Identification, structure and dynamic characteristics of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei mega-city region

Abstract

This article establishes identification criteria and metrics, and delineates the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei mega-city region (BTHMCR). Through an empirical analysis of socio- economic data and of functional relationships denoted by advanced producer services (APS) and commuting flows, we focus on the dynamic characteristics of APS firms and their relevance for polycentricity in BTHMCR and find that: (i) BTHMCR grew fast and became more spatially polycentric in the past decade; (ii) Beijing dominates the landscape of APSs and different APSs present different spatial patterns, with BTHMCR undergoing a process of functional polycentric division of labour and complementarity; (iii) Concentration and deconcentration processes co-exist simultaneously in BTHMCR; (iv) Internal and global network connections and thus functional connectivity have been improving in BTHMCR while Beijing absolutely dominates the connectivity. Policy implications grounded in this analysis are discussed.