Abstract
With the rapid development of urbanization in China, urban spatial form has increasingly gained research attention. In this study, the DEA (data envelopment analysis)-Malmquist index model and a panel data model are used to examine the relationship between the urban spatial form and total factor productivity (TFP) of 30 provincial cities in China. Our method of measuring urban spatial form is different from the current entropy method, but we use remote sensing GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to measure the relevant data on urban compactness and urban elongation. The average values of urban compactness and urban elongation first rise, then fall, and then rise again, and there are alternate situations of urban compact development and urban sprawl and expansion. Furthermore, there is a significant positive correlation between urban compactness and TFP. Therefore, cities with high urban compactness can promote TFP. In addition, there is a significant negative correlation between urban extension rate and TFP, indicating that an increase in urban elongation has a restraining effect on TFP. Finally, the average TFP of each city shows a fluctuating trend of rising first and then declining, which is determined mainly by technological change and efficiency change. These results are expected to provide a scientific basis for the development of urban agglomerations in China.
Highlights
With the rapid development of China’s economy, the country’s total economic output ranks second in the world
Due to urban development, planning layouts, and economic foundations, cities are accompanied by the trend of a gradually expanding urban radius
Based on a panel data model, this study finds that there is a significant positive correlation between urban compactness and total factor productivity (TFP) (β = 0.098, p < 0.05)
Summary
With the rapid development of China’s economy, the country’s total economic output ranks second in the world. With the acceleration of industrialization, China’s urbanization has been characterized by a low starting point and rapid development. According to data from the “National New Urbanization Plan 2014” [1], from 1978 to 2013, the permanent population of cities and towns increased from 170 million to 730 million, the urbanization rate increased from 17.9% to 53.7%, and the annual average increase of urbanization rate was 102 percentage points. The aforementioned policy document proposes the idea of compact cities and shares relevant instructions for its implementation. Both Lewin [2] and Kotharkar et al [3] believe that measuring urban form and compactness is important for understanding urban spatial structure and sustainable development
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