Dormitory City: Social Mobility, Housing, and Planning for Change in Late-Stage Urbanization
Hi all,
See below for an exciting event hosted by the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong, with our Dr. Julia Harten as the speaker to discuss her dissertation research.
“Please note that the CUSUP Webinar Series will be held virtually via Zoom on 8 February 2023 (Wednesday), 12:00 p.m. (HKT). [7 February 2023 (Tuesday), 8:00 p.m. (PST)]. Please login 15 minutes before the session starts.
*Pre-registration required, zoom link will be provided upon successful registration. [Deadline: 7 February 2023 (Tuesday) 12:00 p.m. (HKT)] [6 February 2023 (Monday) 8:00 p.m. (PST)]
- Registration: https://bit.ly/3QUzwyQ
Topic: Dormitory City: Social Mobility, Housing, and Planning for Change in Late-Stage Urbanization
Speaker: Prof. Julia Harten (Assistant Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning, The University of British Columbia)
Schedule: 8 February 2023 (Wednesday), 12:00-13:00 (HKT) [7 February 2023 (Tuesday), 20:00-21:00 (PST)]
Abstract:
In China’s big cities, some young migrants rent individual beds in overcrowded shared apartments, a phenomenon known as “group renting” or “bed rentals” (群租, 床位出租). I draw on remotely collected online advertisement data and fieldwork to study group renting, not just as a housing, but as a social phenomenon. I find that group renters are mostly recent migrants with degrees from second-tier colleges who trade-off space and privacy for access to jobs and opportunities. As incubators for city starters, bed rentals are part of a longer-term, multi-generational social mobility strategy. I reveal group renting as illustrative of a larger shift in the role of cities for social mobility. Zooming in on bed renting in Shanghai, I tell a larger story about exclusive urbanization and a new era of urban capital accumulation and social (re)production.
About the Speaker:
Prof. Julia Harten is Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Data Innovation for Housing and Inclusive Urbanization in the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning. In her work, she leverages new data methods to study housing and socio-spatial inequality. In particular, she focuses on the housing strategies of marginalized people and the role of cities and housing for social mobility, both in Asia and North America. She holds degrees in Public Policy, Economics, and China and East Asian Studies.