Comparing Co-Presence Pattern in Gated and Non-Gated Housing Areas in Wuhan, China: A Proximity-Based Social Network Exploration

This paper presents a new technique for quantitively measuring and comparing the co-presence patterns of people residing in gated and non-gated housing areas using a proximity-based social network (PBSN). Twelve comparable housing areas (i.e., six pairs) in Wuhan, China, were carefully selected. Data were collected through 10 sets of anonymous walk-by observations for each area over both weekday and weekend periods, yielding a total of 14,331 recorded stationary individuals. In total, 120 co-presence network models (10 for each estate) were constructed, where nodes were stationary individuals observed on-site, and edges between two individuals were formed when individuals became co-present within a viewshed sized 25-meters distance. Co-presence patterns were measured quantitatively through parameters that reflect structural characteristics of the overall network. Results indicated that non-gated housing cases generally showcase a higher degree of co-presence and social mixing. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis further suggests that gatedness degree has a minor negative impact on explaining the co-presence pattern after controlling other factors. The work contributes to understanding current debates of gatedness on social sustainability and providing a novel method for future research to link behaviour mapping technique and social network analysis in other settings.