Spatial Spillover Effect and Influencing Factors of Information Flow in Urban Agglomerations—Case Study of China Based on Baidu Search Index

Chengzhuo Wu,Li Zhuo,Haiyan Tao,Zhuo Chen

doi:10.3390/su13148032

Abstract

Cities in an urban agglomeration closely interact with each other through various flows. Information flow, as one of the important forms of urban interactions, is now increasingly indispensable with the fast development of informatics technology. Thanks to its timely, convenient, and spatially unconstrained transmission ability, information flow has obvious spillover effects, which may strengthen urban interaction and further promote urban coordinated development. Therefore, it is crucial to quantify the spatial spillover effect and influencing factors of information flows, especially at the urban agglomeration scale. However, the academic research on this topic is insufficient. We, therefore, developed a spatial interaction model of information flow (SIM-IF) based on the Baidu Search Index and used it to analyze the spillover effects and influencing factors of information flow in the three major urban agglomerations in China, namely Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in the period of 2014–2019. The results showed that the SIM-IF performed well in all three agglomerations. Quantitative analysis indicated that the BTH had the strongest spillover effect of information flow, followed by the YRD and the PRD. It was also found that the hierarchy of cities had the greatest impact on the spillover effects of information flow. This study may provide scientific basis for the information flow construction in urban agglomerations and benefit the coordinated development of cities.

Highlights

Cities are in close contact with the outside through various flows, such as information, human migration, logistics, and capital flows [1]
Search Index to characterize information flow intensity among cities, we developed a spatial econometric interaction model and applied it to the three major urban agglomerations in China
By further exploring spillover effects from the explanatory variables of neighboring information flows on the target information flow, we found the following characteristics for the second type of spillover effects: Firstly, the hierarchy of both origin and destination cities had significantly positive spillover effects on information flow in the three major urban agglomerations

Summary

Introduction

Cities are in close contact with the outside through various flows, such as information, human migration, logistics, and capital flows [1]. Information flow, due to its timely, convenient, and spatially unconstrained transmission, makes spatio-temporal interaction more flexible, frequent, and close [2], and plays an important role in facilitating the generation and movement of other types of flow, such as innovation, industry, economy, and talents [3]. Through such close interaction, cities will gather together and become an indivisible and efficiently functioning spatial unit. Studying urban information flows is the foundation for analyzing complex city interaction patterns and the key to the comprehensive understanding of the urban spatial structures

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Methods

Discussion

Conclusion