Does public rental housing foster social ties? A study of the everyday social lives of rural migrants in Chongqing, China

Figures & data

Figure 1. Locations of PRH sites in Chongqing (Chongqing Public Rental Housing Administration Authority, 2012).

An official plan for public rental housing in the main urban area of Chongqinng, illustrating all public rental housing sites across the municipality, including the selected ones in the present study.

Table 1. Data of the selected PRH sites.

	Kangzhuang Meidi (康庄美地)	Liangjiang Mingju (两江名居)	Kangju Xicheng (康居西城)
Locations	In the near north	In the far north	At the far west
Distance to the city centre	16.5 km	33.5 km	40.0 km
Construction date	25th March 2010	20th June 2010	22nd May 22, 2010
Land area	539,963 m^2	419,890 m^2	59 hectares
Built area	1,245,076 m^2	1,062,218 m^2	1,471,550 m^2
No. of apartments	21,249	16,705	25,153
Estimated no. of residents	53,124	41,763	60,012

Source: the data for this table were collected from the official document of the Chongqing Planning Bureau.

Table 2. Socio-demographic characteristics of participants (n = 120).

	Total	Percentage
Gender
Male	62	52%
Female	58	48%
Age
18–30	30	25%
30–45	42	35%
45–60	25	21%
Above 60	23	19%
Place of origin
Chongqing	68	57%
Sichuan	34	28%
Guizhou	12	10%
Others	6	5%
Education
Did not finish primary school	11	9%
Primary school	24	20%
Junior high school	44	37%
High school	31	26%
College and above	10	8%
Living status
Individual-related (single, divorced, and widowed)	20	17%
With family	100	83%
Personal monthly income
Less than 3000	69	57.5%
3000–5000	31	27.5%
More than 5000	18	15%

Table 3. How did rural migrants meet neighbors before (n = 120).

How did you meet neighbors when you first moved to the PRH?	Total	Percentage
Via fellow villagers and relatives’ introduction	54	45%
Via community events organized by PRH authorities	18	15%
Through informal community activities	15	12.5%
Through children	13	11%
Others	11	9%
By using outdoor community facilities	7	6%
Via urban friends/colleagues	2	1.5%

Figure 2. Square dancing in Kangzhuang Meidi PRH (Author, January 2018).

Photograph of a public space hosting square dancing in Kangzhuang Meidi public rental housing in Chongqing.

Table 4. How do rural migrants meet neighbors nowadays (n = 120).

How do you meet neighbors nowadays?	Total	Percentage
Through informal community activities	26	21.5%
Through children	23	19%
Via introductions from fellow villagers and relatives	21	17.5%
Through outdoor community facilities	19	16%
Via urban friends/colleagues	18	15%
Via community events organized by PRH authorities	7	6%
Other	6	5%

Figure 3. Shopping mall and community square as public space (Image: author).

Author’s hand sketch showing the physical dimension and spatial relation of the indoor shopping mall space and outdoor public space. It also shows how study participants use the two spaces as one united public space.

Figure 4. Activities and social interaction in the community square at Liangjiang Mingju (Image: author).

Author’s hand sketch showing the physical and spatial relation of outdoor public space, where various community events happen. It also shows the time, number of people, and types of activities in the public space.

Figure 5. The street frontage as a venue for everyday events in the neighborhood (Photo: author, January 2018).

The photo shows how the business owner used the street space to attract potential customers and how residents participated in “free” events in the neighborhoods.

Table 5. Rural migrants’ neighborhood networks in PRH (n = 120).

Are the neighborhood networks in PRH as strong as those in the countryside?	Total	Percentage
More or less the same	54	45%
Yes	27	22.5%
No	25	21%
I do not know/hard to say	14	11.5%

Figure 6. Playing cards and mah-jong as a social activity in the neighborhood (Photo: author, March 2018).

Photograph of a public space being used as an everyday Mahjong space for migrant residents. They preferred their own everyday place to indoor teahouses nearby even if it was in freezing winter.

Chongqing Public Rental Housing Administration Authority. (2012). A special plan for public rental housing in the main urban area of Chongqing (重庆市主城区公共租赁住房专项规划). Chongqing Public Rental Housing Information Network (重庆市公共租赁房信息网). http://gzf.zfcxjw.cq.gov.cn/gzfxmzs/snztgh/.

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