REVIEW AND PROSPECT OF THE RESEARCH ON URBAN RESIDENTIAL SPATIAL STRUCTURE
LIU Wang1, ZHANG Wen-zhong2
1. Institute of Geography Sciences and Natural Resources, CAS, Beijing 100101, China;
2. Tourism Department of Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China
Abstract Since 1920s, urban spatial structure began to change quickly with the urbanization speeding up. Residential spatial structure is one of important parts of urban spatial structure and is one of important functions of city. So many scholars from Geography, Economics, Sociology and Politics pay more attention to the theories and experiments research on urban spatial structure and form Schools of urban study, including theories and approach and new progresses. These Schools are:the ecological approach, neo-classical approach, behavioral approach, Marx's approach and systematic approach.
Ecological approach resorts to concepts and theories of Ecology to study residential spatial structure. It adopts three indexes:stratum, life cycle and race to describe the distribution condition of denizens in the city. Neo-classical approach resorts to land value theory to study the demand and supply of housing. In Neo-classical model, household bids for house location under complete competition market and land owner sells land to people that will bid for highest price. Household's bid rent function discuss the relationship between location and bid rent. Under equilibrium, the people that will bid for highest price occupies city's center location. Behavioral approach pays more attention to human being's behavior when it studies housing choice behavior. Marx's aproach believes that house is one of workers' necessary expenditures and one of labors' reproductions. Housing supply is relevant to Capitalism's production style. Housing market is a place which class clashes, the segregation of residential spatial structure and demarcation of class and consumption manner and social relationship entwine. System approach studies mainly the system structures of housing supply and allocation.
Segregation on residential spatial structure is inevitable under market economy. Geographers, city planners and sociologists would make more research on residential spatial structure farther. So that they can point out useful suggestions to avoid social problems taking placing because of more severe segregation on residential spatial structure Authors prospect the developmental research fields on residential space in China.
2004, Vol. 19 
