Quantitative Delimitation of Metropolitan Areas Based on a Synthetic Method: Case Study in the Lanzhou Metropolitan Area
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 136, Issue 4
Abstract
Contemporary urbanization, urban regionalization and modernization, and the globalized economy have resulted in the formation of various urban complexes that have attracted the attention of urban geographers, sociologists, and economists worldwide. Quantitative delimitation of metropolitan areas has laid a foundation for further study of such areas. This study was conducted to develop a method of quantifying metropolitan area delimitation based on a synthetic method in conjunction with the geographical information system (GIS) technology. In addition, these methods were applied to the Lanzhou metropolitan area according to the analysis of spatial attenuating tendency, economic gravity (EG), network, civil interests, and potential effect. To accomplish this, the ARC/INFO software was employed to establish an accurate and authentic database. This database was then used to investigate the relationships and interactions between urban and regional areas or interurban areas, which were reported as indices of the spatial factor, temporal factor, flow, and EG. The use of quantifying metropolis delimitation based on the synthetic method developed here and GIS technology was generally successful.
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Acknowledgments
This paper is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. NNSFC40671061) and National Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of China (“The Comparative Research on Domestic and Foreign Metropolitan Coordinating Regions,” Grant No. UNSPECIFIED04BSH027). The writers would like to thank Li Xiaoying, Wan Li, Hou Dianan, Gao Feng, Cheng Gang, and other members in the research group. The writer would also thank David Cushley of International Science Editing for language editing.
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Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 136 • Issue 4 • December 2010
Pages: 357 - 364
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 13, 2008
Accepted: Mar 3, 2010
Published online: Mar 5, 2010
Published in print: Dec 2010
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