Housing mobility along the tenure ladder in Chinese cities

Source abstract

Housing access and inequality in Chinese cities have drawn considerable scholarly attention in recent years, yet our understanding of housing mobility remains fragmented and theoretically underdeveloped. This paper unpacks the complex dynamics of housing mobility in urban China. Drawing on household survey data from Tianjin, Hangzhou, and Chengdu, we construct an urban housing tenure ladder based on housing conditions, neighborhood quality, property values, and residents’ socioeconomic profiles. We then trace household movements along this hierarchy to identify patterns of upward, downward, and stagnant mobility. Our findings reveal a highly varied mobility landscape in these cities. More than 70 percent of households surveyed have moved at least once since 2000 and most have improved their living standard. There are two interrelated pathways toward secure home ownership, producing different patterns of housing inequality. Moreover, while local hukou holders enjoy greater chances of upward housing mobility, a significant contingent of low-income migrants remains largely excluded from homeownership opportunities. These results not only deepen our understanding of the social and financial ramifications of urban housing security policies but also offer new empirical and theoretical insights into the broader complex patterns of social stratification and mobility in transitional urban China.