Core City Research Articles

Revealing the spatio-temporal characteristics and impact mechanism of carbon emission in China's urban agglomerations

Addressing carbon emissions is central to tackling climate change and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, urban agglomerations emerge as crucial players. Our study delves into the carbon emission trends and their driving mechanisms across 19 Chinese urban agglomerations from 2000 to 2018 by spatial statistical analysis and GeoDetector. We found that while total carbon emissions have been on the rise, the rate of increase has decelerated. A regional disparity is evident in the carbon emissions of these 19 urban agglomerations, characterized by higher emissions in the east and lower in the west. Notably, carbon emissions demonstrate considerable concentration in urban agglomerations with higher levels of development and their major cities. Regarding the factors affecting carbon emissions growth, economic scale (E) stands out as the most dominant, whereas carbon intensity (CI) and industrial structure (I) have a more subdued impact. These factors, when interacting, have a compounded effect compared to their individual influences. We advocate for a stratified carbon reduction approach centered on urban agglomerations, complemented by a bespoke strategy for core cities. Furthermore, carbon reduction efforts in urban agglomerations should carefully consider the interactive influence of multiple factors.

An assessment of spatial pattern of urban sprawl in JOS metropolis of plateau state, Nigeria: Using remote sensing and GIS techniques

In Jos metropolis, urban sprawl debate has closely paralleled on urban growth trends over the past few decades. These studies indicate that it is the pattern, types, density and rate of new urban growth that creates the appearance of sprawl. Population dynamics are often cited as a driving force behind urban sprawl. This paper uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and land cover change analysis, neighbourhood statistics, cross change detection techniques, field work on Urban sprawl areas in Jos metropolis. The paper also highlights the characteristics, types, rates, pattern and density of sprawl to examine the spatial pattern of sprawl in Jos North and Jos South. Linear sprawl pattern can only be visually seen by the road, the roads in Jos play important role in linear pattern of urban sprawl formation through road data, it helped to visualize clearly the areas of linear sprawl in Jos metropolis. An example can be visually seen in Naraguta area, part of a large high residential development of Jos north. Cluster types of urban sprawl settlement development in Jos metropolis. From the map, it shows that cluster types of sprawls in study area are found in the core city of Jos metropolis like Jos city and Bukuru in the study area. Cluster type of urban sprawl also appeared to grow out of what was once a leapfrog pattern of development in some area in the study area. Leapfrog patterns of urban sprawl appeared to be somewhat disconnected from other areas of existing developed settlement land. Leapfrog types of urban sprawl in Jos metropolis can be seen in Kuru North, Dan Miangu, Barakin Kuru and Kuru Hills.After the map of the densities urban sprawl for new growth areas has been created. The study reveals that settlement area has increase from 125.45 to 208.16 sq.km between 2002-2022 in twenty years period. It also revealed that water bodies have also drastically reduced by 3.33 sq.km and open space land use contributed about 127.57 km2 land converted to settlement within the time under study. Further analysis reveals that the urban settlement land of the area increased approximately 82.71 km2 in the twenty years’ time period of the study (2002 to 2022). Next, the patterns of urban expansions were analyzed by using mapping capabilities within the GIS and neighborhood statistics in order to show the density and connectivity of patches of new growth. Based on the density and connectivity of new growth areas, the patterns of growth were classified as: linear along highways, cluster, and leapfrog. The threshold densities are; 0 to 2000 as 30-meter pixels per km2 for low density, 2000 to 25000 for medium density, and 25000 to 130000 for high density. The results indicate that Jos metropolis did experience an increase in urban growth from 2002 to 2022 and that urban growth in the study area can be classified as urban sprawl. The density of new development is more in Jos North, but the pattern and character with which development has occurred in Jos North is synonymous with sprawl in Jos South. the type, rate and patterns of urban expansions were analyzed by using mapping capabilities within the GIS and neighborhood statistics in order to show the density and connectivity of patches of new growth in the study area.

Unraveling transit service and land use components of the socio-spatial inequality of access

This study proposes a framework that delineates the mobility and place components of access to help identify areas potentially suffering from insufficient transit service, limited job opportunities, or both. The framework introduces Spatial Inequality of Transit Services (SITS) and Spatial Inequality of Opportunities (SIO) measures to guide the structural reform of transit development policies through the lens of equity, equality, and need. It is tested on transit access to employment opportunities at the block group level in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Three observations are perceived. First, mobility and place components of access should be untangled to tailor effective transit and land use plans and policies. Second, transit services are less equally distributed than employment opportunities and disproportionately serve the residents of core cities. Third, carless and low-income households disproportionally reside in areas with better transit services regardless of their proximity to employment opportunities, and African Americans are discriminated against the most by the unequal distribution of employment opportunities. The findings serve as an essential input for developing regional transit plans and may be utilized to evaluate and prioritize proposed interventions based on their potential to reduce observed access deficiencies. However, further targeted research on residential location choice is necessary to delve into the decision-making processes, understand underlying motivations, identify potential barriers in seeking alternative options, and determine if it is a result of self-selection.

Moderating effect of urban endowment factors on environmental regulations-productivity relationship in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

In this paper, six major cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China are classified into two groups, namely core city (Beijing) and industrial cities. The objective is to analyze the moderating effect of urban endowments in different urban contexts on the environmental regulation-productivity relationship using an econometric model. The results are: As environmental regulation intensifies, production in Beijing's high-polluting industries rises after falling, showing “innovation compensation” and “inefficient exit” effects. In contrast, the high-polluting industries in the industrial cities exhibit a “compliance cost” effect. In Beijing, four urban endowment factors, including economic development, technological innovation, human capital, and government intervention, can provide supportive conditions for business development under environmental regulatory pressure, primarily by reducing the “compliance cost” effect and enhancing the “innovation compensation” effect. In industrial cities, on the other hand, urban endowment factors have not had a positive moderating effect, and government intervention has even had a negative effect. We argue that government intervention may be the more fundamental urban endowment factor, which may affect the moderating outcomes of other endowment factors. Based on these findings, we propose that governments should make greater use of guiding and incentive-based environmental policy instruments, while reducing administrative interventions. Appropriate policy instruments can activate the positive moderating role of urban endowments and thus provide a better supportive environment for firms' technological innovation.

Multicity comparative assessment and optimized management path of sustainability of the economy-energy-environment system: A case study of core cities in China's three major economic circles.

Coordinated and stable development of economy-energy-environment (3E) systems represents a long-term strategy for the sustainable development of humankind. Following the research idea of "indicator system construction-3E system evaluation-obstacles identification-optimization management," this article innovatively constructs a multiangle and comparable methodology system for evaluation and optimized management of the 3E system and considers the core cities of three economic circles in China as cases for empirical research. The results show that all the coordination degree levels were of good or high quality, which was at the highest level in the country. The sustainability degree of the three cities showed an upward trend; of these, Beijing had the highest sustainability degree, followed by Guangzhou and Shanghai. Obstacle degree analysis shows that technology investment and energy factors were common factors hindering sustainable development of the 3E systems of the three cities, and each city also had its own unique factors that acted as obstacles. On this basis, this article formulates region-specific policy recommendations in order to provide a useful reference for top-level design for the government. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:875-887. © 2023 SETAC.

Sustainable development pathways for energies in Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration

The sustainable development of urban agglomerations plays a pivotal role in national and global efforts to reduce emissions. By focusing on the efficient exchange and optimization of energy consumption across various sectors, the sustainable development of energy systems within urban agglomerations can be achieved. However, the overall impact of the cross-sector energy optimization and complementarity has not been quantitatively analyzed. Here, we focused on the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration in China and proposed an optimization framework for energy, environment, and economy. The framework considered four sectors: transportation sector, power sector, industry sector, and building sector, in order to determine the most sustainable development pathway for the urban agglomeration. The optimization model considers total costs and greenhouse gas emissions reduction as the objectives and utilizes technologies as constraints to optimize the pathway. We found that this optimization strategy resulted in a 53.1 billion tons increase in CO2 emissions reduction in the region. The results of emission reduction varied across sectors, ranging from 4.5 to 22.2 billion tons CO2 equivalent, and across cities, ranging from 7.1 to 4688.1 Mt. The results suggest that the core cities in the urban agglomeration can take on a leadership role. By promoting cross-sector collaboration and implementing energy recycling, the energy efficiency of surrounding cities can be greatly improved, leading to the sustainable development of the urban agglomeration.

Does China’s Existing Regional Knowledge Base Stimulate or Hinder Diversification into FinTech: The Role of Local ICTs Base

ABSTRACT The strand research of regional branching identifies relatedness as a key driver of new specializations in a region. The purpose of the present paper is to extend the regional branching framework by investigating how a regional knowledge base of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and others (non-ICTs) influences the specialization of financial technology (FinTech) in China at the city level. Accordingly, the empirical analysis focuses on the relationship between relatedness and FinTech diversification using panel data spanning the period 2008–2021 covering 247 China’s cities. We obtain that the role of ICTs relatedness is positively relevant in explaining the emergence and development of new FinTech domains. However, non-ICT relatedness is a negative factor in the process of FinTech diversification, which we attribute to the fact that FinTech is less reliant on other knowledge base except ICT sectors. Additionally, the effects of ICTs relatedness are higher in peripheral cities compared to core cities in promoting FinTech diversification.

Semiotics in architecture of public spaces: contemporary city-centers; case of Bangalore, India

This paper investigates the public space architecture in urban centers of contemporary cities. Through time cities evolve with a certain traditional profile either spontaneous or planned; correspondingly, urban spaces emerge responding to the current developments, community aspirations, and architectural influences of the era. The study adopts a research methodology of triangulation involving review of theoretical derivatives, legislations for urban aesthetics, and conducting visual surveys of urbanscapes. Three fundamental theories are explored-‘Semiotics/Semiology’ by Saussure (1916) and Peirce (1902), ‘Duck and decorated shed’ by Robert Venturi (1972) and ‘Urban semiotics’ by Kevin Lynch (1960). The premise is investigated with the case of Bangalore (also, Bengaluru) in India; a city which has a rich historical profile while also being one of the progressive cities, resulting in transitions in its urbanscapes profile and existence of two distinct city cores, old and the new. This analysis is ensued by adopting comparative analysis of façades investigated in these two Central Business Districts, with a ‘Façade grid’ assessment methodology leading to interpretation of varying semiotics in both scenarios. The surveys conducted reveal an interesting semiology in the older and newer nodes reflecting intense objectives of commercial architecture and leads to formulation of a strategic proposal framework for façade architecture and management to reconnect to the use-experiential factors in urban centers.

The Study of Regional Innovation Network Structure: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration

As a driving force for regional development, innovation holds an increasing position in regional competitiveness, and a reasonable and coordinated innovation network structure can promote high-quality regional development. Utilizing the modified gravity model and social network analysis method, an innovation network composed of 27 cities in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration from 2010 to 2021 was studied. The following conclusions were founded: (1) The innovation development level in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration was constantly improving, and the innovation development level generally showed a spatial pattern of high in the southeast and low in the northwest. (2) The intensity and density of innovation network correlations in urban agglomerations were increasing, and the centrality of network nodes had an obvious hierarchical characteristic. The innovation network had a significant core–periphery spatial structure, with core cities that had higher centrality, such as Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, playing the role of “intermediaries” and “bridges”, while cities with lower centrality, such as Anhui and cities in northern Jiangsu, generally played the role of “periphery actors” in the network. (3) The spatial correlation network of innovation of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration could be divided into four blocks, namely, main benefit, broker, two-way spillover, and net spillover, and the spillover effect among them had obvious gradient characteristics of hierarchy.

EVALUATION OF SPATIAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE CENTER OF LVIV ON THE EXAMPLE OF SVOBODY AVENUE

Since Lviv is a popular tourist destination, a major IT center, and a temporary residence for refugees from the eastern part of the state during the war, its role attracts people, and an active modern lifestyle can come in conflict with the restrictions of the preservation of the city's historical heritage. Therefore, the modern state of the city's historical core needs to be evaluated and compared to its past state. This research evaluates spatial metamorphosis by analyzing the old to modern city shift. Svobody Avenue, Lviv’s main street, was chosen to represent the area of analysis. Evaluation of Svobody Avenue was done by the quality criteria of public space, types of subspaces, and spatial problems of the current state of the avenue. The quality criteria were chosen liveliness, identity, comfort, and functionality, subspaces were based on Carmona’s classification, and a systematization of the problems as the outcome of transformation is presented in the end. This work's primary value is considering transformation as a comprehensive process from different angles, which gives a complete picture of the change in the city's main street.

Study on the Spatial Structure of the Complex Network of Population Migration in the Poyang Lake Urban Agglomeration

Population constitutes the foundational element of cities, and population migration drives the transfer of production factors among urban areas. The population migration network serves as an objective representation of intercity interactions, bearing great significance for the analysis of urban network spatial structure. This study focuses on the 10 core cities within the Poyang Lake urban agglomeration. It utilizes population migration data from Tencent’s location-based big data spanning from 2015 to 2018. Employing the point-axis theory from spatial network theory and the directed weighted network theory within the complex network, the study establishes a comprehensive set of network indices and a network model for spatial structure. It investigates the dynamics of population migration networks within the urban agglomeration and considers strategies for enhancing, regulating, or guiding urban agglomeration development to strengthen its overall vitality. The findings indicate that the urban agglomeration displays distinct characteristics of an urban hierarchical sequence and demonstrates gradual improvement in its spatial network development. While network density remains relatively stable across various threshold intervals over an extended period, network connectivity remains weak. Moreover, the urban agglomeration exhibits the lowest degree of centralization, the highest network structure entropy, and limited network connectivity. Migration along the primary power axis within the urban agglomeration remains relatively stable, while the internal network of the urban agglomeration is interconnected through a “core-non-core” network, reflecting near-geographical connection characteristics. Variations in spatial structure are observed, with the spatial network structure following two modes: “weak core city + edge city” and “node city + outer network city”. The trend in network connections diversifies, resulting in both “core-edge” connections and cross-regional connections. In conclusion, the network characteristics of the urban agglomeration surrounding Poyang Lake are consolidated to aid in formulating an optimization plan for the urban agglomeration’s spatial structure. Additionally, these findings serve as a reference for studying the evolution of spatial structures in the other two urban agglomerations within the city agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

The expansion efficiency of urban land in China's urban agglomerations and its impact on ecosystem services

Analyzing the impact of urban land expansion efficiency (ULEE) on ecosystem services (ESs) is crucial to constructing high-quality territorial spatial patterns within urban agglomerations (UAs). While numerous studies have investigated the coercion and disturbance of urban sprawl on the ecological environment, research examining the impact of urban sprawl from an efficiency perspective remains relatively rare. In this study, ten UAs of different levels of development in China are selected as the research objects, and prefecture-level cities are used as the primary research units. CO2 emissions are included as undesired outputs in the measurement and research framework of expansion efficiency to reflect the vision and requirements of emission reduction and carbon neutrality. At the same time, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) is used to reveal the impact of ULEE on ESs in years 2005–2021. The main results are as follows: (1) The ULEE within the entire UAs areas exhibited a fluctuating trend across different periods. Efficiency variations were evident among UAs with different development levels. Spatially, the UAs in the central region showed relatively low ULEE, while the northwest and southeast UAs displayed relatively high ULEE. Besides, the expansion efficiency of core cities in each UA exceeded that of surrounding cities. (2) The ecosystem service value (ESV) within the ten UAs demonstrated a consistent downward trend. In terms of the rate of ESV decline among UAs with varying developmental levels, breeding UAs exhibited the most rapid decline, followed by growing UAs, while mature UAs experienced the slowest decline. (3) Over the study period, the ULEE in UA areas positively contributed to enhancing ESs, with varying effects observed across different time frames. Natural factors directly influenced ES changes, thereby affecting both ULEE and Es dynamics. In contrast, changes in social factors indirectly caused changes in ESs. This study underscores the importance of a comprehensive assessment of ULEE and ESs to provide a scientific reference for formulating high-quality social and economic development and territorial spatial planning.

The Spatial Structure and Driving Mechanisms of Multi-Source Networks in the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle of China

The phenomenon of polarized development among regional cities has sparked extensive contemplation and indicated a need for research on multi-source regional networks. However, such research faces two obstacles: the absence of quantitative measurement of differences in network structures and the lack of a thorough examination of the degree of city clustering and the dynamics of community composition in hierarchical networks. Thus, we identified 16 cities in the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle (CCEC) as the spatial units to examine the spatial network structures of population, resources, and transportation and the integrated spatial network structure. Using social network analysis, this paper describes the structural characteristics of the three networks (population, resource, and transportation), followed by an analysis of their collective and hierarchical network clustering characteristics, and explores the driving mechanisms and factors that make up each network model. Our results show the following: (1) All three networks exhibit an “east dense, west sparse” characteristic, but there are differences in the layouts of the core cities in terms of the three networks. (2) The clustering characteristics of the hierarchical networks are more pronounced than those of the overall network. The results of the analysis combined with the network formation mechanisms can help effectively plan the future coordinated development of the CCEC.

THE LOST OF OLD DEMAK SULTANATE CITY PATTERN

This article reveals that the problem of sedimentation on the coast causes the loss of the old city. Sedimentation caused the Demak sultanate (1478–1586) no longer be on the coast and lose its power as a Maritime kingdom. What was the old Demak city shape? Historical records state that the strait had become a swamp and experienced frequent flooding. After going through three generations from 1478–1546, the fourth king moved the Demak to Prawata Hill (1546– 1549 AD). Due to the lack of maps and historical data, we analyze the old Demak using maps and pictures of contemporary Javanese sultanate cities such as Cirebon (1506-present) and Banten (1526–1815). We also use its predecessor kingdom, Majapahit (1293 to 1527 AD) as a reference and the successor sultanate as an analytical tool. The long-lasting sultanate had a city centre that grew and developed with complete urban facilities and infrastructure. The sultanate had a short life; the city core was still intact as the city nucleus, like Demak. Due to geological problems, the king needed more time to complete the city plan with city facilities. Demak was a transitional city from the Hindu/Buddhist-Islamic concept and coastal city to the inland concept.

Assessment of spatio-temporal evolution trends and driving factors of green development in Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration

As China has entered a new stage of high-quality development, clarifying the mechanism and spatial characteristics of green development for urban agglomerations are critical to sustainable development. Based on the data of 11 major cities in the Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration (HCUA) from 2010 to 2020, this study constructs an evaluation system of green development index (GDI) is composed of four dimensions, i.e. urban green construction (UGC), industrial green development (IGD), resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC), and technological innovation support (TIS). Furthermore, using the entropy weight method to obtain the weights of evaluation indicators. And then, the comprehensive index calculation is used to evaluate the GDI. The driving factors of each level of GDI are determined by the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results infer some novel findings as follows: (1) the overall tendency of the GDI of the HCUA has gradually increased from 0.358 in 2010 to 0.379 in 2020 which is at the average level. The dimension of TIS shows the highest rate of contribution while IGD and RECC show a fluctuating trend over the time window. (2) The GDI in the HCUA exhibits a patchy clustering differentiation feature that spreads from the central area to the surrounding areas with a “high in the south and low in the north” pattern. Specifically, Changchun, Harbin, and Daqing form an “inverted triangle” structure in geographical location to drive the green development of neighboring areas. (3) The core cities of the HCUA, Changchun, and Harbin, show a much higher level than the other cities. Jilin and Daqing are at the average level, and besides, the rest of the cities of GDI are at the poor level with significant fluctuations in ranking. (4) There are different driving factors between each level of GDI. For cities with good and average levels should focus on protecting resources and the environment. Meanwhile, cities with poor level of GDI need to improve IGD to optimize the urban green structure. Thus, it is suggested to strengthen the flow of factors and implement differentiated strategies to promote coordinated development and spatial clustering.

Russia and China: Prospects for the Development of Urban Agglomerations

This research is aimed at studying the development of cities and agglomerations, which is an urgent problem equally for the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. The level of urbanization increases with the development of territories, which makes it necessary to comprehend the processes taking place in urbanized regions and make management decisions to improve the quality of life and equalize it throughout the territory. Within the framework of these processes, the role of core cities remains, which are the centres of preferential development for the entire urban system as a whole.Aim. Comparative analysis of development trends in urbanized regions of China and Russia.Tasks. To analyse the main parameters of the quality of life in large cities of Russia and China. To consider the main trends in the development of urban agglomerations in the direction of its alignment. To determine the development and possibilities of mutual use of the experience of both countries in this process.Methods. The study uses a systematic approach with elements of a structural and functional approach and a comparative research method.Results and conclusion. As the main trends in the development of urbanized regions of Russia and China, the following are highlighted: the growth of the scale of territories and the concentration of a significant population on them, the associated aggravation of a number of problems, such as increasing competition in the integrated labour market, standardization and unification of the p rovision of basic services, increasing burden on local budgets and often limiting the autonomy of municipalities, the need to improve transport systems to increase the mobility of the population throughout the territory of the agglomeration.

How does regional integration policy affect urban resilience? Evidence from urban agglomeration in China

Urban agglomerations are seen as a new spatial pattern to address the problems encountered in urban development, with significant practical implications for enhancing the carrying capacity, adaptability to external environmental changes, and disaster resistance of urban systems. However, there is a scarcity of literature investigating the impact of urban agglomeration development on urban resilience. Exploiting the quasi-natural experiment of urban agglomeration plans in China, this study investigates the impact of regional integration policies (RIPs) on urban resilience across four dimensions: economic, social, ecological, and infrastructure. Our results indicate that: (1) RIPs have significantly improved urban resilience by 8.6%, as verified by various tests. (2) RIPs can improve economic resilience remarkably without any obvious effect on social and infrastructure resilience and even have a negative affect on ecological resilience. (3) Mechanism analysis indicates that RIPs enhance urban resilience by accelerating diversified agglomeration and specialized agglomeration, as well as promoting urban innovation. (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the policy-driven effect is more pronounced in core cities, non-resource-based cities, and cities with a high level of innovation. The aforementioned findings hold valuable implications in promoting simultaneous enhancement of urban agglomerations and urban resilience.

Analysis of Regional Division of Labor in Value Chain Patterns and Driving Factors in the Yangtze River Delta Region Using the Electronic Information Manufacturing Industry as an Example

The electronic information manufacturing industry is characterized by a very significant intra-product specialization and can display the characteristics of a regional division of labor. Looking at the existing literature, most studies have mainly examined the position of different countries in the spatial division of labor from the perspective of global value chains, with fewer empirical analyses at the city level or regional scale. Furthermore, deepening the regional division of labor in value chains is an effective way to promote regional industrial synergy and high-quality economic development. Based on the number of listed enterprises and the total number of parent–subsidiary investment connections in the electronic information manufacturing industry, this study reveals the characteristics of the deeper regional division of labor among cities by analyzing the Value Chain Division Index (VCDI). Subsequently, we used the fractional response regression model to analyze influencing factors. We found that, firstly, the core cities are dominated by the production of high-value parts, while the peripheral cities are mainly dominated by the production of middle- and low-value parts. Specifically, northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu, and southwestern Zhejiang are obviously in a disadvantaged position regarding the regional division of labor in the value chain. In the production of middle- and high-value parts, there are close investment connections between the core cities, and only a few peripheral cities maintain a certain degree of connection with the core cities. Therefore, there is a need to further strengthen industrial investment connections between the core and peripheral cities. Secondly, the regional division of labor in the value chain in the Yangtze River Delta region shows the following characteristic: a “one super, many strong” pattern. That is to say, the VCDI value of Shanghai is the highest, and the VCDI value of Suzhou, Ningbo, and Wuxi is also relatively high, while the VCDI value of peripheral cities is relatively low. Furthermore, we found that there is a relatively obvious regional division of labor among cities, but the core cities have strong homogeneity in the high-value areas. Therefore, it is necessary to further strengthen the dislocation of competition between core cities. Thirdly, the model results show that rising land prices and construction in the development zones at the provincial and national levels both have significant contributing effects on the enhancement of the regional division of labor in the value chain, while the innovation inputs, innovation outputs, and their interaction terms show a negative effect. There is a need to further enhance the efficiency of innovation transformation and improve the quality of innovation transformation in order to promote upgrading in the value chain.

The characteristics and influencing factors of spatial network of city-based innovation correlation in China: from the perspective of high tech zones

In the context of “space of flows”, city-based innovation correlation in driving economic growth is no longer limited to the traditional hierarchical structure. It is of great significance to explore Chinese cities innovation association network from the perspective of high-tech zones which gather a large number of innovation resources. Here our report is to provide new ideas for improving the innovation capability of high-tech zones and accelerating the construction of Chinese high-quality innovation system. Here we take 142 cities with high-tech zones as research samples, and explore the characteristics and influencing factors of spatial network of city-based innovation correlation in China, through modified gravity modelsocial, network analysis and QAP analysis. The results show that city-based innovation network is not closely connected, the number of redundant connection channels is low efficiency, showing a four-level spatial pattern of “Z” shaped spindle. Among them, degree centrality of cities in eastern China is higher than that in the western region, the core cities in central China play a bridging role, and western remote cities are easily affected by related cities. Moreover, there are four innovation cohesion subgroups, including the northern hinterland subgroup, the eastern coastal subgroup, the southern subgroup and the western cooperation subgroup. Furthermore, the results of the influencing factors analysis show the differences in administrative level, economic development level, openness to the outside world, and investment in technology are conducive to the innovation association between cities, while the similarities in spatial adjacency and industrial structure will promote the strong innovation association between cities.

Social inequalities and COVID-19 mortality between neighborhoods of Bariloche city, Argentina

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has shown how intraurban inequalities are likely to reinforce health and social inequalities. Studies at small area level help to visualize social inequialities hidden in large areas as cities or regions.AimTo describe the spatial patterning of COVID-19 death rates in neighborhoods of the medium-sized city of Bariloche, Argentina, and to explore its relationship with the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods.MethodsWe conducted an ecological study in Bariloche, Argentina. The outcome was counts of COVID-19 deaths between June 2020 and May 2022 obtained from the surveillance system and georeferenced to neighborhoods. We estimated crude- and age-adjusted death rates by neighborhood using a Bayesian approach through a Poisson regression that accounts for spatial-autocorrelation via Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) structure. We also analyzed associations of age-adjusted death rates with area-level socioeconomic indicators.ResultsMedian COVID-19 death rate across neighborhoods was 17.9 (10th/90th percentile of 6.3/35.2) per 10,000 inhabitants. We found lower age-adjusted rates in the city core and western part of the city. The age-adjusted death rate in the most deprived areas was almost double than in the least deprived areas, with an education-related relative index of inequality (RII) of 2.14 (95% CI 1.55 to 2.96).ConclusionWe found spatial heterogeneity and intraurban variability in age-adjusted COVID-19 death rates, with a clear social gradient, and a higher burden in already deprived areas. This highlights the importance of studying inequalities in health outcomes across small areas to inform placed-based interventions.