In terms of the Urban Core’s expansion and population movements southeast toward the TBNA, an asymmetric suburbanization process is evident in Tianjin. The rise of the Binhai New Area (TBNA) in the southeast is creating a dual-core urban social structure in Tianjin, with its traditional Urban Core located in the center of the city.

Due to increasing population mobility caused by the economic reforms, the urban social landscape of Tianjin has become increasingly multifaceted, characterized by a “one axis, two nuclei” urban morphology. Given this context, this study aims at understanding the different urban socio-spatial patterns of Tianjin and their mechanisms in three distinctive economic contexts by adapting both statistical and spatial approaches. Influenced by the economic transition and taking advantage of its privileged geographic and historic position, Tianjin has seen dramatic changes in its social landscape during the last three decades.

China’s economic reforms of 1978, which led to the country’s transition from a centrally planned to a market-oriented economy, ushered in a phase of accelerated urbanization.

Victoria 2 planned economy