The link between the built environment and residential segregation has long been of interest to the discussion for sustainable and socially resilient cities. However, direct assessments on how extensively diverse built environments affect the social landscapes of cities at the neighborhood level are rare. Here, we investigate whether neighborhoods with a diverse built environment also exhibit different socio-economic profiles. Through a geodemographic approach, we scrutinize the socio-economic composition of Shanghai’s neighborhoods. We statistically compare the top 10% (very high values) to the bottom 10% (very low values) of the following built environment variables: density, land use mix, land use balance, and greenness. We show that high-density areas have three times the percentage of divorced residents than low-density areas. Neighborhoods with a high level of greenness have median values of 30% more residents aged between 25–44 years old and five times the percentage of houses between 60 to 119 m² than low-greenness areas. In high land-use mix areas, the share of people that live on a pension is 30% more than the low land-use mix areas. The findings of this study can be used to improve the designs of modern, sustainable cities at the neighborhood level, significantly improving quality of life.

Using data from the 2016 China Labour-force Dynamic Survey (CLDS) and ordinary least square (OLS) analysis with the instrumental variable (IV) method, this study examined causal relationships between house prices (both the level and growth rate) and depressive symptoms, particularly investigating their pathways and the moderating effects of housing tenure, house price trend, and house value appreciation. Results showed that both the level and growth rate of house prices lowered homeowners’ levels of depressive symptoms and the effects were strengthened by upward trends of house prices, but the rise in house price growth rate was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms in renters. There was no evidence to support the idea that the effect of house prices varied in relation to unrealized house value appreciation or depreciation. Results reveal the mediating role of physical activity and house value in the relationship between house prices and depressive symptoms in homeowners, supporting the wealth effect theory. However, the rise in both the level and the growth rate of house prices was related to a lower level of perceived social status, which in turn was correlated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. Contrary to the socioeconomic effect theory, the level of house prices is positively related to the expenditure on urban construction and maintenance, which is correlated with a higher level of depressive symptoms in homeowners. These findings provide important implications for policies to improve mental health and wellbeing in the Chinese context.