What caused differential impacts on high-speed railway station area development? Evidence from global nighttime light data

Abstract

The capability of High-Speed Rail (HSR) to influence urban development has received considerable attention. However, due to lack of statistical data, there are few studies examining HSR-led urban development from a national perspective. Using the brightness of nighttime lights as a proxy for economic development, this manuscript begins to offer a more complete picture of development around 124 HSR station areas in China. Moreover, the manuscript explores the causes of different development patterns among China's HSR station areas. Empirical results reveal three main findings. 1) HSR station areas with high nighttime light brightness are mainly located in Beijing, Tianjin, Yangtze River delta city cluster and Pearl River delta city cluster. HSR station areas with relatively rapid growth in nighttime light brightness are mostly distributed in Hebei province, Henan province and Anhui province. 2) The level of urban economic development, the level of city rank and the location of HSR stations are three important factors affecting the development of HSR station areas. 3) The factors affecting the development of new and existing HSR station areas are distinct from one another. The influence of the overall urban economic development level on the development of new HSR station areas is larger than such influence on existing station areas where HSR has been added to existing infrastructure. The level of city ranking and the location of HSR stations significantly affect the development around new HSR stations, but have no significant impact on the development surrounding pre-existing HSR stations.