Short Biography

Xin Li is an associate professor at Nanjing Agricultural University, working in the College of Public Administration. She gained her PhD degree from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. Her research focusses on urban regeneration, residential behaviors, and housing and land use policies.

Project

In many major cities in China, institutional barriers and social inequalities compound the housing insecurity faced by rural migrants, resulting in precarious living conditions marked by worsened housing conditions, and exploitation from landlords, whether private or public, as well as from roommates. This research aims to meticulously examine the housing security conditions of rural migrants in major cities such as Shenzhen or Nanjing.

Our primary objective is to scrutinize how the diverse housing tenure statuses of rural migrants, coupled with associated monetized and power dynamics, contribute to their unique challenges during significant crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, we seek to delve into how rural migrants strategically leverage their limited resources to secure affordable, flexible, and relatively stable housing options. This exploration involves a detailed understanding of how informality intricately intertwines with their coping strategies, addressing personal resource constraints and navigating housing crises.