Exploring the Two-Way Social Integration between Affordable Housing and Its Surrounding Neighborhoods in Hangzhou, China

Abstract

The social integration of affordable housing with its surrounding neighborhoods is a critical indicator of urban inclusiveness. The existing literature, however, mainly focuses on one-way social integration while ignoring that social integration is a two-way concept. To narrow the research gap, this paper aims to measure two-way social integration between affordable housing and its surrounding neighborhoods, as well as examine the influential factors. A conceptual model is proposed to reveal that the social integration of affordable housing with its surrounding neighborhoods is a two-way process; in addition, the measurement and analysis of influencing factors are key elements for in-depth understanding of this two-way social integration. For this purpose, we employ the methodology of data-driven quantitative analysis—a questionnaire survey is used to collect first-hand data, exploratory factor analysis is used to measure social integration, and regression analysis is used to examine the influential factors affecting social integration. Based on the case of Hangzhou, China, this paper finds that the overall integration of the affordable housing neighborhood toward the surrounding neighborhood is smaller than that of the surrounding neighborhood toward the affordable housing neighborhood and the social integration of different dimensions varies; in addition, neighborhood infrastructure, residents’ inclusiveness, and sense of belonging can influence social integration. This paper not only contributes to a more nuanced understanding of two-way social integration between neighborhoods but also facilitates a deeper understanding of inclusive housing policymaking in different contexts.