Study on Spatial Difference and Its Convergence of Urban Assessment: Based on 286 Cities in China
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 150, Issue 4
Abstract
Urban assessment is an important basis for judging the sustainable development capability of cities. This study constructs an urban assessment index system from six aspects: health and comfort, ecological livability, convenient transportation, cleanliness and orderliness, diversity and inclusiveness, and innovation and vitality. Based on the spatial panel data of 286 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, the spatial differences that exist in urban appraisal among the three major regions of China and their convergence are investigated. The study shows the following: First, the study reveals a significant improvement in the level of city governance across the country, with a gradual reduction in absolute differences. Second, the overall differences in the urban assessment scores of individual cities in China have been decreasing year by year. Intraregional differences are smaller than interregional differences, with the east-central region showing the largest interregional difference. Third, regarding σ convergence, the evolutionary trends of city governance levels in the nation and the eastern, central, and western parts of China are somewhat turbulent but show significant σ convergence characteristics overall. Absolute spatial β-convergence coefficients in the nation and the eastern, central, and western parts of China are significantly smaller than 0. Additionally, there are conditional β-convergence trends in city governance in the nation and each city in the eastern, central, and western parts of China.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work is supported by the Outstanding Innovative Talents Cultivation Funded Programs for Doctoral Students of Jinan University (2023CXB003).
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Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 150 • Issue 4 • December 2024
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 22, 2023
Accepted: Jun 18, 2024
Published online: Sep 24, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 24, 2025
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