City Network Evolution Characteristics of Smart Industry: Evidence from Yangtze River Delta, China

The dual-path model of industrial evolution and spatial progression has been widely acknowledged and incorporated into the strategic planning to promote the development of urban industries and regional collaborations.However,current research on inter-enter-prise city networks mainly focuses on the single sector of flows on all enterprise branches,such as product value chains and production factors,but neglects that of particular industry department.Built upon the new economic geography and city networks theory,this paper develops a methodological framework that focuses on the analysis of city network evolution characteristics of smart industry.Particu-larly,a conceptual model of smart industry enterprise-industry-city is proposed and then applied to a case study of smart industry in the Yangtze River Delta Region,China.Using enterprise supplier-customer data,a city network of smart industry is constructed and sub-sequently analyzed with the proposed model.Findings indicate that the smart industry network in Yangtze River Delta Region exhibits a hierarchical structure and the expansion of the network presents a small-world network characteristic.The study not only makes a meth-odological contribution for revealing the industrial and spatial evolution path of the current smart industry,but also provides empirical support for the formulation of new economic development policies focused on smart industries,demonstrating the role of city clusters as carriers of regional synergistic development.

Resilience assessment and optimization method of city road network in the post-earthquake emergency period

The post-earthquake emergency period,which is a sensitive time segment just after an event,mainly focuses on saving life and restoring social order.To improve the seismic resilience of city road networks,a resilience evaluation method used in the post-earthquake emergency period is proposed.The road seismic damage index of a city road network can consider the influence of roads,bridges and buildings along the roads,etc.on road capacity after an earthquake.A function index for a city road network is developed,which reflects the connectivity,redundancy,traffic demand and traffic function of the network.An optimization model for improving the road repair order in the post-earthquake emergency period is also developed according to the resilience evaluation,to enable decision support for city emergency management and achieve the best seismic resilience of the city road network.The optimization model is applied to a city road network and the results illustrate the feasibility of the resilience evaluation and optimization method for a city road network in the post-earthquake emergency period.

Measurement and Interpretation of Connectivity of Chinese Cities in World City Network,2010

This is an empirical paper that measures and interprets the position of Chinese cities in the world city network in 2010. Building on a specification of the world city network as a′interlocking network′in which business services firms play the crucial role in city network formation, information is gathered about the presence of global service firms in cities. This information is converted into data to provide the′service value′of a city for a firm′s provision of corporate services in a 526(cities)×175(firms) matrix. These data are then used as the input to the interlocking network model in order to measure cities′connectivity and its predominant geographical orientation. Here we focus on the position of some key Chinese cities in this regard, and discuss and interpret results in the context of the urban dimensions of the′opening up′of the Chinese economy.

Changing Connectivities of Chinese Cities in the World City Network,2010–2016

Against the backdrop of the sizable economic growth of China in recent years, this paper uses the most recent data gathering of the Globalization and World Cities(Ga WC) research network to update and supplement earlier research on the shifting global connectivity of Chinese cities. The update consists of an evaluation of the connectivity of Chinese cities in 2016, the supplement of an analysis of the changing position of Chinese cities in the world city network between 2010 and 2016. To this end, we build on a specification of the world city network as an ‘interlocking network' in which producer services firms play the crucial role in city network formation. Information about the presence of leading producer services firms in cities in 2010 and 2016 is used as the input to a bipartite network projection algorithm in order to measure cities' network connectivity. The first set of results discusses the geographies of urban connectivity in the world city network in 2016. The second set of results discusses standardized measures of change to reveal the major dimensions of the transformations between 2010 and 2016. We find that, with the exception of Hong Kong, Macao and Kaohsiung of Taiwan, all Chinese cities record connectivity gains. This wholesale rise in connectivity is nonetheless geographically uneven, with above all Beijing, Chengdu/Chongqing and Changsha/Wuhan becoming more connected. We conclude that the wholesale rise of Chinese cities in the world city network and their changing trajectories in the post-crisis era are embedded in shifting external and internal political economies.

Distribution of primary school based on spatial network comprehensive model in low-income mountainous cities： a case study in Wanyuan, China

Focusing on the peculiarities of urban construction resulting from specific mountain terrains, the purpose of this study is to find out a suitable method based on a Spatial Network Comprehensive Model(SNCM) to reasonably plan and distribute primary schools in low-income mountain cities. The construction principles and advantages of the SNCM method are proposed and the method tested in Wanyuan city of Qinba Mountain area(Southwest China) to verify its feasibility and optimization. Taking account of the mountain terrain and its influence on user behavior, we used the SNCM method to build a comprehensive model which integrates the road slope and the walking speed of pupils into the basic spatial model. The model is used to calculate a reasonable layout of the primary schools and to validate the rationale. The results show that the SNCM method can be effectively applied in low-income mountainous cities. It can not only improve the accessibility and service efficiency of primary schools using as little capital-investment as possible, but also help the city grow in an intensive and efficient way.

Prospects of Shanghai City Network in 21~st Century

According to the population, area and economy development of Shanghai City, this paper introduces the load forecast of the city and points out that the development of urban power network should adapt the development of its economy. In this paper, the developing targets of Shanghai power network are also presented.

An Empirical Study on Chinese City Network Pattern Based on Producer Services

Globalization and informatization have accelerated city networking process over the world, which makes research on city network a hot topic in the fields of urban geography and economic geography. With Chinese economic structure adjustment and city economic growth, producer services have begun to play an increasingly important role in city-region networking. This paper employs the methodology of world city network to analyze and explain the spatial development characteristics of China's urban network system based on the data of nationwide producer services enterprise network. The research result indicated that the distribution of producer services network has a positive effect on the development of Chinese city networks. City network connectivity is closely related to the significance of city in producer services development, and the former will gradually decline with the drop of the latter. Accordingly, the 64 cities can be divided into the national central cities, regional central cities, sub-regional central cities and local central cities in accordance with their position and role in the nationwide producer services network. It is concluded that high-grade cities with quality producer services dominate the pattern of Chinese city networks and there emerges three spatial agglomerations of producer services enterprises in Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta, Zhujiang (Pearl) River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan Economical Region. Moreover, the distribution of different producer services industry varies from city to city, which also affects the characteristics of network development.

City Networks of Online Commodity Services in China:Empirical Analysis of Tmall Clothing and Electronic Retailers

City networks have been a critical topic in the fields of urban geography and regional economics. Numerous studies have explored city networks, focusing mainly on infrastructure and industrial networks. Unlike traditional urban network of which the major measuring indexes are population sizes and entity industries, online commodity service networks could reflect well the influencing of emerging economies, especially the Internet economy, on city networks. This study analyzes and reveals structural features of China's city networks through online commodity services, providing the internet economic approach on city networks. Results indicate that the core cities of online commodity service networks are mainly concentrated in eastern coastal areas. In addition, spatial polarization and layer structure of network connections are obvious, descending from the centers in eastern China to peripheral cities in central and western China. Online commodity services of different cities show apparent differences and uncertainties in terms of specialization rates of international connection, which presents a tendency toward diversification. Online commodity service networks are not only associated with goods production, supply, and consumption in physical space but also reflect virtual information, capital, and technology flows, thus providing a new empirical approach for understanding city networks in information and internet economic age.

Measuring Network Configuration of the Yangtze River Middle Reaches Urban Agglomeration:Based on Modified Radiation Model

The objective of this study is to develop a framework for re-examining and re-defining the classical concepts of spatial interaction and reorganization in the urban system.We introduce a modified radiation model for spatial interactions,coupled with migration big data,transport accessibility algorithm,and city competitiveness assessment for efficient distribution of the inter-city flow through the network.The Yangtze River Middle Reaches(YRMR)urban agglomeration(UA)is chosen as the case study region to systematically identify and measure its spatial configuration and to gain insights for other UAs‘sustainable development in China.The results are also compared with those computed by the classical gravity model to systematically discuss the applicability of spatial interaction laws and models,and related practical policies for regional sustainable development are discussed based on the findings as well.The conclusions are highlighted below:1)Combining with the?city network paradigm‘and?central place theory‘can better express the spatial configurations of city systems in the context of?space of flows‘;2)The results validate the potentialities of a multi-analysis framework to assess the spatial configurations of city network based on the improved radiation model and network analysis tools;3)The applications of spatial interaction models should be considered according to the specific geographical entity and its spatial scale.

Structure of Chinese City Network as Driven by Technological Knowledge Flows

Based on patent cooperation data,this study used a range of city network analysis approaches in order to explore the structure of the Chinese city network which is driven by technological knowledge flows.The results revealed the spatial structure,composition structure,hierarchical structure,group structure,and control structure of Chinese city network,as well as its dynamic factors.The major findings are:1) the spatial pattern presents a diamond structure,in which Wuhan is the central city;2) although the invention patent knowledge network is the main part of the broader inter-city innovative cooperation network,it is weaker than the utility model patent;3) as the senior level cities,Beijing,Shanghai and the cities in the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Delta Region show a strong capability of both spreading and controlling technological knowledge;4) whilst a national technology alliance has preliminarily formed,regional alliances have not been adequately established;5) even though the cooperation level amongst weak connection cities is not high,such cities still play an important role in the network as a result of their location within ′structural holes′ in the network;and 6) the major driving forces facilitating inter-city technological cooperation are geographical proximity,hierarchical proximity and technological proximity.

Technological Advancement and Prospects of City Power Network in China

This paper introduces the development of technology and its measures for city power network in China, looks forward to the prospect of development in forthcoming decade and the technical principles to be adopted.

The Creative Cities Network

The Creative Cities Network, started by UNESCO in 2004, is one of the world’s highest-level non-governmental organizations in creative industry. The network focuses on the excellence of its member cities as its main product, and finds ways to maintain relevance in city life, local

A novel method for approximating intercity networks： An empirical comparison for validating the city networks in two Chinese city-regions

A network perspective has increasingly become an organizational paradigm for understanding regional spatial structures. Based on a critical overview of existing empirical models for estimating intercity networks based on firm linkages, this study extends the re- cently proposed regional corporate city model algorithm by proposing a new method for ap- proximating urban networks based on the Iocational strategies of firms. The new method considers both regional and hierarchical network features and avoids the information loss associated with the conversion from two-mode firm-city networks to one-mode city-city networks. In addition, networks estimated by using the method proposed herein are suitable when employing social network analysis. Finally, this method is empirically validated by ex- amining intercity firm networks formed by advanced producer services firms in China＇s two largest metropolitan areas, namely the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. The pre- sented empirical analysis suggests two main findings. First, in contrast to conventional methods （e.g., the interlocking city network model）, our new method produces regional and hierarchical urban networks that more closely resemble reality. Second, the new method al- lows us to use social network analysis to assess betweenness and closeness centralities. However, regardless of the model applied, the validity of any method that measures urban networks depends on the soundness of its underlying assumptions about how network actors （firms, in our case） interact.

Hierarchy, clusters, and spatial differences in Chinese inter-city networks constructed by scientific collaborators

The Chinese urban system is currently experiencing a fundamental shift, as it moves from a size-based hierarchy to a network-based system. Contemporary studies of city networks have tended to focus on economic interactions without paying sufficient attention to the issue of knowledge flow. Using data on co-authored papers obtained from China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database （CAJNPD） during 2014-2016, this study explores several features of the scientific collaboration network between Chinese mainland cities. The study concludes that： （1） the spatial organization of scientific cooperation amongst Chinese cities is shifting from a jurisdiction-based hierarchical system to a networked system; and （2） several highly intra-connected city regions were found to exist in the network of knowledge, and such regions had more average internal linkages （14.21） than external linkages （8.69）, and higher average internal linkage degrees （14.43） than external linkage degrees （10.43）; and （3） differences existed in terms of inter-region connectivity between the Western, Eastern, and Central China regional networks （the average INCD of the three regional networks were 109.65, 95.81, and 71.88）. We suggest that China should engage in the development of regional and subregional scientific centers to achieve the goal of building an innovative country. Whilst findings reveal a high degree of concentration in those networks - a characteristic which reflects the hierarchical nature of China＇s urban economic structure - the actual spatial distribution of city networks of knowledge flow was found to be different from that of city networks based on economic outputs or population.

Intercity connections and a world city network based on international sport events:Empirical studies on the Beijing,London,and Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games

With so many sports becoming increasingly popular,sports have come to play an important role in promoting the process of globalization and formatting the world city network(WCN).Previous studies have constructed the WCN based on the distribution of international sport federations(ISFs)and the sites of international sport events(ISEs),but there is still a lack of systematic research on the intercity connections caused by ISEs.Taking three most recent Olympic Games as cases,this paper explores intercity connections and WCN based on ISEs.The results show that(1)the Olympic WCN has city nodes around the world except in Antarctica,and the number and activity values of the cities in host countries may increase intensively during the Olympic Games.(2)A hierarchical city system with four tiers(global central cities,specialized central cities,national central cities and specialized cities)is formed by the intercity connections caused by the Olympic Games.(3)The WCN based on the Olympic Games,is made up of many subnetworks,while many differences occur due to the diverse decisions made by the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games(OCOG),host cities or even host countries in the events associated with sponsorship activity and publicity activity.This study not only broadens the relevant fields of sports culture-oriented WCN research but also explores the instability of the WCN,which makes it an effective reference for WCN research based on ISEs.

Understanding spatial structures and organizational patterns of city networks in China: A highway passenger flow perspective

The use of multi-perspective and multi-scalar city networks has gradually developed into a range of critical approaches to understand spatial interactions and linkages. In particular, road linkages represent key characteristics of spatial dependence and distance decay, and are of great significance in depicting spatial relationships at the regional scale. Therefore, based on highway passenger flow data between prefecture-level administrative units, this paper attempted to identify the functional structures and regional impacts of city networks in China, and to further explore the spatial organization patterns of the existing functional regions, aiming to deepen our understanding of city network structures and to provide new cognitive perspectives for ongoing research. The research results lead to four key conclusions. First, city networks that are based on highway flows exhibit strong spatial dependence and hierarchical characteristics, to a large extent spatially coupled with the distributions of major megaregions in China. These phenomena are a reflection of spatial relationships at regional scales as well as core-periphery structure. Second, 19 communities that belong to an important type of spatial configuration are identified through community detection algorithm, and we suggest they are correspondingly urban economic regions within urban China. Their spatial metaphors include the administrative region economy, spatial spillover effects of megaregions, and core-periphery structure. Third, each community possesses a specific city network system and exhibits strong spatial dependence and various spatial organization patterns. Regional patterns have emerged as the result of multi-level, dynamic, and networked characteristics. Fourth, adopting a morphology-based perspective, the regional city network systems can be basically divided into monocentric, dual-nuclei, polycentric, and low-level equilibration spatial structures, while most are developing monocentrically.

Research on China City Network Based on Producer Service Industries

Based on the concept of the world city network(WCN), this paper analyzes city network that is based on producer service industries in China's Mainland at three levels. The corresponding findings include: firstly, at the sub-node level, the location decision-making of producer service industries is no longer merely dependent on linear expansion along the hinterland to establish spatial monopoly, but on a network layout mode based on setting up branch offices in core cities to maximize the profits; secondly, at the city node level, Beijing and Shanghai have become the two major cities for the agglomeration of producer service industries. The coastal city clusters are the principal areas for the concentration of producer service industries, while the majority of other cities are in the peripheral area of the network where there are comparatively low connectivities; thirdly, at the city network level, the primacy effect of Beijing and Shanghai in the city network is extremely signifi cant and the linkage among core cities, namely, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, in the three major city clusters forms the core network of the producer service industries in China's Mainland.