The Administrative Center or Economic Center: Which Dominates the Regional Green Development Pattern? A Case Study of Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration, China

Abstract

Central cities play a critical role as beneficial areas for regional development and lead the high-quality development of an entire region and surrounding cities. As social and economic activities expand, the regional development pattern becomes more complex. This is typically manifested in the separation of administrative and economic centers. In this context, there is high research value in identifying the roles of different types of central cities in the regional green development pattern. This paper analyzes the urban linkage pattern and evolving characteristics of green development in the Shandong Peninsula, China, from 2016 to 2020. The study adopts the methods of Bootstrap Data Development Analysis, Modified Gravity Model, and Social Network Analysis. The results show the following. (1) Both the administrative center and economic center have positive driving effects on the spatial connection of surrounding cities in the urban agglomeration. There is a multi-point, multi-core, and multi-path spatial correlation in the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration. (2) The joint strength of the administrative center is higher compared to the economic center, and most of the green development partnerships are centered on the provincial capital. (3) The gravitational force of cities close to the administrative center is generally higher than seen with the economic center cities, but there is a gradual emergence of a substantial gravitational effect of the economic center.