Structure of low-carbon economy spatial correlation network in urban agglomeration

Abstract

Currently, a low-carbon economy has become an inevitable choice for sustainable development in many countries. This research issue has been widely discussed in the previous literature. However, discussion about the spatial correlation network of low-carbon economy in urban agglomeration has been rare. Focusing on the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration, the structural characteristics of its low-carbon economy spatial correlation network are explored from three perspectives, namely, overall, individual, and subgroup, based on the low-carbon economy gravity model and social network analysis. This work finds that the spatial correlation of low-carbon economic development in the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration is increasingly positive. Spatial correlation among cities is constrained by administrative boundaries, which are slowly being eliminated. The centrality results show that the development plans of Chengdu and Chongqing largely determine the spatial orientation of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration. Moreover, the spatial spillover and intermediation effects of Chengdu are stronger than those of Chongqing. Finally, the structure of cohesive subgroups is relatively stable, and the core–periphery hierarchy is clearly distributed. The findings contribute to the scientific and rational allocation of spatial resource elements in the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration, inspiring it to form a new paradigm of low-carbon economic development.