京津冀城市群空间扩张及其经济溢出效应

China’s resource-based cities have made tremendous contributions to national and local economic growth and urban development over the last seven decades. Recently, such cities have been in transition from resource-centered development towards human-oriented urbanization to meet the requirements of long-term sustainability for the natural environment and human society. A good understanding of urban expansion and evolution as a consequence of urbanization has important implications for future urban and regional planning. Using a series of remote sensing (RS) images and geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial analyses, this research explores how a typical resource-based mining city, Datong, has expanded and evolved over the last two decades (2000–2018), with a reflection on the role of urban planning and development policies in driving the spatial transformation of Datong. The RS images were provided and processed by the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Spatial cluster analysis approaches were employed to examine the spatial patterns of urban expansion. The results indicate that the area of urban construction land increased by 132.6% during the study period, mainly along with the Chengqu District, the Mining Area, and in the southeast of the Nanjiao District, where most new towns are located. Reflection on the factors that influence urban expansion shows that terrain, urban planning policies, and social economy are driving Datong’s urban development.

Rapid urbanization in China not only promotes the rapid expansion of urban population and economic agglomeration, but also causes the aggravation of haze pollution. In order to better clarify the asymmetric and nonlinear effects of urban scale and agglomeration on haze pollution, this paper quantitatively evaluates the spatial spillover effects of population size and economic agglomeration on haze pollution in 342 Chinese cities from 2001 to 2016 by using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and spatial econometric model. The results show the following: (1) During the research period, the distribution of urban scale, agglomeration, and haze pollution in China presented complex asymmetrical features, with the former two presenting a “core–periphery” distribution mode, while the latter having a tendency to spread around. In addition, under the influence of urban population size and economic agglomeration, haze pollution in Chinese cities presents significant spatial autocorrelation, with the agglomeration degrees showing a fluctuating upward trend during the study period. (2) Both urban scale and urban agglomeration have positive global spatiotemporal correlation with haze pollution. Local spatial correlation features are more obvious in China’s emerging urban agglomerations like Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and Yangtze River Delta. (3) The spatial effects of haze pollution are better evaluated by spatial Durbin model (SDM) with spatial fixed effects, obtaining a coefficient of 0.416, indicating haze in neighboring cities affected each other and had significant spillover. By decomposing the effect of urban scale and agglomeration on haze as direct and indirect effects, the direct effect of urban population size and the indirect effect of urban economic agglomeration are found to be more prominent, reflecting that significant asymmetrical characteristics exist in the spatial effects of urban size and agglomeration on urban haze. (4) Among the control variables that affect China’s rapid urbanization, the level of urban economic development has a positive effect on haze pollution, while the high-level industrial structure and improved technical level can effectively reduce haze pollution. Continuous decline of haze concentration of Chinese cities in recent years has been indicating the spatial relationships between haze and urban size and agglomeration have a decoupling trend. The findings contribute to theory by emphasizing the spillover effect and spatial heterogeneities of geographical factors, and have implications for policy makers to deal with haze pollution reasonably and effectively.

In the context of rapid urbanization development, exploring the driving forces and characteristics of urban agglomerations’ spatial expansion not only enriches the depth and breadth of research on urban agglomerations’ expansion in China, but also has great significance for future urban development planning, rational utilization of land resources, and protection of ecological environment. This study selects nighttime light data to extract the built-up areas of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration from 2012 to 2020, and uses urban expansion speed, urban expansion intensity, urban center of gravity migration, compactness, and fractal dimension index, combined with driving force analysis, to explore its development. The results show the following: (1) From 2012 to 2020, the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration expanded around Chengdu and Chongqing, and the expansion scale of each city first increased and then decreased. (The expansion scale is a comprehensive result obtained by using the formula of urban expansion speed and expansion intensity, indicating the extent of urban expansion.) (2) The expansion direction of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration keeps close to Chengdu and Chongqing. The urban spatial form is not stable and begins to focus on urban interior filling. (Urban interior filling refers to the infrastructure construction and content enrichment and renewal within an urban built-up area.) (3) The spatio-temporal expansion of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration from 2012 to 2020 is most affected by the levels of economic development and regional investment.

Research into urban expansion patterns and their driving forces is of great significance for urban agglomeration development planning and decision-making. In this paper, we reveal the multi-dimensional characteristics of urban expansion patterns, based on the intensity index of the urban expansion, the differentiation index of the urban expansion, the fractal dimension index, the land urbanization rate, and the center of gravity model, by taking the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) urban agglomeration as an example. We then build the center of gravity-geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model by coupling the center of gravity model with the GTWR model. Through the analysis of the temporal and spatial patterns and by using the center of gravity-GTWR model, we analyze the driving forces of the urban land expansion and summarize the dominant development modes and core driving forces of the Jing-Jin-Ji urban agglomeration. The results show that: 1) Between 1990 and 2015, the expansion intensity of the Jing-Jin-Ji urban agglomeration showed a down-up-down trend, and the peak period was in 2005–2010. Before 2005, high-speed development took place in Beijing, Tianjin, Baoding, and Langfang; after 2005, rapid development was seen in Xingtai and Handan. 2) Although the barycenter of cities in the Jing-Jin-Ji urban agglomeration has shown a divergent trend, the local interaction between cities has been enhanced, and the driving forces of urban land expansion have shown a characteristic of spatial spillover. 3) The spatial development mode of the Jing-Jin-Ji urban agglomeration has changed from a dual-core development mode to a multi-core development mode, which is made up of three functional cores: the transportation core in the northern part, the economic development core in the central part, and the investment core in the southern part. The synergistic development between each functional core has led to the multi-core development mode. 4) The center of gravity-GTWR model combines the analysis of spatial and temporal nonstationarity with urban spatial interaction, and analyzes the urban land expansion as a space-time dynamic system. The results of this study show that the model is a feasible approach in the analysis of the driving forces of urban land expansion.

Aims: China is the largest energy consumer and producer in the world. Energy is crucial for the enduring and healthy development of China. Promoting urbanization has been regarded as a strategic measure for China to release the potential of domestic demand against the background of enduring international financial crisis. Usually, urban areas are more energy intensive than rural ones. Therefore, it's very meaningful to understand the relationship between energy and urbanization. The main aim of the paper is to study the relationship between energy and urban developments based on the analysis of China's energy and urban development, and provide a clear picture of the impacts of urbanization on energy development, which contributes to forming a base for further study of urban and energy relevant policies. Scope: The paper presents a thorough analysis of China's energy development and urbanization. Then it conducts a systematic and in-depth study of the impacts of urbanization on energy development quantitatively and qualitatively. Finally, some helpful recommendations are provided for the coordinated development of China's energy industry and urbanization. Core findings: (1) Urban development will bring about interregional impacts on energy flow pattern. The new pattern is likely to be described as remaining stable in the eastern region, speeding up in the central and gradually increasing in the western. (2) Urban development will promote to form new intraregional energy systems. The city will be the most energy-intensive in the new system. The layout of the urban industrial system will be a “U-shape” in terms of energy intensity. The urban industrial system can be divided into three parts, namely, the core zone including the city itself, suburb zones and exurban zones. The core zone is the most energy intensive among the three. The exurban zones are more intensive than the suburb zones. (3) Urban development will increase energy consumption. In the period of 2015∼2020, the incremental energy consumption effected by urban development will be 664 million tce; in the period of 2021∼2030, that will be 774 million tce. (4) Urban development will influence energy mix thanks to people's awareness of environmental and eco-system protection, and implementing such technologies as smart grid, UHV transmission and so on. Also, urban development will increase electricity consumption. Conclusions: Urbanization and energy development are two strategically important issues. By 2030, hundreds of millions of people will transfer from village to city. Many new cities and city clusters will emerge, which will give rise to the transfer of industry and influence the development of energy. China's urban development both provides a precious opportunity and constitutes an immense challenge for its energy development. Firstly, the plan for urban development and that for energy development should be coordinated in terms of infrastructure layout, energy mix, energy supply and distribution, etc. Secondly, give full play to smart grid in such aspects as integrating renewables, promoting energy conservation, leading to consumption habits and meeting the demand of divers and multilateral services, accommodating electric vehicles and so on. Thirdly, adhere to such principles as advocating environmental and eco-system protection, developing in a way of being driven by innovation, and taking urban and rural situations into account accordingly. Fourthly, combine the transformation of its energy production and consumption with the development of urbanization, more organically, systematically and efficiently.

Exploring the coordination between physical space expansion and social space growth of China’s urban agglomerations based on hierarchical analysis

Urban expansion studies typically distinguish three main processes: infill, edge expansion, and outlying development. These general processes do not specifically capture another type of urban expansion: the clumping or coalescing of multiple individual urban areas (patches) into one larger urban agglomeration. This paper develops a new Urban Patch Expansion (UPE) framework that characterises coalescence as an urban expansion process that occurs simultaneously with the three commonly distinguished processes. We characterise two types of coalescence: merging and joining. Merging is defined as the amalgamation of at least two initial patches whose combined area is smaller than the newly added urban area merging them, while joining refers to cases where the total area of the initial urban patches is larger than the newly developed urban area connecting them. In an application of this framework, we analyse urban development in the functional urban area of Bandung (Indonesia) in the period 1975–2015 focussing on the variation in urban development processes along the gradient from the urban centre to the most outward edges of the urban agglomeration. The analysis employs the latest release of the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) that provides a highly detailed rasterised account of urban development since 1975. This new spatial analysis approach enriches our understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of urban expansion by providing a more specific account of when and where specific development types prevail. Our research characterises urban development in the Bandung area as a sequence of phases. Outlying development is the most important process in the initial period (1975–1990), highlighting a phase of diffusion. From 1990 coalescence sets in, with joining as the prevalent process in the second period (1990–2000). Infill and edge expansion are steady processes throughout the analysis period, where the latter gradually increases in importance as the urban area continues to grow. Both processes further compact the urban landscape. The final period (2000–2015) shows approximately equal shares of joining, infill and edge expansion. Joining can thus be seen as the first step in the transition from the diffusion to the coalescence stage, whereas the infilling of urban voids and the expansion of city at its edges reflect a more continuous growth process. We observe a similar development sequence over space: edge expansion dominates the zone between 5 and 9 km from the core, joining in the zone up to 17 km and outlying beyond that. The latter process, however, became less important over time. Our approach can be used to compare refined development trajectories in different periods and regions and thus supports our understanding of urban growth. • Novel approach to characterise coalescence along other urban expansion processes. • Identifying both merging and joining of urban patches. • Urban development characterised by subsequent phases of outlying, joining and infill development.

Due to the accelerated process of urbanization in China, urban agglomerations have become the core areas for human settlement and economic development. High population and economic density has brought great pressure on water supply. Water scarcity is increasingly becoming one of the most important issues for the sustainable and healthy development of China’s urban agglomerations. In this paper, a system dynamics model was constructed to simulate the current conditions and future scenarios of urbanization development and water scarcity in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration in 2000–2030, by examining the interaction and feedback between the six major subsystems: water supply, water demand, water pollution, population urbanization, economic urbanization, and land urbanization. It is found that the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the improved Reclaimed Water Reuse System may greatly increase the water supply. However, the speed of population urbanization and economic growth, the spatial structure of urban agglomeration and the water consumption pattern may determine the water demand. Although all scenarios may risk water scarcity in the future at some point, we could detect a comprehensive and relatively rational scenario to balance water scarcity, regional equity, and efficiency. It might help to synthetically understand the coordinated development mode between urbanization and water resources in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration, and provide a useful analytical and decision support tool for scientists and policy-makers to achieve the sustainable urbanization development and water resource management.

Clarifying the impacts of urban land expansion on changes in the quality of the ecological environment in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei （BTH） urban agglomeration is of great significance for the high-quality development of the BTH urban agglomeration and the construction of ecological civilization. The urban expansion rate， urban expansion intensity， and landscape pattern index were introduced to analyze the urban expansion pattern of the BTH urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2020， the integrated remote sensing eco-environment index （IRSEI） was constructed based on the Google Earth Engine （GEE） platform to evaluate the regional eco-environmental change status， and the impact of the evolution of urban expansion pattern on the change of eco-environmental quality was investigated using a geographically and temporally weighted regression model （GTWR）. The study produced several interesting results： ① The overall expansion rate of urban land in the BTH urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2020 was 217.22 km2·a-1， and the expansion rate from 2000 to 2010 was faster than the rate from 2010 to 2020. Among regions， the urban expansion rate was slower in the northwestern mountains and higher in the southeastern plains. The overall expansion intensity of the BTH urban agglomeration during the study period was 6.14%. Areas with high-speed expansion， rapid expansion， and medium-speed expansion were mainly concentrated in the southeastern plains， and areas with low-speed expansion and slow expansion were mainly located in the northwestern part of the study area. During the study period， the number of urban agglomerations in BTH， the density of patches， and the landscape shape index showed increasing trends， the maximum patch index showed a decreasing trend， and the fragmentation of urban land was increasing. ② During the period from 2000 to 2020， the IRSEI of the BTH urban agglomeration as a whole showed an upward trend. In 2020， the IRSEI had increased by 6.13% compared with the early stage of the study， and the ecological environment quality of the Yanshan Mountain area in the north and the Taihang Mountain area in the west was higher， while that of the Bashang Plateau area and the southeastern plains area was poorer. During the study period， the ecological environment quality decreased mainly in the peripheral area along the Bohai Sea and the Southeast Plain area， especially in and around the urban centers， while the ecological environment quality increased mainly in the western Taihang Mountain area and the northern Yanshan Mountain area. ③ The degree of influence of urban expansion on the changes of ecological environment quality revealed obvious spatial differentiation， and the regression coefficient of landscape shape index was negative in most counties and regions， which is the main reason for the changes of ecological environment quality. Urban expansion has mainly negative impacts on the ecological environment quality in the region， and reasonable development policies should be formulated to harmonize urban development with ecological environment protection.

Integrated regional development: Comparison of urban agglomeration policies in China

Land space optimization of urban-agriculture-ecological functions in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration, China

How do trade-offs between urban expansion and ecological construction influence CO2 emissions? New evidence from China

The relationship between high-quality development and ecosystem health in China's urban agglomerations.

Urban green innovation plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable urban economic development, and urban economic resilience is an important manifestation of urban economic development. This prese nt study aims to investigate how green innovation contributes to urban economies’ resilience, which is essential for long-term urban agglomeration expansion and sustainable economic development. To decrease subjectivity and achieve comprehensive evaluation, this study first constructs an index system for evaluating green innovation capability on urban economic resilience, which contains 21 indicators in three areas, including innovation input, innovation output, and green innovation foundation, and the performs a scientific evaluation using the TOPSIS method. On this basis, using the Super-SBM model, the green innovation efficiency value of cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is calculated. Finally, ArcGIS 10.8 software is used to classify the economic resilience of the 26 cities in the YRD city cluster and analyze the spatial layout characteristics of urban economic resilience. The results show that: (1) the decision evaluation model used in this study is stable and effective, and it can effectively address the issues of subjective assessment processes and information redundancy; (2) green innovation capacity has a positive contribution to urban economic resilience, and its contribution is more significant for cities with strong economic strength; and (3) the green innovation capacity of the YRD city cluster is unevenly distributed, with Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing having high levels of green innovation capacity and strong urban economic resilience, thus forming the core area of cities radiating outward, showing a “core-edge” spatially. Finally, suggestions for improving the overall economic resilience of urban agglomerations are provided.

The Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co‐operation Framework Agreement was signed in 2004. It aims to bring prosperity through partnership among nine Chinese Mainland provinces and China's two special administrative regions. In this paper, we use a dynamic panel data model to examine the economic growth of the PPRD economies from 1985 to 2009. Our analysis confirms the existence of regional growth spillover effects in the PPRD area. Our results also show that economic growth spillover effects of non‐PPRD regions on the PPRD regions are greater than those among the PPRD members themselves. These findings imply that economic integration between Chinese provinces has generated considerable spillover effects on regional growth. However, the anticipated benefits of the implementation of the PPRD agreement have not been realized thus far. Therefore, greater effort should be made to promote further economic integration among these members so that their local economies can benefit from the positive spillover effects.