Social Spatial Structure Of Urban Xi’an In The Era Of Rapid Urbanization

The urban social spatial structure is a major field of urban geography, especiallyof urban social geography research. The study of urban social spatial structure ismainly concerning the application of methods on urban spatial structure on the socialstudy on urban space. The study of urban social spatial structure in western initiatedfrom1920s-1930s, with the application of ecological approach on urban studies byChicago School. In1940s, Robert Murdie applied the method of “factorial ecologicalanalysis” on the study of urban social spatial structure. In1960s-1970s, as thedevelopment of computer techniques, the method of “factorial ecological analysis”became more broadly used. The study of urban social spatial structure is withimportant instructive significance to urban planning, urban management, and urbansustainable development.Since the reform and open up in1978the economy in China soars into rapidgrowth. This brings huge development to urban China, which includes the outwardexpansion and the inner restruction. This period in China is named “the RapidUrbanization Period”. The rapid of urbanization brings radical changes to urban socialspatial structure of urban China. So the study of urban social spatial structure of Xi’anin rapid urbanization period is of quite instructive to urban planning, urbanmanagement, and the improvement of quality of urban life.The main content of this study is about the analysis of the5thnational censusdata of Xi’an. Firstly, we choose56variables from the tabulate data, and use it toform a matrix with62chosen census tracts. Then we do the analysis of the data withthe method of “ecological factorial analysis” with the help of computer. Byinterpreting the results, we can come to the conclusion and the division of the socialareas of Xi’an. Generally speaking, the factors that influence the social spatialstructure of Xi’an can be numbered to6, which include population density, thedemographic structure of family, housing quality, proportion of agriculturalpopulation, proportion of commercial and service population, and proportion ofmigrant population. Then we use the hierarchical clustering method to analyze the result we just got, and divide the city into7different types of social areas:①workersresidential area;②i ntellectual residential area;③d owntown high-densitymix-housing area;④peripheral mix-housing area;⑤uptown mix-housing area;⑥m ixing residential area of cadres and migrants;⑦low-density agriculturalpopulation residential area.By comparing the study of2000and the study of1990, it reveals that the twostudies are different on research methods, resource data, researching area, chosenvariables, chosen factors, and social areas divided. After the analysis, we come to theconclusion that there are5factors which influence the urban social spatial structure ofXi’an:①t he economic and social development of the city;②the civic policies ofurban management and development;③the construction of urban transportationnetwork;④the migrant population;⑤the historical and geographical factors, et al.