Research on the spatial differences and influencing factors of integrated urban-rural development in the Yangtze River Delta

Abstract

Once the integrated urban-rural development enters a high-quality development stage, multiple dimensions would be reflected in population, space, economics, society, and environment, which will further advance sustainable development. An integrated urban and rural development have shown different features, rules, and models amid different social systems and in different development stages. Therefore, it's urgent to scientifically measure the integration level of rural and urban areas, revealing the spatial differences, characteristics, and internal mechanism. Targeting the 41 cities within the Yangtze River Delta, this paper evaluates the integrated urban-rural development in this area based on the global principal component analysis, explores its spatial agglomeration and evolution pattern by ESDA method, analyzes the principal factors that result in the spatial differences in integrated urban and rural development in the Yangtze River Delta and their interactive relations by the geographical detector, and discusses the regional differences between those influencing factors by the geographical weighted regression method. The results indicate that (1) the integrated development of the 41 cities is not balanced and there is a great difference between different cities. (2) The integrated development of this area has shown the apparent feature of geographical agglomeration, or in other words, the central cities have become the forces that drive the development of neighboring cities. (3) Since integrated urban-rural development is influenced by economic development, basic infrastructure, government support, and industrial structure, all regions should put forward suggestions for the formulation of policies accordingly based on realities.

The Development Level and Influencing Factors of Urban‒Rural Integration in the Yangtze River Delta Region

“…The level of URID is affected by a variety of factors. In accordance with a previous study [4], the following aspects are considered in the context of the actual situation: ① Total economy. The advancement of the economy has coincided with increased technological innovation and talent accumulation.…”

“…This shared goal fosters comprehensive integration and coordinated advancement across economic, social, ecological, and spatial dimensions, ultimately fostering multitier urban-rural equilibrium and similar living standards for residents in both settings [3]. The attainment of mature urban-rural integration is a notable hallmark of a nation's modernization [4]. In the contemporary era, promoting integrated urban and rural development hinges on forging symbiotic ties between cities and villages and fostering a unified entity.…”

“…Behavior of power is also a major factor affecting urban and rural development [23][24]. Significant spatial heterogeneity exists in urban-rural integration and development [25], wherein the influence of multiple interacting factors is greater than that of single factors; this heterogeneity emerges as a result of a combination of drivers [4]. To further advance integrated urban and rural development, comprehensive planning and the coordinated implementation of strategies for new urbanization and rural revitalization are imperative.…”

Study on the Effectiveness of Environmental Regulations and Its Spatial Spillover in China’s High-Quality Human Habitat Cities

“…(3) How do spillovers affect the effectiveness of environmental regulations? This paper is arranged as follows (see Figure 2): First, according to the strategies of sustainable development and urban-rural integration, combined with the theory of complex ecosystems, this paper develops four criteria to evaluate the quality of human habitat, including economic development, urban-rural livelihood balance, public basic service guarantee, and ecological environment protection [35,36]. Secondly, Jiangsu Province is selected as the research area.…”

Spatial-Temporal Evolution Patterns and Obstacle Factors of Urban–Rural “Economy–Society–Ecology” Coordination in the Yangtze River Delta

“…Among them, the growth of the urban-rural economy is a prerequisite for economic integration, generally manifested as the final result of production activities, and the linkage and upgrading of urban-rural industries are its key supports, closely related to the urban-rural economic structure and labor division [43]. Therefore, referring to the indicator system of Ma Zhifei [32] and Liu Peng [44], the per capita GDP was selected to measure the urban-rural economic state, and the proposal of non-primary industry output value and rural non primary industry employment were selected to reflect the level of urban-rural industrial development. In addition, the material foundation directly reflects the wealth level of urban and rural residents-that is, the income level of urban and rural residents-and then reflect their consumption willingness and ability.…”