Go with the flow: Residential mobility of internal migrants during intensive urban renewal in China

Abstract

As urbanization advances globally, many cities, including those in China, have entered the post-urbanization era, driving extensive urban renewal projects, particularly the demolition of urban villages. These urban villages, historically home to migrants, have provided affordable housing but are now being displaced by urban redevelopment. This study examines the residential histories of migrants in Fuzhou over a decade (2011−2022) and provides a spatial and temporal analysis of how urban renewal influences their housing trajectories. By integrating time-series data, government documents, and interviews, this research highlights that urban renewal has become the second most significant driver of residential mobility, after job changes, with a particularly strong impact on older migrants with lower education levels. The findings indicate that migrants primarily relocate between urban villages due to factors such as affordability, convenience, and established social networks, making their residential decisions driven more by necessity than by choice. These moves are often cyclical, as displaced migrants relocate to more peripheral urban villages that are subsequently targeted for demolition. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in its integration of spatial and temporal perspectives on residential mobility, providing a deeper understanding of how urban renewal reshapes the housing conditions and mobility patterns of migrants, particularly in rapidly urbanizing contexts.