Quantitative Delimitation of Urban Influential Hinterland in China

Abstract

Urban influential hinterland reflects the relationships between urban centers and their peripheral regions. However, existing urban influence hinterland delimitation models are inadequate to explain and analyze the complexities of urban systems in China because of their lack of maneuverability. This paper presents an optimized field-model method to study the urban influence hinterlands of all major cities in China in 1991 and 2010. This method achieved a better delineation of urban hinterland through a comprehensive index of urban influence and a new measure of regional accessibility. Based on the improved delineation of urban influential hinterland, a detailed analysis has been performed of hierarchical changes in urban hinterland areas and the dynamic evolution of spatial patterns, including the effect of different urban hinterland patterns on the scale of a city and the relationships between urban centers and their peripheral cities, using geographical information system (GIS) technology. The similarities and differences between hinterland areas and administrative divisions were also studied by overlaying these areas with provincial boundaries to provide a scientific basis for adjustment of administrative divisions and delimitation of urban economic regions. In this study, urban economic regions were delineated by grades in accordance with their core region and their influential hinterland at different hierarchical levels. Compared with previous studies, the method proposed in this paper could reveal the spatial components and structure of various urban agglomerations, thus providing a new perspective from which to study urban agglomerations.