Livability of subsidized housing estates in marketized socialist China: An institutional interpretation

Abstract

To cope with the increasingly severe problem of housing unaffordability brought about by marketization reforms, the government of marketized socialist China has adopted a nationwide policy of constructing large-scale subsidized housing estates. However, the livability of these housing estates is yet to be investigated. Improvements in the livability of these estates must be based on an in-depth understanding of institutional forces and processes. A household survey of 11 subsidized housing estates suggests that the unfavorable quality of built environments, largely owing to the spatially and socially isolated locations, cannot meet the actual needs of low-income residents. The inheritance from the socialist planned economy, including the bureaucratic administrative system, limited and inefficient negotiations between government departments, and a limited and unstable supply of land that rooted in the land marketization reform, has significantly influenced the provision of subsidized housing as well as its livability.