Fang  Jing, Kunming Medical University (Small Grant 2009)

As part of a set of projects looking at environment and health issues in relation to migrants, this project investigated an “urban village” in Kunming. The team investigated the environmental health risks presented by migrants’ living and working conditions as well as their access to sanitation (drinking water, toilets, garbage disposal etc.) and their knowledge of environmental health risks, with a focus on factors contributing to the risk of infectious diseases. The project was conducted over a year in an urban village in Kunming which was composed of a new and old sections representing different phases of development. Research methods included a household survey (1385 people) and indepth interviews (33) with migrants and non-migrants, as well as consultations with relevant government agencies.

 

The village has “urbanized in place” as former agricultural land was transferred to urban residential and commercial buildings and roads  and the village was reclassified as part of an urban community. Because of its proximity to central Kunming and convenient transportation, there are now 13 times as many as the original residents. The old and new sections are quite different: houses in the Old Village were mostly built in the 80s and 90s without any planning and there are no public facilities like street lights or drains; the New Village was built in the 2000s and has full facilities. As a result, the living conditions of locals and migrants are very different: local residents mostly have private kitchens and bathroom, while migrants have to cook in their living quarters or hallways and most have no private toilet. Locals mostly live off rental income and also earn dividends from the rental of collective property, while migrants are employed as workers, small traders and in some cases as garbage pickers. 

 

Because of their lower incomes, arduous working conditions and lack of access to sanitary facilities, migrants are exposed to more environmental health risks, including indoor air pollution from cooking, and bacterial risks from lack of washing and toilet facilities. However, most did not express serious concern about these issues and felt that they are not the locals and thus have no right to voice the environmental issues and that they could not afford better living conditions. The team also observed that despite the problems, the urban village nonetheless provided an environment that enabled both locals and migrants to navigate the transition to urbanization. Locals earned income from rent that filled the gap left by the loss of their agricultural land, and migrants were able to secure affordable if cramped housing. The demolition of such neighborhoods, which is proceeding in Kunming and many other cities, will make them unaffordable to locals and migrants alike, most likely pushing them into even more marginal situations. The team therefore recommended that policy should focus on improving environmental conditions and service provision in urban villages rather than on their demolition.