The Diverse Housing Needs of Rural to Urban Migrants and Policy Responses in China: Insights from a Survey in Fuzhou

Abstract

Based on a survey of rural?urban migrants and subsequent in?depth interviews in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province in China, this article first provides a brief review of migrants' housing conditions, and assesses the current approaches in meeting their housing needs and security. We then examine migrants' housing needs in the context of their mobility and their diversified migration flows, demonstrating that migrants have different housing needs from local urban residents, and among themselves. The article also explores the policy implications of this analysis, and makes policy recommendations, focusing mainly on redefining the roles of the state and the necessity of making policies to meet the diversified needs of rural–urban migrants in the provision of housing and housing security.