Spatiotemporal Evolution, Coupling Coordination Degree and Obstacle Factors of Urban High-Quality Development: A Case Study of Anhui Province

Abstract

Anhui Province is located in the superposition area of the “Strategy of the Rise of Central China” and the “Strategy of Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta”. Analyzing the high-quality development of Anhui Province is crucial for regional development. This paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation system based on the “New development philosophy”. Then, the information entropy method is applied to measure the high-quality development index (HQDI). The Markov transition probability matrix is used to explore the evolutionary trend of the HQDI. This paper also analyzes the coupling coordination relationships between high-quality development subsystems. Finally, the obstacle factor diagnostic model is adopted to find the factors that impede high-quality development. The result shows that: (1) There exists a significant spatial gradient difference in Anhui Province. The overall spatial distribution of the HQDI shows a pattern of “high in the central and east, low in the north and south”. (2) The “club convergence effect” and the “Matthew effect” of urban high-quality development are observed. (3) Subsystem analysis verified the existence of regional differences. Hefei has the leading position in all development subsystems. (4) The coupling coordination degree of subsystems is relatively low, and the problem of disorder development within Anhui Province is significant. (5) The fixed assets’ investment, the total amount of imports and exports, the GDP, the total urban wastewater treatment and the urban road passenger volume are the main obstacle factors.