Abstract:

This study chose Beijing as a case. It was based on the questionnaire answered by nearly 10000 people in 2005. The Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial analysis were used to analyze the characteristics of the separation between jobs and residential locations in Beijing. Based on the case study, we found that the separation between jobs and residential locations has become a serious phenomenon in Beijing. The average commuter time is 38.0 minutes, and more than 43.7% of the workers spend more than 40 minutes on commuting. The spatial analyses show that there are spatial differences, which may be caused by the spatial structure of Beijing. The problem of the separation is not too serious in the urban central areas. However, as some suburban areas were designed to be large living communities, the residents in these areas faced a more serious problem of the separation between jobs and residential locations. On the other hand, people living in satellite towns have more chances to find jobs, so the problem of the separation between working places and home is not serious. The cluster analysis shows that there are several visible clusters of employment concentration in Beijing. The locations of these clusters are "Spatial Mis-match" with the population concentration. This "Spatial Mis-match" is decided by the rent price of the land in the city. The flow of the commuters is another index of the separation between jobs and residential locations. In Beijing, the "To Center" flows are the main commuter flow now, although there are "Out of Center" flows at the same time. This suggests that the spatial organization of the separation between jobs and residential locations is changing gradually in Beijing.

Key words: separation between jobs and residential locations, urban spatial structure, spatial analysis, Beijing