Spatial relationship between"townizaton"and transportation advantage of small towns in the Yangtze River Delta region
This study explored spatial characteristics of and spatial relationships between"townization"and transportation advantages in 2460 small towns in the Yangtze River Delta.Bivariate spatial autocorrelation was used to reveal how transportation has impacts on"townization".It is found that:(1)The overall development of"townization"in the study region is in the early to mid-term stages,with over 50%of towns having a"townization"level of less than 30%.There was significant spatial differentiation in transportation advantage,with advantages decreasing from a central point outwards:Shanghai acted as the primary center,Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou,Hangzhou,Ningbo,and Hefei were secondary centers,and underdeveloped city outskirts and the border area of Anhui acted as the peripheral layer.(2)The level of"townization"showed a general coordination with transportation advantage,whereas simultaneous low levels of both predominated and coordination decreased with increasing distance from central urban areas.Developed areas,such as Shanghai and Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou,contained small towns with developed transportation but relatively low"townization"level.In contrast,underdeveloped areas,such as Northern Jiangsu and Anhui,contained small towns with high population densities despite low transportation advantage.(3)Transportation had a significant positive impact on"townization".(4)While location factors generally promoted"townization",some specific factors had negative impacts.Both positive and negative effects of location factors were more pronounced in more developed areas.Transportation accessibility primarily promotes the transfer of goods and services and technologies between core cities and surrounding towns through spatial spillover,thereby reshaping the economic advantage of small towns and increasing population density.The concentration degree of the road network mainly affects the population density of towns by influencing travel costs and the speed and scale of movement of goods and services.
small townstownizaitontransportation advantagespatial relationshipYangtze River Delta