Abstract: In the process of socio-economic development and planning construction of Chinese cities, the spatial patterns of job-housing have undergone tremendous changes, and the mismatch of job-housing has led to a series of traffic and social problems. This paper defines a measurement of job-housing balance, through questionnaires and on-site visits in four communities of Beijing in 2008, and then studies their spatial patterns. Further, this paper compares the situation of job-housing balance between citizens with different socio-economic attributes. The results show that the job-housing balance of residents has been destroyed in Beijing, especially in the large-scale work and residence centers. By analyzing the relationship between the social-economic attributes and job-housing balance of residents, we find that the most prominent features of the balanced group are more than 50 years old or engaging in public service or living in the accommodation provided by the corporation or staying with friends/relatives for a transitional period. In contrast, the nuclear families, dwelling owners or the laborers who are engaged in production of farming forestry, animal husbandry and fishery tend to be more imbalanced in job-housing.

Key words: Beijing, commuting behavior, job-housing balance, urban geography