Self-help housing strategy for temporary population in Guangzhou, China

This paper aims to delineate the current situation and settlement strategies of rural–urban immigrants in metropolitan cities of China. The authors have reviewed the development of the housing market in Guangzhou since the 1980s. Based on the analysis of the general housing market in Guangzhou; the spatial residential pattern of the temporary population; and the recent renewal and construction plan of “Urban Village”, the authors recommend a self-help housing strategy for settling the temporary population in Guangzhou. The strategy can be considered as maintaining a balance between the housing supply of and the demand for the targeted population. A brief introduction on the housing experience of the urban poor, Hong Kong and Singapore is provided at the beginning of the paper. The authors feel that the experience and strategic recommendations are relevant and applicable to the formulation of settlement policy for temporary population in China.