Urban polycentric spatial structure and residents’ subjective well-being: The mediating role of commuting, housing and public service delivery

Danqi Zhang, Shu-Xian Xu, Tian-Liang Liu, Hai-Jun Huang and Ronghui Liu

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2026, vol. 204, issue C

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between urban polycentric spatial structure and residents’ subjective well-being using the China Family Panel Studies data. The dataset comprises 27,996 samples, covering 113 cities from survey made between 2014 to 2020. The findings show that urban polycentricity significantly improves residents’ subjective well-being. The level of improvement varies across different city tiers, population densities, and differs among residents with varying household registration types and personal income levels. Mechanism analysis reveals that the positive impact of urban polycentricity on subjective well-being could be through three important channels: commuting time, housing affordability and public service delivery. The above findings provide useful insights into how urban polycentricity promotes residents’ subjective well-being.

Keywords: Subjective well-being; Urban polycentricity; Commuting; Housing; Public service delivery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104788

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