Social Cohesion in Rapidly Urbanizing Peri-urban Neighbourhoods: an Examination of Panyu District, Guangzhou City, China

Socio-spatial features of the quality of neighbourhoods can have an impact on social cohesion. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence examining the impacts of neighbourhood planning, design and management on social cohesion for locals and migrants in peri-urban China. By examining three different neighbourhood types in peri-urban China (i.e., villages, redeveloped villages, and commodity housing), this study aims to determine the relationship between socio-spatial features of neighbourhoods and social cohesion and to identify socio-spatial features of neighbourhoods supporting social cohesion in different neighbourhood types. This research uses data collected from 1116 valid questionnaires, site surveys, 54 walk-along interviews with residents, and 6 WeChat interviews with professionals in 9 neighbourhoods in Panyu’s peri-urban areas. Furthermore, the nature and strength of relationships between socio-spatial features of quality of neighbourhoods and social cohesion are examined through statistical analysis. This research finds that five socio-spatial features of neighbourhoods can improve social cohesion for both locals and migrants in all the three neighbourhood types, including the level of maintenance, accessibility, the quality of neighbourhoods, the perceived character of the neighbourhood, and attractiveness. Moreover, the level of legibility can contribute to social cohesion for locals and migrants in villages and commodity housing, but this socio-spatial feature is found to enhance social cohesion for locals only, not for migrants in redeveloped villages. In addition, neighbourhood boundaries are found to be a positive socio-spatial feature for creating cohesive neighbourhoods for locals and migrants in redeveloped villages and commodity housing only. Natural surveillance can positively impact social cohesion for locals and migrants in the redeveloped village only. However, this socio-spatial feature is not found to have an influence on social cohesion for locals and migrants in villages and commodity housing. This research provides recommendations to neighbourhood planners, designers and property managers in peri-urban areas in China regarding how to help create a socially cohesive neighbourhood in the three neighbourhood types