Spatial Evolution Process Research Articles

The historical evolution and social transformation of settlements in the mountainous regions of western Guangdong: a case study of Xinyi County, China

The formation of China’s territory has a long historical process. Prior research has highlighted the diverse historical development patterns across different regions. To delve deeper into the distinctiveness among regions and their nuanced disparities, the research centers on the settlements within Xinyi County, situated in the mountainous terrain of western Guangdong Province, China. The current study employs the research method of “Backward Observation” by conducting a literature review and utilizing ArcGIS for spatial analysis to investigate the spatial distribution and evolution process of regional settlements in western Guangdong. The results suggest a predominant involvement of the state in propelling the advancement of the indigenous community within Xinyi County, a progression primarily fulfilled by the conclusion of the late Qing and initial Republican eras, guided by the persistent localization and gentrification of migrating populations. Xinyi’s advancement pattern and speed exhibited notable distinctions from neighboring areas within Guangdong Province. This investigation additionally delves into G. William Skinner’s inquiries regarding the exceptional attributes and evolutionary patterns of localities, aligning with the South China School’s viewpoint on the varied nature of regional advancement procedures and cadences. This research on Xinyi’s historical evolution is importance in coordinating the preservation and advancement of historical towns, addressing urban-rural development disparities, and formulating future development strategies.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Forces of Tourism Economic Resilience in Chinese Provinces

This study focuses on the resilience of tourism economies in Chinese provinces, exploring their spatiotemporal evolution and driving forces as a crucial prerequisite for promoting the high-quality development of China’s tourism industry. We construct a resilience evaluation index system from four dimensions: resistance resilience, recovery resilience, reshaping resilience, and development resilience, using provincial tourism data from 2012 to 2022. The study employs Moran’s Index, kernel density estimation, and GIS technology to investigate the differentiation characteristics, spatial evolution processes, and spatial agglomeration characteristics of provincial tourism economic resilience in China. Finally, the GeoDetector model is used to analyze the driving factors. The findings are as follows: (1) Over time, most provinces and cities in China have shown varying degrees of improvement in tourism economic resilience, with different changes observed across the four dimensions. (2) Spatially, significant differences exist between provinces, with better resilience in the east than in the west and in the south than in the north. (3) Regionally, while no polarization is observed, there is a distinct differentiation between high and low-value areas. (4) Regional linkages indicate the presence of interregional associations in China’s tourism economic resilience, with non-uniform distribution of cold and hot spots. (5) Key driving factors include per capita railway mileage, domestic tourism revenue, the number of travel agencies, and the number of employees in accommodation and catering. Under the backdrop of rapid tourism economic development, improving infrastructure construction and enhancing the comprehensive strength of the tourism industry is vital for boosting tourism economic resilience.

Building reliability of risk assessment of domino effects in chemical tank farm through an improved uncertainty analysis method

The severity and complexity of fire-induced domino effects have received widespread attention. The spatial and temporal evolution process modeling of domino accidents is still stuck in single crisp value, in which the uncertainty will affect the reliability of the results. In this paper, we propose a computational method for uncertainty propagation of the evolution process modeling of the domino effect called Uncertainty Propagation of Domino Evolution Model (UPDEM), aiming to increase the reliability of risk assessment results. The method is capable of obtaining ranges and corresponding probability envelopes for tiame to failure and escalation probabilities, and quantifying uncertainty for all computational models that require input parameters. The uncertainty is quantified based on the evidence theory and a parameter cropping method based on the stress-strength interference model is proposed to optimize the evidence theory. The proposed method is applied to a case study and compared with previous studies. The comparison confirms that the results are more reliable after considering uncertainty and can produce the worst possible scenario consequence. Conducting the sensitivity analysis to prioritize the treatment of parameters and identify effective measures in risk control. The methodology can provide an important reference for decision-makers to prevent and control domino effects.

The evolution of traditional ancient towns in South China: Tangjiawan Ancient Town in Zhuhai city

ABSTRACT Based on the urban morphology theory of the Conzen School and the actual situation of the Tangjiawan Ancient Town, a morphological process analysis of the Tangjiawan Ancient Town was conducted. The end result is a visualization of the process of urban form evolution. The first objective is to describe the morphological framework of Tangjiawan Ancient Town and the morphological changes that occurred during its development. The current urban landscape is divided into units by superimposing morphological units, building types, and land use. The results of the division also reflect the morphological development, structure, and compositional characteristics of the ancient city of Tangjiawan. Using Tangjiawan Ancient Town in Zhuhai city as an example, on-site research, historical evidence, urban morphology analysis methods, and interviews were used to elaborate and analyze the spatial structure and evolution process of traditional ancient towns in South China. In particular, morphological units, building types, and land use are included. The morphological map of the Tangjiawan ancient town is inconsistent with the current economic-oriented development of ancient town planning. This shows that current planning is less concerned with the physical form of architectural heritage, which may lead to further damage to the landscape of the ancient town. This study provides a strong reference for the follow-up planning of ancient town protection of the same type from the perspective of morphology and area and provides ideas for the subsequent preparation of protection plans.

Failure precursors recognition method for loading coal and rock using the fracture texture features of infrared thermal images

Early warning of the catastrophic failure of rocks is a challenging rock mechanics problem. This article proposed a failure precursor recognition method based on infrared thermal image texture features for coal and rock. Based on spatiotemporal background noise correction for infrared thermal images, a new thermal image parameter of loading coal and rock, Contrast Texture Feature Values (CTFV), is proposed to extract subtle changes in the thermal image caused by crack evolution based on the Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM). The cumulative Crack Texture Thermal Image (CTTI) is reconstructed using CTFV, which can accurately reflect the spatial evolution process of loading coal and rock cracks. The CTFV remains at 0 in the early stage of loading and gradually increases with stress increase at the unstable crack propagation stage, which can serve as a reference for precursor warning of coal and rock failure. For shale, sandstone, and limestone, the precursor of CTFV at grayscale levels of 7, 8, and 9, can be classified into high failure risk, medium failure risk, and low failure risk, respectively. For coal samples, the CTFV is only applicable for the critical warning of high failure risk when the grayscale level is 7. Then, an adaptive identification method for failure precursors based on the sliding window probability density estimation method is proposed. The research results can enhance the reliability of IR monitoring technology for rock failure and instability early warning and can provide support for the prevention and control of rock engineering and geological disasters.

Research on the prediction of mine water inrush disasters based on multi-factor spatial game reconstruction

Water damage in mines poses a widespread challenge in the coal mining industry. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the multi-factor spatial catastrophe evolution mechanism and process of floor water inrush is crucial, which will enable the achievement of dynamic, quantitative, and precise early warning systems. It holds significant theoretical guidance for implementing effective water prevention and control measures in coal mines. This study focuses on the issue of water inrush in the coal seam floor, specifically in the context of Pengzhuang coal mine. By utilizing a small sample of non-linear characteristics derived from drilling geological data, we adopt a multifactor spatial perspective that considers geological structure and hydrogeological conditions. In light of this, we propose a quantitative risk prediction model that integrates the coupled theoretical analysis, statistical analysis, and machine learning simulation methods. Firstly, the utilization of a quantification approach employing a triangular fuzzy number allows for the representation of a comparative matrix based on empirical values. Simultaneously, the networked risk transmission effect of underlying control risk factors is taken into consideration. The application of principal component analysis optimizes the entropy weight method, effectively reducing the interference caused by multifactor correlation. By employing game theory, the subjective and objective weight proportions of the control factors are reasonably allocated, thereby establishing a vulnerability index model based on a comprehensive weighting of subjective and objective factors. Secondly, the WOA-RF-GIS approach is employed to comprehensively explore the interconnectedness of water diversion channel data. Collaborative Kriging interpolation is utilized to enhance the dimensionality of the data and facilitate spatial information processing. Lastly, the representation of risk is coupled with necessary and sufficient condition layers, enabling the qualitative visualization of quantitative results. This approach aims to accurately predict disaster risk with limited sample data, ultimately achieving the goal of precise risk assessment. The research findings demonstrate that the reconstructed optimization model based on multi-factor spatial game theory exhibits high precision and generalization capability. This model effectively unveils the non-linear dynamic processes associated with floor water inrush, which are influenced by multiple factors, characterized by limited data volume, and governed by complex formation mechanisms. The identification of high-risk areas for water inrush is achieved with remarkable accuracy, providing invaluable technical support for the formulation of targeted water prevention and control measures, ultimately ensuring the safety of coal mining operations.

Editorial: Territorial spatial evolution process and its ecological resilience

Editorial: Territorial spatial evolution process and its ecological resilience

Research on the variation law of floor stress information entropy in upper protective layer mining based on Brillouin optical fiber sensing

The characteristics of floor failure and stress changes during the mining process of protective layers are crucial for determining the effectiveness of pressure relief. Three boreholes were designed in the 21104 fully mechanized mining face of Hulusu Coal Mine to implant optical fibers into the floor of the working face. A fiber optic monitoring system was established to monitor the dynamic evolution of stress in the floor rock mass at different mining distances. Based on the information entropy in information theory, the monitoring results in the fiber optic monitoring system are calculated to obtain the stress information entropy at different mining distances. A quantitative dynamic analysis is conducted on the stress change process of the mining floor rock layer, and the stress change law of the protective layer after mining is verified through numerical calculation and similar simulation experiments. The results indicate that the evolution of stress information entropy can be divided into four stages, namely the original rock stress stage, stress concentration stage, stress release stage, and stress recovery stage. The stress information entropy shows a fluctuating upward trend, indicating that coal seam mining leads to a decrease in the orderliness of the overlying rock system and an increase in disorder. In different spatial evolution processes, there are also significant differences in stress information entropy. In the vertical direction, the entropy value of shallow rock layers changes greatly, while the entropy value of deep rock layers changes slightly. Mining leads to a decrease in the orderliness of the entire overlying rock system, an increase in stress information entropy, and a fluctuating upward trend in stress information entropy. The information entropy of overlying rock deformation and re compaction increases, but the degree of change of the former is greater than that of the latter. The Brillouin fiber optic sensing technology provides a new method for monitoring the stress changes in the protective layer mining floor, achieving quantitative analysis of floor rock failure.

Influence of spatial structure migration of overlying strata on water storage of underground reservoir in coal mine.

Underground reservoir technology for coal mines can realize the coordinated development of coal exploitation and water protection in water-shortage-prone areas. The seepage effect of the floor seriously affects the safety of underground reservoirs under the action of mining damage and seepage pressure. Focusing on the problem of floor seepage in underground reservoirs, a spatial mechanical model of underground reservoirs was established. The main factors affecting the seepage of the surrounding rock were studied. The seepage pressure law in different stages of spatial structure evolution of overlying strata was explored. The results showed that pressure change was the main factor affecting the stability of a reservoir's surrounding rock. The pore space between the broken and fractured rock in the water-flowing fractured zone was the main water storage space, which was directly related to the development of a breaking arch. According to the spatial structure evolution process of the overlying strata, the water storage state of an underground reservoir was divided into two stages and three situations. The seepage pressure was mainly affected by the water pressure and the overlying strata weight. The water pressure was affected by the reservoir head height, and the overlying strata weight was mainly affected by the overlying strata thickness.

Analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution process and development trend of innovation capability of Chinese sports industry.

The paper uses spatial panel data on the number of patents in the field of sports in each province from 2017-2022 to explore the spatial and temporal evolution process of the innovation capacity of China's sports industry and analyze its development trend based on theories related to economic geography, using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and Spatial-temporal correlation analysis research methods. The study shows that: 1. there is a large spatial regional disparity in the innovation capacity of China's sports industry, showing an obvious pattern of strength in the east and weakness in the west. 2. there is an obvious phenomenon of spatial agglomeration in the innovation capacity of China's sports industry and the agglomeration phenomenon in space is gradually increasing. 3. there is a spatial spillover effect in the innovation capacity of China's sports industry, and the inward spillover continues to strengthen mainly into Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu provinces, while the outward spillover mainly goes to Guangdong, Hubei, Hebei, Hunan, Sichuan. Sports industry innovation capacity development put forward three suggestions: to promote the development of sports industry in the northwest region; to play the advantages of regional characteristics of sports industry; to accelerate the integration of neighboring regions to build the process. in order to help the high-quality development of sports industry.

Empirical evidence of coupling and coordination between circular economy and foreign trade based on big data

Abstract Promoting foreign trade development based on a circular economy is the key to dealing with the problems between the resource environment and economic growth. This paper first constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system of circular economy and foreign trade by taking 19 urban agglomerations in China as research objects. Secondly, the entropy value method is used to measure and analyze the circular economy development and foreign trade development of Chinese urban agglomerations from 2014 to 2021. Finally, the coupled coordination level of circular economy and foreign trade of Chinese urban agglomerations was measured using the coupled coordination degree model in physics, and the spatial and temporal evolution process of the synergistic development of circular economy and foreign trade of Chinese urban agglomerations was studied. The results show that the mean values of the coupling coordination degree of circular economy and foreign trade in the east and west regions of China from 2014 to 2021 are generally maintained above 0.85, and all tend to 0.95 equilibrium value, which is at a high coupling stage, indicating that there is an obvious interaction between the circular economy and foreign trade in China. This paper analyzes the spatial and temporal evolution of the coupling degree and coupling coordination degree of circular economy and foreign trade in Chinese urban agglomerations and provides a theoretical basis for governments at all levels to formulate policies and regulations on the synergistic development of circular economy and foreign trade in Chinese urban agglomerations.

Spatial Network of Urban Heat Environment in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration Based on MSPA and Circuit Theory

Rapid urbanization has increased the complexity of the urban heat environment system, which has negative impacts on the health of the urban ecological system and the human habitat. By combining theories and technologies such as geographic information systems, remote sensing, morphological spatial pattern analysis, and circuit theory with data from MODIS land surface temperature production, urban heat island patches in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration were quantitatively identified in terms of their spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and their spatial and temporal transfer paths. This foundation revealed the geographical network structure of the urban heat environment as well as the spatial and temporal evolution process of critical corridors. According to the findings, urban heat island patches covered 16610 km2 in 2020, accounting for 7.68% of the study area. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, both the area and the number of urban heat island patches considerably increased between 2005 and 2020, going from being dominated by isolated island types of urban heat island patches in 2005 to being dominated by core types in 2020. In particular, the non-urban heat island patches, core type, and edge type of urban heat island patches in 2005 were the major ancestors of the core type and edge type urban heat island patches in 2020. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, there were more urban heat environment source sites, corridor length, densities, and present densities in 2020 than there were in 2005. The sensitive corridor was found to be the predominant type of urban heat island corridor in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration in 2020. The number of sensitive corridors increased the highest in the period from 2005-2020. As the coefficient of urban heat environment corridors increased concurrently, it was apparent that the urban heat environment corridor had a propensity to grow continuously in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. The active adaptation and mitigation measures of the urban heat environment were proposed, and a spatial network model of the urban heat environment was finally provided. To adapt to, mitigate, and promote urban sustainable development risks, these research findings will serve as a paradigm for the identification of the urban heat environment spatial network actively and methodically.

Urban Planning and Spatial Evolution Processes in Taiyuan and Relevant Influencing Factors

As a famous historical and cultural city in China, Taiyuan City has a history of more than two thousand years with a rich evolution of its urban space. This paper discusses the influencing factors of urban space by describing the historical background of Taiyuan and the evolution of urban space. The spatial layout of Taiyuan in the Ming Dynasty was based on the idea of the palace as the main planning of the royal city. In the Qing Dynasty, Taiyuan still shared the walls with the Ming Dynasty, and the city's overall framework did not change much. The city was built mainly in traditional politics and military affairs during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with some related facilities and buildings. After the Republic of China, the layout of the city was influenced by Western urban planning ideas, endowing more functions to the internal architecture and establishing many spaces with living, cultural and educational significance. After the founding of New China, Taiyuan became a city of heavy industry focusing on the chemical industry, coal, machinery, and metallurgy.

Ecological Vulnerability and Ecological Risk Assessment of Shanghai Section of Hangzhou Bay North Shore

Vulnerability research and ecological risk assessment of coastal ecological environment are of great significance for the temporal and spatial evolution process and trend of coastal zone. In this paper, using the 4-phase GF-1 remote sensing data, the landscape fragility index and landscape artificial disturbance intensity index of the Shanghai section of the north bank of Hangzhou Bay are calculated, and the temporal and spatial variation characteristics and the response to human activities are analyzed. The prediction based on Kalman filtering is used. The area of the landscape vulnerability level of the Shanghai section of the north shore of Hangzhou Bay in 2022. The results show that: (1) The lower fragile area is the dominant type of vulnerable area between 2013 and 2016, and the low-vulnerable area rises to the dominant type in 2016-2018, and the area of higher and high vulnerable areas is on the rise, and the vulnerable areas in 2018-2019 The change is slower than the previous stage. High-level vulnerable areas continue to spread, mainly from urban to suburban, inland to coastal, land to port. (2) The landscape change in the study area has a significant response to human activities, and there is a significant positive correlation between landscape fragility and landscape artificial disturbance intensity. (3) Based on the Kalman filter method, the results of predicting the level of vulnerable areas in each landscape in 2022 show that the area of the low vulnerability level area and the higher vulnerability level area has increased from the previous moment, and the lower vulnerability level area and The area of the medium vulnerability level has increased from the previous moment, and the area of the high vulnerability level has increased from 2018, which is lower than that in 2019.

Research on Spatial Correlation Evolution of Marine Ecological Efficiency Based on Social Network and Spatial Correlation Matrix Model

Most developed countries in the world are maritime powers. This article constructs an ecological efficiency evaluation system based on the characteristics of the ocean itself while taking into account the relationship between land and sea. Based on social network analysis, the relationship between China’s marine ecological efficiency is regarded as a social network system, and the roles and positions played by 11 coastal cities in the network are analyzed from a relational perspective. Next, based on the unexpected super efficiency model to measure the ocean efficiency value in China’s coastal areas, we explore its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, and measure the ocean ecological efficiency while incorporating ecological environmental pollution as an unexpected output into the evaluation system. Then, the spatial incidence matrix of marine ecological efficiency is calculated through the modified gravity model, and the characteristics of network structure are described with the help of the social network method. In addition, ArcGIS software is used to visualize the spatial evolution process. Finally, QAP regression is used to explore the key factors affecting the spatial correlation network of marine ecological efficiency in China. The results show the following: (1) In terms of time, the marine eco-efficiency of most provinces is not high, and the difference between provinces is obvious, but on the whole, it shows a fluctuating upward trend. (2) From the perspective of space, the overall displacement of the center of marine eco-efficiency in China is large in the north–south direction and small in the east–west direction, and the center of marine eco-efficiency is always concentrated near the Yangtze River Delta. (3) On the whole, the spatial correlation network of China’s marine eco-efficiency is becoming more and more complex. The number of correlation relationships and network density is increasing, and the network framework is gradually maturing. The spatial adjacency matrix, the difference in economic development level, and the difference in population distribution level can significantly promote the formation and development of the spatial correlation network of marine eco-efficiency. However, the differences in the level of opening to the outside world and in the structure of marine industries restrain their spatial networks. The difference between marine science and technology levels is not significant.

Dynamic evolution of spatial equilibrium degree of water resources composite system in system-region two stages: The case of Lianshui Basin, China

The water resources in Lianshui Basin is facing a prominent contradiction between production and ecology, as well as fierce competition among various regions. However, existing researches on spatial equilibrium typically tend to address only one of the dimensions among water resources system and other systems or among different regions, which can not meet the requirements for optimal allocation of water resources aiming for spatial equilibrium under the high-quality development strategy. The definition and quantitative evaluation method of spatial equilibrium remain unclear. In order to respond to the policy of spatial equilibrium and overcome the dilemma of water resources development and utilization under the new normal, the connotation of spatial equilibrium at two levels of system and region was presented, a quantitative dynamic evaluation method for the spatial equilibrium degree in system-region two stages was proposed in this study. A comprehensive evaluation indicators system was built for the water resources composite system composed of three subsystems: water resources, social economy and ecological environment, and a dynamic quantization model of coupling coordination degree based on the comprehensive evaluation indices of three subsystems was established, the temporal and spatial dynamic evolution process of the coupling coordination degree of water resources composite system was analyzed. At the same time, Theil index was used to research the dynamic evolution characteristics of the regional difference in coupling coordination degree in Lianshui Basin. This paper also identified the main source of difference based on the decomposition of Theil index, and the degree and trend of spatial equilibrium of water resources in Lianshui Basin were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that the coupling coordination degree of the composite system of each district in Lianshui Basin was continuously improving, but there was no significant trend in the difference of coupling coordination degree among regions, which means the degree of spatial equilibrium in the “system stage” has notably improved, but the degree of spatial equilibrium in the “region stage” had no significant and stable increase. In addition, the difference within the region was always the main reason for the deficiency of spatial equilibrium.

The role of planning policy in the evolution of the spatial structure of the Guangzhou metropolitan area in China

Planning policies are important drivers of spatial evolution in Chinese metropolitan areas; however, research on the impact of planning policy implementation on the spatial evolution of metropolitan areas is lacking. This study identifies the spatial evolution process of the Guangzhou metropolitan area, evaluates the results of planning policy implementation, and analyzes the possible spatial interactions between them. The results show that the spatial evolution of the Guangzhou metropolitan area is consistent with the point-axis development theory, and has formed a polycentric network-type spatial structure evolution. Moreover, there is an obvious spatial correlation between the implementation planning policies and the spatial evolution of a metropolitan area; that is, the planning policies have driven the spatial structure of the metropolitan area to develop gradually in different periods. This research enriches the theoretical study of the spatial evolution of metropolitan areas, and provides a point of reference for the development and planning of other metropolitan areas.

Spatial and Temporal Evolution Characteristics of the Salween River Delta from 1973 to 2021

We obtained sixteen clear-sky remote sensing images of Landsat series data from 1973 to 2021 and extracted continental and island coastlines of the Salween River Delta based on the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) and visual interpretation correction. We determined the overall evolution of coastlines with statistical and superposition analysis and applied the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to summarize the spatial and temporal evolution process and characteristics in the past 50 years. Experimental results show that (1) the overall change of the coastline was more rapid on the island than on the continent, and on the Indian Ocean side than on the continental side, (2) the total area of the island increased by 91.16 km2 from 1973 to 2021, the area of Bilu Island increased by 50.38 km2, the length of the continental coastline decreased by 0.39 km, and the length of the coastline of the Bilu Island increased by 6.43 km, (3) the Linear Regression Rate (LRR) were: 4.69 m/yr for the total coastline, 1.06 and −2.07 m/yr, respectively, for the western and southern branches of the continental coastline, and 0.83 and 21.52 m/yr, respectively, for the continental and Indian Ocean sides of Bilu Island, and (4) the dominant process in the Salween River Delta was accretion, with an overall accretion area of about 10 km2, and an unstable accretion rate.

Does digitalization make urban development greener? A case from 276 cities in China

Nowadays countries in the world are striving to transform their economic and social development modes to achieve the general goal of green development. With the rapid development of communication technology, digitalization has affected production and life, touching all aspects of society. Can digitalization make the world “greener”? To this end, this study conducts an empirical research based on the panel data of 276 cities in China from 2011 to 2020. Firstly, this paper separately measured the comprehensive level of urban digitalization and urban greening through the Entropy-TOPSIS method, then analyzed their spatial distribution characteristics and evolution process respectively, finally used the spatial Durbin model to explore the impact of digitalization on urban greening development. The following conclusions were drawn accordingly: (1). The development pattern of urban digitalization has changed from “multi-point” sporadic distribution to “group-type” aggregation with obvious spatial heterogeneity. The gap between cities is not narrowing. The Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration has become an important high-level digital agglomeration area; (2). The urban greening develops with obvious spatial heterogeneity. The difference between eastern regions and western regions is prominent, and the urban spatial agglomeration characteristic is distinct. However, the spillover effect is weakened with distance, while the convergence characteristic becomes obvious; (3). Digitalization is significantly beneficial to the development of urban greening with obvious spatial heterogeneity. Digitalization in cities within urban agglomeration and in eastern regions has a stronger effect on promoting the urban greening, which is not obvious in cities located in western regions and non-urban agglomeration. Finally, according to the research results, suggestions for urban digitalization and greening development are put forward.

How Has the Inter-City Corporate Network Spatio-Temporally Evolved in China? Evidence from Chinese Investment in Newly Established Enterprises from 1980–2017

Based on social network analysis (SNA) and the modified Boston Matrix (also known as Market Growth Rate—Relative Market Share Matrix or Four Quadrant Analysis, which was developed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the early 1970s.), this paper presents the temporal and spatial evolution process of inter-city corporate investment networks in 338 city regions (prefecture level and above) in China from 1980 to 2017. First, we find that inter-city investment linkages formed a diamond-shaped connection structure, with Beijing–Shanghai–Shenzhen–Chongqing as the spatial vertices; moreover, the overall investment network underwent a transition from looseness to aggregation. Second, the spatial layout of module division presents a situation of overall fragmentation and partial agglomeration, and regional integration is increasing. Third, the resource control capability of nodes showed the Beijing unipolar pattern before the 2000s and developed into the Beijing–Shanghai–Hangzhou one-pole, dual-core pattern after the 2000s. The reachability of nodes presents the Beijing uni-polar pattern during all the study years. The core–periphery model of nodes weakened over the study period, and the nodes’ positions have obvious administrative hierarchy and economic level orientation. Fourth, the node potentials and development stages are stronger in the east than in the west overall. Finally, we propose some political implications that the government can consider in order to improve the regional coordination of development.