The Influence of Urban Function Coupling on Housing Prices from a Network Perspective:A Case Study of Wuhan

YANG Lin; ZHENG Ya

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2025.01.006

Abstract：With the pressures that rapid urbanization brings,many large cities have blindly pursued economic growth and development.Many have sought to redevelop urban areas,bringing a series of problems,such as major imbalances in different urban functions.As a result,housing prices have risen,which significantly hinders the sustainable development of cities.To find effective solutions and adjust urban layouts in a more sustainable manner,many researchers have begun to explore the relationship between urban functions and housing prices.However,there remains limited research on the influences of urban functions on housing prices.Most studies ignore the interdependence between urban functions and possible influences of urban functions in different housing price ranges.As a powerful mathematical tool,a complex network can reveal interdependence within a non-3D topological complex system,which provides insight for exploring the relationship between urban functions and housing prices.In this study,Wuhan in Hubei Province was selected as the study area.Based on the complex network theory,an urban function-housing price network model was constructed based on a literature review,conditional probability model,and focus group discussion.Moreover,the different degrees of influence of urban functions on housing price ranges under the mutual influence of urban functions were quantified through a multi-attribute weighting method.The effects of urban function coupling on housing prices were discussed extensively from a global perspective.According to the research results:(1)the effects of urban functions on housing prices vary in different regions and are most prominent in regions with low housing prices.Such effects weaken with increasing housing prices.This is because any function development in a market with low housing prices can stimulate the real estate industry and intensify price fluctuations significantly due to the function distribution characteristics of dense central urban areas and sparsely populated suburban areas.(2)The influence of urban function types on housing prices varies significantly.The residential function has the most influence on housing prices due to its significant aggregative effect on other functions.Transportation influences housing prices slightly due to development independence and weak aggregation.(3)The degrees of influence of urban functions fluctuate significantly among different housing price ranges,which are mainly driven by the specific demands of a region.Since residents in the high housing price range attach high importance to quality of life,science,education,and medical services influence housing prices significantly.On the contrary,the effects of commercial and life services on housing prices are more prominent in regions with low housing prices since local residents pay more attention to convenience.Research results not only offer a new perspective when analyzing the relationship between urban functions and housing prices but also provide important empirical references and theoretical support in the formation of sustainable urban development strategies and decision-making on urban functional orientation.These findings may assist in the sound sustainable development of cities.However,this study still has some shortcomings due to its limited scope.Future studies can use more time series data to further consider urban differences and quantify the dependence of urban functions and their degrees of influence on housing prices.Furthermore,studies can use spatial data to identify the spatial features of urban functional coupling and its influence on housing prices.