Abstract:

Due to China's rapid urbanization and industrialization, the demand for resource factors is surging. Competition for such factors between cities and regions has given us a severe challenge to increase our ability to aggregate resource factors. This paper conducted an in-depth analysis of 20 years (1995-2014) of spatial-temporal evolution of the factor aggregating ability in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR). Analytical results highlighted that: (1) From 1995-2014, the comprehensive factor aggregating ability in this region had been on an increase despite fluctuation, ranking fourth nationwide. The differential factor aggregating ability between cities within this region had been basically balanced while fluctuating. At the same time, the distribution of such resource factors as science and technology innovation, finance, and the opening strategy, had tended to be concentrated along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. (2) During this period, the factor agglomeration pattern of UAMRYR formed a multi-center "core-periphery" structure, with core cities such as Wuhan, Changsha and Nanchang, and there is no significant change on the spatial pattern. In general, the factor agglomeration pattern was still in the primary stage of the urban polarization for central cities, the integrated factor agglomeration has not yet formed. (3) The factor aggregating patterns in UAMRYR tended to be decentralized. As the primate city, Wuhan had a low factor aggregating primacy. The factor agglomeration placed emphasis on moving the pathway of "northwest-southeast" in UAMRYR. There were significant disparities on agglomeration patterns for various factors, while most factors presented agglomeration to central cities.

Key words: factor aggregating ability, spatial-temporal evolution, core-periphery, urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR)