Study on the Coordinated Industrial Development of City Cluster in the Yellow River Basin

Abstract

Ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, an important ecological shelter and economic zone in China, has become a priority during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. This study takes 11 municipalities in Guanzhong Plain city cluster in the Yellow River Basin as the research object. Location quotient, Krugman structural difference index, functional specialization index and improvement potential model have been used to calculate the indicators of coordinated industrial development of city cluster. The results show that: the development level within Guanzhong Plain city cluster is different, with a great difference in total economic volume and GDP growth rate. The spatial distribution of industries in Guanzhong Plain city clusters can be described as follow: Xi' an is the tertiary industry cluster area, Baoji, Xianyang, etc. are the secondary industry cluster area, and other cities are the primary industry cluster area. In terms of manufacturing and tertiary industry, municipalities in Guanzhong Plain city cluster demonstrate similar industrial structures, and the level of regional industrial specialization needs to be further improved. The division level of new industries in Guanzhong Plain city cluster is relatively low, and the regional industrial chain has not yet formed. According to the city potential value and geographical location, Guanzhong Plain city cluster is divided into three industrial functional areas: central area (Xi' an), intermediate area (Xianyang, Baoji, Weinan, Yuncheng, Shangluo, Tongchuan), and peripheral area (Tianshui, Qingyang, Pingliang, Linfen). In the end, based on the above conclusions, this study puts forward some suggestions to promote the coordinated industrial development in Guanzhong Plain city cluster.