Spatial evolution of coastal environmental enterprises: An exploration of driving factors in Jiangsu Province

Abstract

Abstract This article presents an in-depth analysis of the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics of the environmental protection industry in Jiangsu Province and analyzes the dynamics of changes in the spatial pattern of the environmental protection industry as a whole using spatial visualization methods. Attribute data of environmental protection enterprises in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2022 were selected for this article, with spatial analysis methods. From 2000 to 2005, the industry expanded to include Suzhou, Changzhou, and other areas, forming a multi-core pattern, supported by a Moran’s I value of −0.049837. This clustering trend continued from 2006 to 2010, with Moran’s I values of −0.115285 in 2011–2015 and −0.117398 in 2016–2022. By 2022, new clusters emerged in the coastal areas of Xuzhou, Yancheng, and Nantong, reflecting industry growth. By detecting with multiple factors, it is found that such pattern evolution is a result of a combination of factors, which is mainly influenced by environmental and employment factors in the early stages of development, while also significantly driven by market factors in the later stages of development as the dynamics of the spatial pattern continue to evolve with the economy.