【Academic Research】Social Spatial Inequality within The Dingfuzhuang Community

Abstract

Through an urban sociological lens, this investigation will delve deeply into the unequal distribution and utilization of social spaces among different areas, neighborhoods, or specific locales within the Dingfuzhuang area of Chaoyang District, Beijing. We aim to identify the concrete manifestations of such inequalities within the particular community, encompassing aspects such as the distribution of infrastructure, allocation of public service facilities, and usage patterns of residential public spaces.

Research Background

Social space is a central concept in urban sociology, profoundly developed and elucidated by French scholars such as Bourdieu and Lefebvre. Distinct from other concepts like social structure, social systems, and social networks, social space focuses on actors, their positions, and the relationships between them. It underscores the structural nature of social space and maintains close ties with Marxist theory.

Urban ecology perspectives offer a different understanding of social space, seeing it as the setting where social interaction occurs, emphasizing the influence of social structures on individual behavior. Simmel views social space as having cohesiveness, conscious boundaries, and stresses the internal relations within space; for him, social distance transcends physical proximity, incorporating emotional dimensions of interpersonal relationships. Goffman further investigates how individuals organize their surrounding space through his work Behavior in public places: notes on the social organization of gatherings.①

In summary, social space is a complex and multi-dimensional concept that encompasses individuals, locations, interactions, and power dynamics. Diverse schools of thought and scholars interpret social space differently, providing rich perspectives for understanding urban social life.

Previous studies have approached social space in various ways:

The multifaceted research paths on social space: Different scholars have proposed numerous research avenues, including community-based spatial sociology, situational spatial sociology, distributive spatial sociology, and productive spatial sociology. This diversity reflects the varied interests in different aspects and dimensions of social space.② The practicality, sociability, human-centricity, and historicity of space play pivotal roles across these diverse research paths.③

Transformation and dilemmas of public space: Research on public space emphasizes its evolution and the challenges it faces. Public space has conceptual, social, and material attributes in social life. In the conduit society model, urban public spaces are categorized into regulatory and nodal types, serving as critical domains for power and capital regulation.④ Although public space loses its integrative functions over time and tends toward specialization in modern society, it retains the potential to connect disparate groups and carries real social space significance despite being shaped by power and capital dynamics.

Social space in the Chinese context: Within the Chinese context, social space research covers economic, political, and social changes in urban spaces. Institutional transformation, economic restructuring, and social structure changes jointly shape the evolution of urban spaces. This includes shifts in the role of urban governments, economically-driven spatial restructuring, and the balancing of commercial and civic values. Studies on urban space also highlight homogenization and instability, pointing to the socioeconomic dynamics in spatial transformations.⑤

Exploring these three research paths provides a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics in social space research, contributing to the construction of a richer and more profound theoretical framework for social space.

After a deep comprehension of social space theories and their research trajectories, we adopt an integrated research perspective. Social space is both a macroscopic view of actors, their positions, and structural relations between them, and a microscopic view of individual social interaction contexts.

Drawing upon proximity and accessibility, we select Dingfuzhuang community in Chaoyang District, Beijing, for in-depth inquiry. Focusing on the unequal distribution and use of social space among different regions, neighborhoods, or specific sites, we aim to understand the concrete manifestations of these inequalities within the local community, such as the distribution of public service spaces, the use of residential public spaces, and the planning and development of industrial spaces. Not only concentrating on the practicality, sociability, human-centricity, and historicity of social space, but also considering the specific social and economic structures within the Chinese context, our goal is to accurately analyze the impact of social space inequality on residents’ lives and social interactions.

Research Methods and Findings

Literature Review Providing an Overview

Spatial Concentration: From the perspectives of both Chaoyang District and Dingfuzhuang, public service spaces, residential public spaces, and industrial spaces all exhibit characteristics of concentration. This concentration phenomenon may lead to certain communities or areas enjoying a greater abundance of resources and services, while other regions relatively lack these amenities. Such unequal distribution of resources could potentially give rise to social inequality issues, impacting residents’ quality of life and social interactions.

Green Spaces in Suburbs: Similarly, green spaces are also concentrated in suburban locations with limited accessibility, which hinders their use by residents. The centralized distribution of suburban green spaces might result in some residents having difficulty accessing natural environments conveniently, thereby influencing their quality of life and social engagement.

Horizontal Expansion, Vertical Decline: Dingfuzhuang is situated along the horizontal axis of Beijing, and within the urban planning of Chaoyang District, it is incorporated into the CBD-Dingfuzhuang Media and Cultural Industry Belt. This horizontal development axis has given rise to a pattern where social space in Dingfuzhuang experiences robust horizontal expansion but relative vertical decline. In this context, the horizontal dimension primarily represents the growth of industries and work flow, whereas the vertical dimension symbolizes human life trajectories and movement patterns. The emphasis on the horizontal aspect reflects, to a certain extent, the underemphasis on human-centric livability factors within this area.

Thus, we proceeded with field research and questionnaire surveys to delve deeper into the underlying situations and causes.

Field Research Reveals Nuanced Details

Site Selection: In our field research, we focused extensively on areas found in the literature review to have high concentrations of public service spaces. Ultimately, we selected two representative residential communities, namely Dahuangzhuang Nanli and Dingfu Home, as well as the DREAM2049 International Cultural and Creative Industry Park and the Wando Technology & Culture Industry Park for in-depth investigation.

Absence of Youth in Public Spaces?

Research Log: During the evening at the cultural square, young people seemed conspicuously absent; instead, seniors were predominantly engaged in activities such as playing cards, chess, and even using ping-pong tables for card games despite the heavy snow from the previous day. Fitness facilities remained largely unused. Strikingly, the crowd was mostly male, with only a few women interspersed among groups of men. One elderly couple was seen accompanying two children, with no other children present. The open space at Dahuangzhuang Nanli’s cultural square, closely connected to nearby residential neighborhoods, revealed a notable absence of young people, particularly those from the adjacent Communication University-affiliated secondary school. The commercial offerings in Jinyinbao Life further suggested that the place caters mainly to an older demographic. This asymmetry between proximity to youth congregation points and their lack of presence here prompted us to investigate this phenomenon further.

Oversized Residential Areas with Overconcentrated Commercial Spaces

Research Log: Dingfu Estate, built near a subway station, inevitably exhibits Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)-related issues, most notably the clustering of commercial areas around the subway entrances. With its large scale, residents living far from the subway stations might find it challenging to fully access the related conveniences. Dingfu Home covers a vast area, and ground-level shops are densely distributed near subway exits or shared intersections, often leaving residents with just one or two shopping districts within walking distance, easily missed if they take the wrong route.

Compared to Dahuangzhuang Nanli, Dingfu Home is newer and hosts more renters and young people. We observed that the residential estates here are enormous yet poorly interconnected. Consequently, social connections among residents in Dingfu Home are sparse. Furthermore, the overconcentration of businesses around the subway stations affects residents’ ability to enjoy the full benefits of nearby commercial zones.

Severe Imbalance in Road Traffic Pressure

Research Log: Walking northwards through Dingfu Home South and then North, I noted that during the morning rush hour at around 9 am, the traffic on Chaoyang Road was bustling and noisy. However, upon diverting onto any perpendicular (north-south, or longitudinal) road, one would be surprised by the wide and sparsely occupied four-lane roads (such as Sanjianfang Middle Road). It raises the question of why such broad roads exist when the traffic demand seems lower.

The difference in traffic volume between longitudinal and transverse roads in the vicinity of Dingfu Home is striking. While transverse roads are packed with vehicles during peak hours, longitudinal roads are eerily quiet with only a few cars passing leisurely. This disparity highlights another issue: the government’s attention to transverse road construction seems to overshadow maintenance and improvement of longitudinal roads. This neglect leads to rampant illegal parking, piled-up snow along the roadside, and cyclists forced to navigate close to the center of these roads—a worrying situation for the ’last mile’ connectivity to homes. This imbalance calls into question whether the infrastructure truly prioritizes people’s needs.

Notable “Tidal Ghost Town” Phenomenon Inside Industrial Parks

Research Log: The overall impression of the industrial parks was that they felt desolate and unkempt, akin to a construction site hastily converted into a park with a few buildings erected. The parks had minimal landscaping, featuring merely a sparse line of pine trees every several meters. There were no outdoor recreational areas provided for employees within the parks, such as for sports, rest, or dining. The nearest park required a walk of over 40 minutes, rendering it practically inaccessible during working hours. The construction of parks seemed to prioritize residential areas, while the developers of the industrial parks failed to invest adequately in greening efforts. The employee experience, mental and physical health, and the provision of comfortable working environments appear to have been overlooked by society.

Throughout Chaoyang District, numerous cultural and creative industry parks occupy significant urban space. Yet, these parks, which serve as new locales for Beijing’s cultural industry growth, suffer from a pronounced “tidal ghost town” phenomenon. Specifically, after sunset and as workers leave for home, these parks become deserted and inactive, with expansive squares left unused. As these parks take up considerable urban land, the question arises whether there are more rational strategies for spatial utilization that can ensure round-the-clock functionality and vibrancy.

Empirical Research Measuring Resident Perceptions

Building upon the observations and details discovered in our field research, we further conducted empirical research utilizing questionnaires and in-depth interviews to gauge residents’ actual perceptions. We distributed questionnaires to college students in Beijing, collecting 101 valid responses and three sets of in-depth interview materials. Additionally, we administered questionnaires to general Beijing residents, obtaining 524 valid responses. We will explore the resident perceptions reflected in the questionnaires through descriptive statistics.

Young People Are Not Absent, But Misaligned

Our questionnaire data revealed that young people indeed frequent parks and malls. However, why are they scarcely seen in our observations at Dahuangzhuang Nanli? The reality is that residential public spaces and industrial zones often do not align with the preferences of younger demographics. An interviewee pointed out, “It feels like the nearby parks are for seniors; they don’t suit us.” This indicates that young people are not absent from the social space in Dingfuzhuang; rather, they are misaligned with the older population. While different groups having varied preferences is normal, our concern lies in the fact that across the three surveyed locations, covering a substantial area, various public spaces catering to diverse populations are not evenly distributed. This observation substantiates the conclusion regarding spatial concentration, highlighting an aspect requiring attention during urban planning.

We note that social spaces, as interactive venues, are strongly perceived among residents. Parks and commercial plazas are frequently visited spaces, and notably, the subway system emerges as a frequented scene, reflecting alongside the deficiency in longitudinal transportation lines in Dingfuzhuang, an imbalance in the development of horizontal and vertical space flows in residents’ lives.

Summary

This paper analyzes the current state of social space in Dingfuzhuang, Chaoyang District, Beijing, from a theoretical perspective of social space, uncovering issues such as uneven distribution of public service spaces, oversized residential areas coupled with overly concentrated commercial facilities, extreme and imbalanced traffic pressures, and the “tide-empty city” phenomenon within industrial parks. These problems not only affect residents’ quality of life and social interactions but also reflect irrationalities and unsustainability in urban planning and development.

To improve the social space in Dingfuzhuang and enhance its livability and vitality, we propose the following recommendations:

Increase the supply and distribution of public service spaces, especially within residential areas and surrounding industrial parks, providing more parks, libraries, museums, sports venues, etc., catering to the needs of residents across age groups and interests, fostering community cohesion and accumulation of social capital.
Adjust the scale and structure of residential areas, reducing enclosed compounds and increasing open blocks to strengthen inter-residential connectivity and interaction, improving convenience and safety for residents’ travel, and creating more humanistic and diversified living environments.
Balance traffic pressure and distribution, optimizing the design and management of both horizontal and vertical roads, enhancing road usage efficiency and safety, promoting public transport and non-motorized vehicle use, reducing private car usage and parking, decreasing traffic congestion and pollution, and elevating the city’s greenness and aesthetic appeal.
Activate the internal space utilization of industrial parks, adding greenery and leisure spaces within them, offering more cultural and creative activities to attract more young people and entrepreneurs, creating vibrant and innovative industrial parks, facilitating industrial transformation and upgrading, and strengthening the city’s competitiveness and influence.

Through these recommendations, we aim to bring about improvements and development to the social space in Dingfuzhuang, ultimately creating a better future for both its residents and the city itself.

References

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空间社会学视阈下城乡空间关系演进研究，宗海勇，2018
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