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The research shows that the economic and housing reform in China have created Divided Cities. The traditional pattern of mixed communities has vanished and is replaced by a pattern of strong segregation based on citizenship and income. The low level of residential mobility exacerbates this process, leading to  highly fragmented cities and rising inequality between neighbourhoods.

Western housing market theories need to be adjusted to capture the Chinese context. Dwellings are not considered commodities to be traded, but assets to be shared by extended families. Residential mobility is not a way to pursue a housing career. Instead, immobility is an active strategy to maintain access to crucial amenities like schools, transportation and medical care.