Emerging Polycentricity in Beijing: Evidence from Housing Price Variations, 2001–05

Abstract

This paper examines the emerging multiple centre urban spatial structure in Beijing using housing price variation as an indicator. A random sample of 3783 apartment units was used. These apartments were recent sales in 2001, 2003 and 2005. The dataset included transaction prices and main housing attributes gathered from the Beijing Construction Committee. A hedonic price model was calibrated to investigate the importance of the different urban centres to housing price variations. The results show that multiple urban centres (such as Tian’anmen, CBD, Zhongguancun and the Olympic Centre) explain more of the variations in housing price differences in the metropolitan space than any centre does alone. The findings also reveal changes in impacts from the individual centres in the study period. These outcomes confirm that Beijing is moving towards a polycentric urban form. The emerging multiple urban centres are key factors in understanding the spatial restructuring of Beijing, especially in modelling its emerging housing market.

Analyzing the Effects of Spatial Interaction among City Clusters on Urban Growth—Case of Wuhan Urban Agglomeration

“…More than 90% of Chinese cities show high degrees of polycentricity, and the creation of multiple centers in a number of cities is consistent with their master plans [46]. Polycentric urban forms tend to be valued in economically advanced regions, such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (Jing-Jin-Ji) [47], the Pearl River Delta (PRD) [48], and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) [49], whereas a monocentric urban development is enjoyed widely in less developed regions [46]. With regard to the radiation and driving effects of core cities on surrounding cities, multiple centers, instead of merely one megalopolis, would significantly promote the equilibrium growth of the regional economy because spatial interaction decreases when distances among cities increase.…”

The Dynamic Impacts of Employment Subcenters on Residential Land Price in Transitional China: An Examination of the Beijing Metropolitan Area

“…The second perspective is employment distribution, with many studies confirming the emergence of employment subcenters [18,19,42]. The third perspective is land price, with most existing studies reflecting consensus on the effect of distance from the CBD in Beijing [11,12,43,44], while a few also show multiple urban centers to explain more of the variations in land and housing prices [15,36]. However, the effect of employment subcenters on land value remains an understudied topic.…”

“…In order to improve land use efficiency, the land market was introduced by the Chinese government from Western countries, and the land supply in cities first through negotiation and later through competitive auctions [12,14]. The old industrial use and old homes in urban central areas have been demolished to make way for new transport infrastructure, commercial developments, and high-end housing projects, leading to the formation and expansion of the central business district (CBD) [12,15]. As a result, an employment center has emerged in the urban core.…”

An Integrated Land Use and Transport Model to Examine Polycentric Policies of Beijing

“…Long et al (2013) forecast the distribution of future sub-centres in Beijing based on present land-use trends. Qin and Han (2013) study the relationship between real estate prices and location characteristics in Beijing and concludes that there are new subcentres emerging, such as Zhongguancun and Olympic Park.. Rarely is there research focusing on how these centres function rather than on their geomorphological aspects, despite the likelihood that in studies of urban polycentricity, economic and other functional aspects are likely to carry more meaning.…”