Commuting Distance of Low-Income Groups Living in Urbanizing Villages: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China

The world has witnessed a remarkable increase in informal housing to alleviate housing pressure in metropolises. The commuting burden of low-income groups living in informal housing is a matter of concern. Urbanizing villages are typical examples of informal housing in China. Previous studies have shown that low-income groups who live in informal housing in Western countries have long commuting distances, and the commuting distance is short for residents of China’s urbanizing villages. However, with the rapid development of cities, residents living in urbanizing villages were found to have increased their average commuting distance. This study utilized the full sample population data of Shenzhen, China, and the random forest model to examine the nonlinear effects of factors influencing commuting distance. Additionally, it aimed to investigate the interaction effects between these factors and urbanizing villages. The findings indicate that urbanizing village residents in Shenzhen have a longer average commuting distance compared with formal housing residents. Notably, the rental differential emerges as the most influential factor affecting commuting distance, with a closer proximity to zero resulting in a shorter commute. Furthermore, there are positive correlations between commuting distance and factors such as the distance to the city center and living in urbanizing villages. Conversely, employment accessibility shows a negative correlation. Additionally, the effects of age, residential density, and employment density on commuting distance demonstrate a U-shaped relationship. The interaction effect results show that urban villages can indirectly influence the impact of other factors on commuting distances. Living in urbanizing villages mitigates the impact of rent differentials and employment accessibility on commuting distance, but it has the opposite effect on other factors. These findings can be of practical use when transforming urbanizing villages rationally in urban renewal.