Multiscale disparity and spatial pattern of comprehensive carrying capacity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Abstract

Exploring and revealing the comprehensive carrying capacity is a critical barometer and benchmark for multiregional sustainable development. Using a typical multiscale region moving forward on a green development demonstration belt (China’ s Yangtze River Economic Belt) as a case study, the multiscale disparity of comprehensive carrying capacity during the period 2005–2019 is presented after a comprehensive assessment of multiscale carrying capacity level. Some convergence models, covering δ-convergence, absolute β-convergence, and conditional β-convergence, are constructed to test the disparity of urban comprehensive carrying capacity. Furthermore, the multiscale disparity of comprehensive carrying capacity is quantified when the decomposition model is used to determine the specific contributions to total disparity (from inter-urban agglomerations or intra-urban agglomeration), and then the spatial aggregation effect of urban comprehensive carrying capacity is analyzed. The results highlight that: YREB’s comprehensive carrying capacity is gradually improving whether at the scale of upper, middle, lower reaches, or the whole; there is an obvious inter-city disparity of comprehensive carrying capacity from the results of conditional β-convergence; the further conditional β-convergence tells that urban ecological and sustainable management and its stakeholder engagements should begin with the sufficient eco-environment endowment, good transportation system, well-reconstructed market environment, and the healthy economic structure or benefit; the disparity from the lower reaches is greater than that from the middle and upper reaches when the specific disparity from intra-low reaches plays a significant role, and there is a spatial aggregation effect of urban carrying capacity in the study area. Future policies and regulatory decisions must address such multiregional disparities to foster sustainable development based on the “equity and efficiency” philosophy.