Are mixed neighborhoods more socially cohesive? Evidence from Nanjing, China

Mixed housing is a widely accepted strategy to promote cohesive communities. However, there remains an enormous amount of heterogeneity in who are mixed, and through what mechanisms. Drawing on a bespoke household survey conducted in Nanjing, China, this paper responds to this gap by measuring how multiple sources of neighborhood mix are associated with different, theoretically-derived dimensions of neighborhood cohesion. The results underscore the multiplicity of the construct of "mix" in everyday life-worlds. We identify varied relationships between neighborhood mix and neighborhood cohesion. Mixing defined in terms of housing tenure and educational backgrounds is linked to greater behavioral cohesion, highlighting the importance of contact spaces and localized knowledge sharing. Contrastingly, income mix lends support to the homophily principle, emphasizing invisible boundaries strengthened by competition over group resources. Mixing of hukou status appears to undermine cognitive cohesion, underscoring the distinctive role played by the hukou regime for governing diversity in China.