Spatial Mobility of Migrant Workers in Beijing, China (eBook)

Foreword 8
Acknowledgments 10
Contents 12
About the Author 18
Abbreviations 20
Chapter 1: China’s Globalizing Primary Cities as a Contested Space: An Introduction 21
1.1 Introduction 21
1.2 Background: The City-Making Movement and Housing Inequality in China 23
1.2.1 China’s Pro-market Reforms and Socio-spatial Reshuffling 23
1.2.2 The New Housing Challenge in the Post-Mao Era 26
1.2.2.1 Housing Privatization Reforms and Real Estate Development in Beijing, China 26
1.2.2.2 Shifting Affordable Housing Policies Since the Real Estate Marketization in China 28
1.2.2.3 Factors Leading to the Emerging Housing Stratification Since the 1980s 29
1.2.2.4 Housing Inequality as the Key Challenge to Achieving ‘Social Harmony’ 30
1.2.2.5 Low-Wage Migrant Workers and Their Housing Difficulties 31
1.3 What This Book Is About 33
1.3.1 Overarching Research Question 33
1.3.2 Overarching Research Objective 33
1.3.3 Detailed Questions and Specific Research Objectives 34
1.3.4 Rationale of the Study 35
1.4 Research Methodologies and Contexts 40
1.4.1 Selection of Beijing as a Case Study 40
1.4.2 Research Methods Adopted to Address Each Research Question 42
1.4.2.1 Question 1: How Does the Right-Mobility Relationship Evolve with a Shifting Mobility Policy? 42
1.4.2.2 Question 2: What Are the Characteristics and Distributional Changes of Beijing’s Migrants (2000–2010), and Why? 44
1.4.2.3 Question 3: Why Are Low-Wage Migrants the Hikers in the Process of City Growth? 45
1.4.2.4 Question 4: Why Are Low-Wage Migrants the Most Marginalized Dislocated Group, Compared with the Local People? 46
1.4.2.5 Question 5: Why Do the Policies Towards Low-Income Migrants and Urban ‘Informalities’ Differ Between São Paulo and Beijing? 47
1.4.3 Survey Methodology of Chap. 5 49
1.4.3.1 Sampling Frame and Area 49
1.4.3.2 Methods of Data Collection and Analysis 49
1.4.3.3 Limitations 52
1.5 Organization of This Book: Chapters 53
References 55
Part I: Understanding the Spatial Mobility of China’s Migrant Workers Against a Backdrop of City-Branding Movements 61
Chapter 2: The Intra-city Residential Mobility of Migrant Workers: A Literature Review 62
2.1 Introduction 62
2.1.1 Background 62
2.1.2 Organization of Literature Review 64
2.2 Intra-city Residential Mobility in Advanced Economies 65
2.2.1 Push-Pull Model 65
2.2.2 Vacancy Chain Model 67
2.3 Mobility of Rural Migrants and Their Urban Informalities in Third World Cities 68
2.3.1 Turner’s Ecological Model 68
2.3.2 Harris-Todaro Migration Model 69
2.3.3 Urban Informalities and the Evolution of Slum Policies in Developing Countries 71
2.3.3.1 Housing for the Poor in São Paulo, Brazil 72
Background 72
Patterns and Locations of Slums 73
Change of Government Attitudes Towards Slums 74
2.3.3.2 Housing for the Poor in Mexico City, Mexico 75
Background 75
Patterns and Locations of Slums 76
Change of Government Attitudes Towards Slums 77
2.3.3.3 Housing for the Poor in New Delhi, India 78
Background 78
Patterns and Locations of Slums 79
Indian Government’s Attitude Towards Slums: Between Tolerance and Eviction 80
2.3.3.4 Summary 82
2.4 Mobility of Rural Migrants in Urbanizing China 82
2.4.1 Circulatory Migration of Rural Migrants in Urban China 82
2.4.2 Housing Problems of Rural Migrants in Urban China 85
2.4.3 China’s Land and Housing Politics that Influence Residential Mobility 86
2.4.3.1 The Market-Led Mobility 86
2.4.3.2 A Review of Studies on Beijing’s Housing Development and Residential Mobility 88
2.5 Weber, Harvey and Lefebvre’s Theories of Socio-spatial Mobility and the Notion of the ‘Right’ 91
2.5.1 Weber on Housing Stratification and Inequality: A Liberal Approach 92
2.5.2 Marxian Theories of Land Use Value Versus Land Exchange Value 93
2.5.3 Lefebvre on the ‘Right to the City’ 95
2.6 Brief Summary: Bridging the Research Gaps Between Western Theories and China Studies 97
References 99
Chapter 3: Conflict Between City Image Pursuits and Migrant Workers’ Rights 109
3.1 Background: The Transition from a Command to a Market Economy 109
3.1.1 China’s City-Centred Growth and Residency Controls Since the 1980s 109
3.1.2 Flexible Wealth Accumulation in the Transitional Stage 110
3.2 Developmental Urbanism Versus Inequitable Access to City Rights 111
3.2.1 City Image Building Versus the ‘Right to the City’ 111
3.2.2 Social Justice and Injustice 114
3.2.3 Emerging Mobility and Claims of Rights to City Spaces 115
3.2.4 Right-Mobility Relation Evolving with a Shifting Mobility Policy 116
3.3 The Perceived Unjust Mobility Policies 118
3.3.1 City Branding Movements and the Urban Politics of Inhabitants 119
3.3.2 The Plan-Market Dual Track System and the Bottom-Up Urban Informalities 123
3.3.3 The Hukou System: The ‘Invisible Wall’ and the Place-­Specific Welfare Mechanism 126
3.4 Re-theorizing the ‘Right to the City’ in the Chinese Context 129
3.4.1 The ‘Right to the City’ in the Chinese Context 129
3.4.2 Struggle of the ‘Excluded’ to Share in the ‘Economic Pie’ 131
3.4.3 Informal Housing and Services as a Form of Right? 132
3.5 Conclusion 134
References 136
Part II: Spatial Mobility of Migrant Workers in Globalizing Beijing, 2000–2010 141
Chapter 4: Demographic Profile, Spatial Mobility and Residence of Beijing’s In-Migrants: Data from the 2010 Census 142
4.1 Introduction 142
4.2 Demographic Profile of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 142
4.2.1 Growth in Beijing’s Migrant Population, 2000–2010 142
4.2.2 Structural Features of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 145
4.2.2.1 The Age Structure of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 145
4.2.2.2 The Sex Ratio of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 148
4.2.2.3 The Educational Level of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 148
4.2.2.4 The Occupational Structure of Beijing’s Migrant Workers in 2010 149
4.3 In-Migration of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 150
4.3.1 Reasons for In-Migration of Beijing’s Migrants in 2010 150
4.3.2 Origins of Beijing’s In-Migrants in 2010 153
4.4 Spatial Distribution of Migrants in Beijing and Changes: 2000–2010 157
4.4.1 Spatial Distribution of Migrants in Beijing in 2010 157
4.4.2 Change in Spatial Distribution of Migrants in Beijing, 2000–2010 162
4.4.3 The Spatial Mismatch Between the Residence and Workplace of Migrants in Beijing in the 2000s 168
4.5 The Residence of Migrants in Beijing’s Rural Areas in the 2000s 170
4.5.1 Growth of Migrant Residents in Beijing’s Rural Housing Areas in the 2000s 170
4.5.2 Distribution of Migrant Residents in Beijing’s Rural Housing Areas in the 2000s 172
4.5.3 Housing Types and Living Conditions of Migrant Residents in Beijing’s Rural Housing Areas in the 2000s 174
4.5.3.1 Informal Rental Housing Market—Urban Villages 174
4.5.3.2 Illegal Sales Market—Small Property Housing 175
4.6 The Beijing Municipality’s Governance Practices Towards Migrant Workers and Their Informal Housing 176
4.7 Conclusion: ‘Right to the City’ of Migrants Compromised in Beijing’s Governance System 179
References 181
Chapter 5: Low-Wage Migrants in North-Western Beijing: The Precarious Tenancy and Floating Life 183
5.1 Introduction 183
5.2 The Hukou System: An Invisible Wall Depriving Migrants of Their ‘Rights’ to the City? 185
5.2.1 The Stratified and Exclusionary Hukou Pyramid 185
5.2.2 Housing Difficulties of Low-Wage Migrants in the Host Cities 186
5.3 Survey Methodology 188
5.3.1 Sampling Area 188
5.3.2 Sampling Methods 189
5.4 Survey Findings 189
5.4.1 Characteristics of Migrant Tenants Arranged by Village Cluster 189
5.4.2 Mobility: Causes, Tenancy Duration and Moves 191
5.4.3 Increasing Spatial Mismatch Between Workplace and Living-Place Following Mobility 196
5.5 Evaluation of Gain and Loss following Mobility 198
5.6 The Mobility Gaps between Various Social Groups 200
5.7 Discussion: Housing ‘Illegality’ and Demolition 203
5.8 Conclusion 205
References 207
Chapter 6: The Marginalized Status of Dislocated Migrant Groups in Beijing 210
6.1 Introduction 210
6.2 Housing and Redevelopment Policies in Beijing: A Review 212
6.2.1 Reform of Urban Housing 212
6.2.2 Redevelopment and Compensation Policies 215
6.2.3 Growth Control and Upgrading Policies 216
6.3 Comparing Dislocated Migrant Workers and Local Dislocated Groups in Beijing 218
6.3.1 Evolving Housing Welfare of Low-Ranking Employees in State Agencies 218
6.3.2 Relocated Inner-City Residents: Limited Access to Resettlement Choices 222
6.3.3 Unskilled Local Farmers: Informalities Against a State Monopoly on Rural Urbanization 228
6.3.4 Low-Wage Migrant Workers: Hikers in the City Growth and Urbanization Process 233
6.3.5 Summary: Differentiated Citizenship and Access to Space for Dislocated Groups 237
6.4 Mechanisms of Spatial Mobility of Low-Income Residents in Beijing 238
6.4.1 Pro-market Reforms and Sectoral Upgrading 238
6.4.2 Urban Land Development for a World City Image 241
6.4.2.1 Residential Suburbanization Following Renewals 241
6.4.2.2 The Village-Migrant Informal Coalition against the ‘Growth Coalition’ 242
6.5 Conclusion 245
References 245
Part III: City Governance Towards Urban Informalities in Different Urbanization Contexts 252
Chapter 7: Building the Globalizing City With or Without Slums?—Exploring the Contrast Between City Models in São Paulo and Beijing 253
7.1 Introduction 253
7.2 ‘Overurbanization’ Versus ‘Underurbanization’ in Rapidly Industrializing Areas 255
7.2.1 São Paulo: A ‘Divided City’ with a High Tolerance of Slums 257
7.2.1.1 Slum Boom During the Industrialization (1950s–1980s) and Post-­industrialization Era 257
7.2.1.2 Slum Consolidation During the Electorate Democracy Era 259
Box 7.1: Social Inclusion in Santo André, Brazil 262
7.2.2 Beijing: A Fast Growing and Globalizing City with Limited Tolerance of Slums 265
7.2.2.1 Circulatory Rural-to-Urban Migration 265
7.2.2.2 Agglomeration Economies: A Way to Poverty Alleviation? 266
7.3 Land in Urban China: A Source for Financing Rapid and Formal Urbanization 268
7.3.1 Land-Based Public Finance and Hukou-Based Service Delivery 268
7.3.2 What Share Should a Municipal Government Have in Revenues and Expenditure? 270
7.4 Exigencies Produced by the Lefebvrian Notion of the ‘Right to the City’ 272
7.4.1 From Bureaucratic Regulation to Collaborative Reconciliation 272
7.4.2 Housing Rights in Contemporary China 274
7.5 Conclusion 276
References 278
Chapter 8: Conclusion: Exigencies Produced by the Lefebvrian Notion of ‘Right to the City’ 282
8.1 Summary of Findings 282
8.2 Originality and Contributions of This Book 284
8.3 Findings Drawn from Research on China’s Urbanization Mode 285
8.3.1 Features of the Chinese Urbanization Mode 285
8.3.2 ‘Power’ and ‘Space’ Relations in Urban China: Reforms and Policy Implications 288
8.3.2.1 Two Existing Dualisms in Population Management and Land/Housing System 289
8.3.2.2 Slum Tolerance and Land as a Key Financial Resource 290
8.4 Conclusion: ‘Right’ and ‘Mobility’ Relations in Contemporary China 290
References 291
Appendices 293
Appendix I: Beijing Urban Village Survey Questionnaire (English Version) 293
A. Cover Letter 293
B. The First Tenancy in Beijing 294
C. The Second Tenancy in Beijing 294
D. The Third Tenancy in Beijing 295
E. The Fourth Tenancy in Beijing 296
F. Background of Migrant Tenants 297
Appendix II: Beijing Urban Village Survey Questionnaire (Chinese Version) 298
A. ???????? 298
B. ???????? 299
C. ???????? 299
D. ???????? 300
E. ???? 300
Index 302