Shenzhen Urban Villages

The model simulates the spatial development of housing stock and relocation of residents in a city with Urban Villages like Shenzhen. Urban villages are more crowded with densely built low-rise blocks but providing affordable housing for new migrants to the city, while formal gated communities (common housing type in China) are higher rises with higher rents but better living conditions.

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For two scenarios, the model is trying to determine how housing rents (prices) would change based on changing demand and how residents will have to relocate or be priced out of the city based on their financial capacities.

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From a planning perspective, a model like this can contribute to producing strategies to provide affordable housing for increasing population but also keeps the identities of the city (like villages).