Determinants of Housing Mobility of Urban Low-Income Residents in China: Life-Cycle, Lived-Experience and Place

This paper uses survey data collected in two Chinese cities to study the residential mobility of urban low-income residents. Contrary to previous studies, the result demonstrates a relatively low-level of housing mobility among the urban poor. In explaining the determinants of low-income housing mobility, this paper incorporates two major approaches of housing mobility research: life-cycle theory and social-psychological theory with a particular interest in how placed-based factors are played out and intertwined with other factors. The analysis reveals that the housing mobility of low-income residents is closely related to their life cycle variables but with considerable heterogeneity among them, while the lived experience of housing is also a significant indicator of their mobility. Finally, the study finds that “place and space” play a profound and complex role in this process. It is involved in shaping the moving intention at different geographical scales and interacts with other factors to determine the housing mobility of urban low-income groups.