THE SOCIAL SPATIAL STRUCTURE IN THE CENTRAL URBAN AREA OF CHONGQING BASED ON DATA OF CENSUS 2000

This paper uses the factorial ecology analysis and cluster analysis(Ward's method) to explore the social spatial structure of metropolitan area of Chongqing in 2000, based on the Fifth National Population Census data at the sub-district(jiedao) level in Chongqing. The result reveals that major factors influencing social structure in Chongqing included population of ordinary workers, White-collar population, housing condition, aswell as floating population. According to the factor scores in 2000, the metropolitan area of Chongqing was divided into six types of social areas. The urban social structure exhibited a pattern with the synthesis of mosaic and circle pattern: mosaic pattern in the inner ring-belt and circle pattern in the outer ring-belt mainly composed of agricultural population. Overall, the distribution of social space seemed irregular in the whole downtown, but it showed similarities of distribution in each subdivision of social area. The social-spatial structure was mainly influenced by the factors of natural geographical background, historical structure,evolution of urban structure. Firstly, from the background of natural geography, the pattern of mountains and rivers determines that urban construction cost and social spatial structure will much higher and complex than plain cities in eastern China. Secondly, from the development of a historical pattern, since as the provisional capital and three-line construction(san xian jian she), the urban structure of Chongqing had seen many fissions, as well as typical group-like structures. Furthermore, in the view of urban evolution, the social spatial structure is the results of the mutual coupling of policy and market factors like the normal cities.