'A stop on the train': the transient mentality of creative expats in Beijing, China

This paper investigates the life experiences of creative expats and the associated impact of, and on, the built environment of their host localities. Grounded on participants' testimonies, we develop the concept of transient mentality as a potential mediating factor in-between such reciprocal r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMobilities Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 486 - 503
Main Authors Vasconcelos, Daniel de O., Miao, Julie T.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 03.05.2024
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Beijing
Built environment
creative class
Creative expats
Cultural policy
Data collection
Fluidity
Housing
Polls & surveys
transient mentality
Urban environments
Urban planning
Urban policy
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Summary:This paper investigates the life experiences of creative expats and the associated impact of, and on, the built environment of their host localities. Grounded on participants' testimonies, we develop the concept of transient mentality as a potential mediating factor in-between such reciprocal relations. Employing an interview and survey-based research approach and drawing on grounded theory for data collection and analysis in Beijing, China, we found that the prevalence of a transient mentality among creative expats is influenced by the nature of their occupations, the fluidity of their social relationships, and the rapid transformations in the built environment. This transient mentality, in turn, affects the production of the cityscape through the consumption preferences of these expats. We argue that understanding such a transient mentality is crucial for urban planning and cultural policy, particularly in (emerging) global cities that work to brand themselves as international creative hubs.
ISSN:1745-0101
1745-011X
DOI:10.1080/17450101.2023.2270777