Abstract

Urban villages, as informal settlement for rural immigrants, have dramatically changed the social, spatial and economic landscapes of the Chinese city and aroused hot debate over housing policies. Based upon semi-structured interviews about residential experiences of rural immigrants in three urban villages, this research provides new perspectives towards the formation of such space in urban China through lens of rural immigrants. It is argued that rural immigrants are spatially trapped; urban villages are spatial manifestation of multidimensional social exclusions imposed on them. However, urban villages play a significant role in promoting social mobility of rural immigrants in the long run by providing cheap accommodation and employment opportunities in the city. Elimination of urban villages can intensify social exclusion if no consideration is given to rural immigrants.