Page 31 - 香港浸會大學16-17

4. Funded Research Projects

4.2 Land Use, Commute, and Accessibility in Dualistic China:
A Case Study of Guangzhou (newly funded project)

Principal Investigator: Prof. Li Si-ming

Director of LEWI, Convenor of Urbanization and
Mobility Working Group of LEWI and
Chair Professor of Geography

Source of Funding: Faculty Research Grant, HKBU
Amount Awarded: HKD50,000

Brief Introduction:

This study addresses the interrelationship between land use and commuting in

Guangzhou, China’s southern metropolis, through the lens of jobs and housing
market segmentation particularly in conjunction with hukou or household

registration delineation. Two strands of analysis are envisaged. First, based on
a large-scale household survey conducted in 2010 and data from the 2010

National Population Census and the 2nd Economic Census of Guangzhou, gravity
model-based indices on jobs accessibility at the jiedao or sub-district level for
both local and non-local hukou residents will be computed and compared, and

the effectiveness of land use and transport policies analysed. Commonly used
accessibility measures will be adjusted to incorporate the spatial distribution of

competing employment opportunities to estimate hukou-specific friction of
distance parameters. Scenario simulations will then be conducted to evaluate the

effects of land use-oriented versus mobility-oriented policies on jobs accessibility
for both local and non-local hukou holders.

Second, by utilizing the household survey data, the commuting efficiency of
different socio-economic groups will be estimated and the role of hukou in

structuring commuting patterns examined. The linear-programming approach
popularized by Hamilton (1982) and White (1988) will be adopted to calculate

the theoretical aggregate minimum commute, and compare this with the actual
commute to assess the extent of excess commuting. Then, the commuting efficiency

of Guangzhou will be compared with cities elsewhere, and the influences of
factors like city size and transportation preferences on commuting efficiency will

be analysed. Also, the commuting efficiency of commuters across hukou
categories will be studied.

HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY | David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies 26