Comparison of perceived sustainability among different neighbourhoods in transitional China: The case of Chengdu

There have been increasing concerns about neighbourhoods’ contextual characteristics and the importance of applying integrated sustainability principles to develop sustainable neighbourhoods. Among the contextual characteristics, the role of residents’ perception of their neighbourhoods is critical when identifying various local sustainability issues and developing sustainable neighbourhood planning. However, little research has been done on evaluating residents’ subjective perceptions of different neighbourhoods’ sustainability performance, particularly in this time of transitional China. Thus, this research employed an empirical approach to investigate residents’ perceived sustainability performance in three different neighbourhoods, including the traditional danwei, resettlement and commodity housing neighbourhoods in Chengdu. Questionnaire surveys and expert interviews were conducted to analyse the sustainability performance and critical sustainability issues in different neighbourhoods. The results demonstrated that infrastructure and public engagement were two common and significant factors affecting the sustainability of all three neighbourhoods. Most importantly, the three different neighbourhoods showed different sustainability challenges which called for developing contextual framework for sustainable neighbourhood development. Several theoretical and policy implications for planning were also provided.