Technology, High-Rise, and Modern Homes

How Vertical Life Accelerates Domestic Energy Use in Urban China

Bibliographic Data

ID12633583
AuthorsXin Li (0000-0002-3425-8566, Nanjing University, corresponding author), Minna Sunikka‐blank (0000-0002-1765-3046, University of Cambridge), Minna Sunikka-Blank (University of Cambridge)
Year2025
Pages1-23
Publication date2025-06-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHousing Theory and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1403-6096 • E-ISSN: 1651-2278
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14036096.2025.2520799
OpenAlexW4411672948
LanguageEN
References cited50

This study employs social practice theory to examine how vertical urbanization in China accelerates domestic energy demand through the interplay of technology and socio-cultural dynamics. Focusing on a densified neighbourhood in Jinan, Shandong Province, mixed-method analyses reveal how infrastructural elements like lifts and apartment layouts prefigure indoor-oriented lifestyles, reducing social interaction and increasing reliance on appliances. It further explores culturally specific interpretations of hygiene, homemaking, and the pursuit of comfort and convenience, showing how aspirations for modern homes drive higher appliance ownership. The findings offer novel insights into the socio-material construction of energy demand within non-Western energy transitions under rapid urbanization, challenging assumptions about the sustainability of compact urban forms. The paper concludes with policy implications for space design and residential energy transitions, advocating integrative approaches that address both material infrastructure and embedded social meanings

Business · China · Economic geography · Economics · Natural resource economics · Political science · Urban Transport and Accessibility

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