The Impact of COVID-19 on the Jobs–Housing Dynamic Balance: Empirical Evidence from Wuhan between 2019, 2021, 2023
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsSummary
The study used mobile phone signaling data in Wuhan in central China from 2019 to 2023 to identify movements of residents between jobs and homes and in particular, the extent to which jobs and house locations are synchronised. Wuhan, the source of the Covid-19 pandemic, is establishing six new satellite cities around it and the study examined the extent to which people and jobs were moving into and out of these cities. One of their findings was the exodus out of the central city when Covid struck.
Assessment
The study is sophisticated in its use of mobile phone signaling data, using this to track people, their homes and their jobs. Over 160,000 residents were tracked and although this is only 2.6% of the working population, nevertheless it is an impressive number. The study identifies ten movements of housing and jobs and tracks the changes in each of these. The study “explores the jobs -housing dynamic balance through quantitative means from a multidimensional perspective of employment and residential migration, comparing different time periods.” Undertaking the longitudinal comparison of movements is unique and very commendable compared with an analysis based on a single point in time.
Given that Wuhan was the source of the pandemic, it is somewhat ironic that the city experienced a substantial exodus out of the city.
The discussion provides a succinct summary of the findings and these are further discussed in the conclusions. These are consistent with the findings. The study commendably focused in its discussion section on the implications of the findings for urban policy and put forward three areas for improvement. It also identified some limitations in the study including Wuhan’s relationship to the surrounding region although these are really areas for further extension of the study.
Figures 3 – 6 are maps of Wuhan but are too small to identify the differences. I suggest enlarging them to two to a row and three deep. The tables are clear.
Self-citation in the references is not an issue. Apart from the first reference of 1968, all references are post 2000. There is no ‘conflict of interest’ statement. Nor is there any statement about the availability of data.
Specific Comments
Line 32 Kain, 1968, is scarcely early 20th century.
Line 37-40 This is not a sentence – lacks a verb. “Considering that the degree of jobs-housing separation and commuting congestion in China’s large cities is still higher than other undeveloped areas, particularly in the long-distance commuting between central cities and suburban clusters, for instance, Beijing and Tongzhou [4, 5].”
Line 53 “…researches on jobs -housing balance…” Should this be researchers?
Line 123-4 “Wuhan, a provincial capital city located in central China, which is currently undergoing rapid metropolitanization in recent years.” Delete ‘which’ to make this a sentence.
Figure 1 Show Wuhan in the context of a map of China.
Author Response
Thank you very much for taking the time to review our manuscript. We have carefully read your comments and agree with them.There are detailed responses below and the corresponding corrections highlighted in the re-submitted files.
Comments 1: Line 32 Kain, 1968, is scarcely early 20th century.
Response 1: Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We acknowledge the inaccuracy in the original text regarding the dating of Kain's work. We have revised the sentence to accurately reflect the timeline of Kain's contribution. The updated text now reads: "In the 20th century" This change can be found on page 1, line 32.
Comments 2: Line 37-40 This is not a sentence – lacks a verb. “Considering that the degree of jobs-housing separation and commuting congestion in China’s large cities is still higher than other undeveloped areas, particularly in the long-distance commuting between central cities and suburban clusters, for instance, Beijing and Tongzhou [4, 5].”
Response 2: Agree.We have revised the passage to ensure it is a complete sentence. The updated text now reads: "China acknowledges that the degree of jobs-housing separation and commuting congestion in China’s large cities is still higher than in other areas, particularly in the long-distance commuting between central cities and suburban clusters, such as between Beijing and Tongzhou." This change can be found on page 1, lines 37-40. We appreciate your attention to detail and have made the necessary correction to improve the clarity of the text.
Comments 3: Line 53 “…researches on jobs -housing balance…” Should this be researchers?
Response 3: We agree that the term "researchers" is more appropriate in this context. We have revised the sentence to read: "Researchers who are dedicated to the study of jobs-housing balance have begun to adopt a micro-perspective, focusing on the average job-housing commuting distance and time for regional commuters." This change can be found on page 2, line 54.
Comments 4: Line 123-4 “Wuhan, a provincial capital city located in central China, which is currently undergoing rapid metropolitanization in recent years.” Delete ‘which’ to make this a sentence.
Response 4: Agree. We have removed the word "which" to create a properly structured sentence. The revised text now reads: "Wuhan, a provincial capital city located in central China, is currently undergoing rapid metropolitanization in recent years." This change can be found on page 3, lines 125-126.
Comments 5: Figure 1 Show Wuhan in the context of a map of China.
Response 5: Thank you for the suggestion to include Wuhan in the context of a map of China in Figure 1. We have made the necessary modification to the figure accordingly. The updated Figure 1 now clearly shows Wuhan’s location within China, providing better geographical context for the readers.
Comment 6: Figures 3-6 are maps of Wuhan but are too small to identify the differences. I suggest enlarging them to two to a row and three deep. The tables are clear.
Response 6: We agree that the previous size made it difficult to discern the details and differences between the maps. In response to your suggestion, we have enlarged these figures so that they are now displayed two to a row and three deep, which should improve their readability. The revised Figures 3-6 are included below for your review.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper be considered for publishing considering its novelty, though it is by and large a case study done in the context of Wuhan metropolitan area in China. In fact, the methodology adopted needs to be replicated elsewhere in the world, in order to get a better insight into the state of affairs in other places. So, the paper may be considered for publishing as it is an initial study having enough scope for further exploration, as pointed by the author.
Author Response
We are grateful to you for recognizing the novelty of our paper and considering its publication. We agree with your suggestion that the methodology adopted in our study could be replicated in other global contexts to provide a broader insight into the jobs-housing balance and commuting patterns worldwide.
We appreciate your recommendation to publish our work as an initial study that opens the door for further exploration. We hope that our findings and methodology will inspire other researchers to conduct comparable studies in different regions, thereby enriching the global understanding of urban development and transportation issues.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors"The Impact of COVID-19 on the Jobs-housing Dynamic Balance: Empirical Evidence from Wuhan between 2019, 2021, 2023" article the dynamic job-housing balance, the effects of spatial migration of individuals for employment and residence, were investigated. The study examined 161,698 data from Wuhan city and the time periods of June 2019, June 2021, and June 2023. As such, a very comprehensive study was carried out.
There was no problem in publishing the study after reviewing it again and checking its grammar.
Author Response
We are delighted to receive the positive feedback on our manuscript.
We are grateful for your thorough re-examination of our study and your confirmation that there are no grammatical issues that would hinder publication. Additionally, we have conducted a further review and made additional revisions to the grammatical aspects of our manuscript to ensure its quality. We are dedicated to maintaining the quality and clarity of our work.
