Spatial dilemma of suburban low-income residents: An analysis of behavior space among different income groups

How low-income residents suffer from spatial inequality has attracted significant attention in urban geography and urban planning. Although most research related to this question has addressed spatial segregation and spatial dilemmas in the context of residential neighborhoods, an increasing number of studies have focused on inequality in daily activity and travel behaviors. Particularly in a modern society with high mobility, behavior space is believed to be a good index for measuring spatial inequality among different social groups. In this paper, we use a behavior space approach to study spatial inequality among income groups. The study area is Shangdi-Qinghe, which is an inner suburban region with mixed social groups and neighborhoods. Using a GPS-facilitated activity diary completed in Beijing in 2012, we calculate individuals' daily potential path areas and activity spaces by using network analysis tools and minimum polygon tools in ArcGIS 10.2. We compare the sizes of daily potential path areas and activity spaces among income groups and find that compared with other social groups, low-income residents have smaller daily potential path areas and smaller activity spaces. This result indicates that such residents suffer from both an accessibility dilemma and disadvantages in mobility. By constructing a regression model, we find that socio-economy, urban form and activity factors have significant impact on behavior spaces. Middle-and lowincome single residents have relatively small daily potential path areas and activity spaces. Women, older residents, and those who do not live in danwei neighborhoods and residents who work in local areas have relatively small activity spaces. Activity space and daily potential path area are both positively related to facility density around one's home, while activity space is negatively related to facility density around one's workplace. Residents who live far from railway stations and work near railway stations have relatively small activity spaces. Working hours have a significant negative impact on both daily potential path area and activity space. Space-time constraints significantly affect daily potential path area. Certain planning applications of these findings are discussed.