Satisfaction Differences in Urban Features Between Natives and Floating Population: Evidence from Eleven Cities in China

Abstract

The reason for constructing urban features is to enhance the happiness of local residents in a city. It can also enhance the favorability of the floating population to a city and attract population inflow. In order to clarify the differences of satisfaction with urban features (SWUFs) between natives and floating population and explore their influencing mechanisms. On the bases of a large-scale questionnaire survey data involving 11 cities in the pilot city of an urban physical examination conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China in 2019, this paper used the hierarchical linear model (HLM) to empirically analyze the perception and influencing factors of SWUFs of the floating population and local people. The conclusions are as follows: (1) there are obvious differences between the natives and floating population's SWUFs. And the floating population's evaluation of the urban features is more convincing; (2) the higher level of the city's economy and the higher protection rate of the historic district will both take the higher the SWUFs of the floating population; and (3) floating populations are more sensitive than locals when it comes to perceiving urban features. Based on these conclusions, this paper suggests that the government should start more from the perspective of floating populations when planning and designing urban landscapes and fully consider the influencing factors affecting the satisfaction of floating populations with urban features. In addition, this study can enrich the literature of subjective research on urban features and provide practical suggestions for the concept of people-centered urban construction.