Socio-spatial segregation in residents’ daily life: A longitudinal study in Beijing

Abstract

Segregation studies based on human activity spaces have attracted increasing interest in urban geography and planning. Previously, most research employed variations in the geographical features of individuals' physical activity areas to ascertain social group segregation. A few studies have examined segregation based on one's activity space, comparing this over several years. This research conducts an empirical analysis based on people's activity space in Beijing to detect changes in segregation over time. We investigate activity space-based segregation among Beijing residents, separated into four housing categories for inner-city and suburban areas. The primary outcomes show residents living in different types of housing experience varying degrees of segregation when considering their activity spaces, which has progressed over the years. Furthermore, the findings show that the impact of changes in the built environment on the socio-spatial segregation of residents is gradually deepening, while the impact of institutional contexts such as danwei is gradually decreasing. In summary, this paper provides Beijing-based empirical evidence for this housing type differentiation and increasing segregation, which helps to enrich the understanding of activity space-based socio-spatial segregation of urban residents in China.