Global metropolises, including first-tier Chinese cities, are confronting unprecedented challenges of talent exodus amid escalating housing costs, competitive job markets and deteriorating urban living conditions. Traditional migration theories fall short in explaining young talents' mobility decisions, as their high human capital drives them to prioritize multidimensional considerations beyond mere economic returns. This study develops a comprehensive theoretical framework integrating multiple aspects of prospect theory—reference dependence, loss aversion, endowment effects and risk attitudes—to investigate young talents' settlement intentions through logistic regression analysis of survey data from 1065 professionals across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The research reveals that migration decisions are fundamentally shaped by asymmetric psychological evaluations: young talents demonstrate heightened sensitivity to potential losses in job prospects and housing affordability. Institutional and psychological endowments significantly enhance settlement intentions: homeownership, local hukou status and public sector employment increase staying probability, along with longer duration of residence and stronger place attachment. Notably, our findings reveal nuanced suppression effects of migration-specific risk attitude on one's general risk attitude: while first-tier cities attract individuals with higher general risk tolerance who are willing to embrace urban challenges, these individuals also tend to have higher migration-specific risk tolerance, which in turn reduces their long-term settlement intention. These insights not only advance behavioural economic understanding of talent mobility in urban areas, but also provide practical guidance for metropolitan governance. Our findings suggest that effective urban talent retention requires cities to strengthen institutional ties and guarantee stable career development rather than relying primarily on economic incentives. This approach ensures cities maintain the human capital essential for innovation and competitiveness in an era of increasing inter-urban competition.

The construction industry's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality has underscored the urgency of promoting green and low-carbon sustainable affordable housing. However, the development process has encountered several challenges, including conflicts between the central and local governments arising from differences in value preferences, financial constraints faced by local governments, inadequate access mechanisms, lenient screening processes, insufficient funding, and remote locations. Despite its significance, the policies related to affordable housing, especially in the context of assembly affordable housing, have received limited systematic examination. To address this research gap, this paper presents a comprehensive review and analysis of China's affordable housing policies. Firstly, it compiles and compares recent affordable housing policies in China, serving as a valuable reference for future affordable housing construction endeavors. Secondly, it conducts an in-depth analysis of the barriers and challenges obstructing affordable housing development in China, and proposing corresponding measures for improvement. Moreover, this paper identifies significant opportunities for affordable housing development in the country and explores the potential synergy between the development of assembly buildings and affordable housing by leveraging their respective attributes. By illuminating pertinent policies and associated issues, this research aims to inform policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders involved in the affordable housing sector. Additionally, it aims to stimulate further research and innovation in the field, contributing to effective and sustainable housing solutions for low-income communities and society at large. This paper systematically analyzes the current status of affordable housing policies, challenges and opportunities. It also discusses the application of assembly building techniques in the realm of affordable housing, proving valuable insights to address traditional housing issues.

The recent revival of the private rented sector in many regions highlights the importance of understanding the well-being of private renters. While there is a consensus that private renters are less satisfied with their life than homeowners, little attention has been given to examining the life satisfaction of private renters from different sub-sectors, nor has the underlying mechanism linking residential environment and life satisfaction been thoroughly investigated. The present paper aims to address these gaps by examining the life satisfaction of private renters from different sub-sectors in Shenzhen, China. We propose a model, based on Amérigo and Aragones’ (1997) theoretical framework, that links residential environment, social exclusion, and life satisfaction. The model fits well with the data collected from 619 renters. The results showed that only 38% of the respondent private renters were satisfied with their life. Furthermore, we found urban village renters were significantly less satisfied with their life compared with renters living in commercial housing and Long-term Rented Apartments. Path analysis results suggest that some objective aspects of the residential environment, renters’ perceived social exclusion, and their residential satisfaction could explain a substantial proportion of the variances in life satisfaction while the influence of demographic variables was found to be insignificant. Perceived equal citizenship rights, perceived discrimination, and perceived reasonable rent were shown to have significant effects on life satisfaction. The paper concludes with a discussion on policy implications aimed at enhancing the life satisfaction of private renters.

In the context of skyrocketing house prices and fierce competition for talents between cities, this study explores the housing pathways of young talents and their future migration plans in Shenzhen, China. Using the housing pathways approach and Bourdieu’s theory of practice with three concepts, this study uncovers how structural factors and the often-overlooked agency factors together influence the formation of different housing pathways. Drawing on 18 semi-structured interviews with young talents, four different housing pathways were identified: staying at parents’ home, private renting to owning, talented renting, and progressive private renting. We found that the interaction of habitus and different forms of capital shapes different housing pathways. In addition, young talents following different housing pathways have various future migration plans. This paper sheds new light on the use of the housing pathways approach and Bourdieu’s theory of practice in providing a nuanced understanding of housing and migration behaviour.

The number of people residing in private rentals, particularly in megacities, has been steadily increasing worldwide. However, a number of studies have revealed that a significant proportion of tenants endure unsatisfactory housing experiences attributed to their landlords. Drawing upon the concept of housing class and Harvey's (1979) theory of class-monopoly rent and class power, this study investigates how landlords in various sub-sectors employ their class power to realize class-monopoly rent and the subsequent impact on tenants' housing experiences. Through in-depth interviews conducted with 30 landlords and tenants representing different sub-sectors in Shenzhen, we have identified that the strategies employed by landlords are contingent upon the power differentials between them and their tenants. The wider the power gap, the greater the range of strategies landlords can utilize, leading to diminished housing experiences for tenants. Additionally, we have developed a housing class scheme in urban China, offering valuable insights into asset inequality and social stratification. By adopting a Marxist perspective, this paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on power dynamics between landlords and tenants. Furthermore, several policy recommendations are provided across different sub-sectors to rebalance the power relationship between landlords and tenants and enhance tenants' housing experiences.

After being neglected since the establishment of the housing market in the 1990s, China has recently shown great enthusiasm for developing the housing rental market. It is essential to understand why people choose private renting as it enables us to better identify the demands of tenants and develop policies accordingly to promote private renting. However, at the micro-level, the determinants for people's renting intention have rarely been studied in the Chinese context. This paper aims to examine what specific underlying beliefs, as well as background factors, influence people's private renting intention in China's metropolises. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we designed questionnaires and collected personal data from 476 private renters living in Shenzhen. We found people had generally favorable attitudes, supportive subjective norms, and high perceived behavioral control of private renting in Shenzhen. Results from a path analysis suggest that people's renting intention was most influenced by their attitudes toward renting, followed by subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. In addition, marital status and some underlying behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were also found to have significant influences on renting intention. Based on our findings, some recommendations were proposed to promote private renting, such as advertising the advantages of renting to the public, enhancing the sense of belonging of renters, and expanding the rental housing supply.

In recent years, China has witnessed fierce competition for talents among cities. There is evidence that China's first-tier cities are losing their appeal for young talents due to the soaring housing prices and high living costs in first-tier cities, as well as the catch-up of next-tier cities. Therefore, uncovering what factors drive young talents to develop in first-tier cities is important for policymakers to maintain and enhance the attractiveness of first-tier cities. Most previous research on talent migration has focused on demographic and socioeconomic factors, while little research has examined the influence of psychological factors. By adopting the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this paper aims to explore what beliefs and background factors influence university students' intention to develop in first-tier cities after graduation. Using the data we collected from 1242 university students across China, we found that two-thirds of university students have the intention to develop in a first-tier city after graduation. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results show that students' migration intentions were most influenced by their attitudes, followed by subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Specifically, beliefs such as realizing future dreams, better job opportunities, and higher wages shape students' positive attitudes towards developing in first-tier cities. The supports from family, friends, teachers, and classmates contribute to positive subjective norms of developing in first-tier cities. In contrast, perceptions of high housing prices, high living costs, and family ties discourage students from developing in first-tier cities. Furthermore, being male, being a non-only child, studying in first-tier cities, and attending higher-ranking universities have positive influences on migration intention through the mediating effects of the TPB constructs. Policy implications were discussed to help first-tier cities attract graduates.

In recent years, Chinese housing policies have been shifting from encouraging homeownership toward developing the private rented sector, especially in the superstar cities. Nevertheless, what are the target groups and characteristics of private rental housing in Chinese superstar cities, and whether the private rental housing is capable of meeting private tenants' housing needs remain unclear. This paper attempts to bridge this gap from the tenant perspective by examining the determinants of private tenants' residential satisfaction. We argue that residential satisfaction should be examined within different submarkets. By adopting the Structure of Housing Provision thesis, we identified three main sub-sectors in China's superstar cities, i.e. urban village housing, commercial rented housing, and Long-term Rented Apartment (LTRA). Based on a questionnaire survey in Shenzhen, we examined the characteristics of the three subsectors and tenants living in each sub-sector. Furthermore, we evaluated whether the residential satisfaction levels varied significantly in different sub-sectors and the determinants of residential satisfaction in each sub-sector. The results of an ANOVA showed that tenants living in commercial rented housing and LTRAs were more satisfied than those living in urban village housing. The regression results showed that the determinants of residential satisfaction vary considerably among different sub-sectors. The results of this paper can be useful not only for the landlords to improve tenants' residential satisfaction but also for policy-makers engaged in private rental market development and urban renewal.