258, The World Bank.
    6. Kelobonye, Keone & McCarney, Gary & Xia, Jianhong (Cecilia) & Swapan, Mohammad Shahidul Hasan & Mao, Feng & Zhou, Heng, 2019. "Relative accessibility analysis for key land uses: A spatial equity perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 82-93.
    7. Quang Tran, Tuyen & Quy Nguyen, Thanh & Vu Van, Huong & Thanh Doan, Tinh, 2015. "Religiosity and life satisfaction among old people: Evidence from a transitional country," MPRA Paper 81360, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Jun 2015.
    8. Zhang, Yijia & Cheng, Lu, 2023. "The role of transport infrastructure in economic growth: Empirical evidence in the UK," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 223-233.
    9. Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2019. "Influences of the built environment on travel: A household-based perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 710-724.
    10. Tuyen Quang Tran & Huong Vu, 2018. "A microeconometric analysis of housing and life satisfaction among the Vietnamese elderly," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 849-867, March.
    11. Zhiling Wang, 2020. "The incompatibility of local economic prosperity and migrants’ social integration: evidence from the Netherlands," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 64(1), pages 57-78, February.
    12. Deboosere, Robbin & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M. & Levinson, David, 2018. "Accessibility-oriented development," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 11-20.
    13. Pravakar Sahoo & Ashwani Bishnoi, 2021. "Investment Slowdown in India: Role of Fiscal-Monetary policy and Economic Uncertainty," IEG Working Papers 439, Institute of Economic Growth.
    14. Fulong Wu, 2009. "Land Development, Inequality and Urban Villages in China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 885-889, December.
    15. Zhiling Wang & Thomas de Graaff & Peter Nijkamp, 2018. "Barriers of Culture, Networks, and Language in International Migration: A Review," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 5, pages 73-89.
    16. Madhusudan Ghosh, 2017. "Infrastructure and Development in Rural India," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 11(3), pages 256-289, August.
    17. Welch, Timothy F., 2013. "Equity in transport: The distribution of transit access and connectivity among affordable housing units," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 283-293.
    18. Chorus, Caspar G., 2012. "Logsums for utility-maximizers and regret-minimizers, and their relation with desirability and satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(7), pages 1003-1012.
    19. Cascetta, Ennio & Cartenì, Armando & Montanino, Marcello, 2016. "A behavioral model of accessibility based on the number of available opportunities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 45-58.
    20. Mateo Manuel Córcoles‐Muñoz & Gloria Parra‐Requena & Pedro M. García‐Villaverde & María José Ruiz‐Ortega, 2020. "Sense of belonging to an industrial district and knowledge acquisition: The role of strong and trusting interorganizational relations," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 1517-1541, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:9:p:3243-:d:169089. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.