THE SPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CAR DEPENDENCE UNDER CHINESE SUBURBANIZATION: THE CASE OF SHENZHEN

The suburbanization of Chinese metropolises has propelled a socio-spatial restructuring, placing many low-medium-income households in locations that are far away from urban centers, whilst transforming the inner city to the stronghold of higher socioeconomic status. These changes have brought about a series of consequences in transportation, such as longer commuting time and more car dependence. This paper underscores the uniqueness of socio-spatial pattern shaped by Chinese suburbanization and examines its spatial influence on car dependence. We chose Shenzhen, one of the major cities in China, as the case. The major dataset is Shenzhen 2010 travel Survey. The outcome of this study confirms that households' income levels decrease as the distance increases from the urban center. There exists a markedly spatial variance of socio-demographics among inner-city (with the highest income level), inner-suburban (with medium income level) and outer-suburban areas (with the lowest income level). The spatial disparity of incomes leads to various levels of car dependence in different metropolitan areas.