The Transformation of Women’s Residential  Space in the Gentrification Process of Wuhan’s  Old City: A Case Study of Hankou Historic  District

Congying Li; Firuza Begham Mustafa

doi:10.5614/jpwk.2026.37.2.6

Authors

Congying Li University Malaya
Firuza Begham Mustafa University Malaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2026.37.2.6

Keywords:

State-led gentrification, Gendered spatial justice, Historic district renewal, Social reproduction, Urban displacement

Abstract

Drawing on feminist urban theory and social reproduction frameworks, this study examined gendered spatial transformation in Hankou Historic District, Wuhan (2015?2024), analyzing residential, activity, and social spaces across four subgroups of women residents through spatial analysis, longitudinal comparison, and multi-dimensional objective assessment. The results revealed profound contradictions in material transformation: while the average housing area expanded 47% (51 m to 75 m), housing affordability declined sharply for vulnerable groups, with elderly women?s price-to-income ratio rising from 4.2:1 to 9.8:1. Spatial reorganization systematically disrupted daily provisioning?service facility coverage declined from 87.8% to 84.0%, with walking distances increasing 10.6% overall but 50% for elderly residents whose facility density declined 57% (42 to 18 facilities/km). Social network erosion proved most pronounced: neighborhood interaction frequency declined 59% (8.5 to 3.5 times/week), while elderly women?s average residence duration declined 52% (25.5 to 12.3 years) and population turnover rose 478% (3.2% to 18.5%), contrasting with new middle-class women?s residential stabilization (turnover declining from 12.5% to 8.2%). These findings show that gentrification operates through infrastructural dispossession?systematic removal of proximity-based survival resources essential for women?s social reproduction. The study underscores the urgent need for gender-sensitive urban regeneration policies, integrating accessibility preservation, affordable housing protection, and community stability maintenance in China?s heritage district transformations.

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