Characteristics of"resident population in physical urban area"in identifying shrinking cities:An examination based on literature review and multi-source data
In the context of China reaching its population peak and moving into a new stage of urbanization,the study of shrinking cities has increasingly captured the attention of the academic community.This paper undertakes a thorough systematic review of the literature and empirical studies,focusing particularly on the methodologies used for identifying shrinking cities in China.One key method discussed is from the study which utilized"resident population in physical urban area"data to identify shrinking cities.To enhance the precision of this methodology,our study conducted extensive geocoding of all village-level administrative units across China.Using urban-rural classification codes,we approximated the boundaries of"urban areas"as referred to"resident population in physical urban area"data.This allowed for a more nuanced comparison of these theoretically derived boundaries with those observed through remote sensing technologies and actual boundaries of natural cities.This comparison sheds light on the specific characteristics of defining urban areas solely based on this data.Further exploring the implications of these findings,our research utilized multi-source population data to identify the number and proportion of shrinking cities in China between 2010 and 2020.The study uncovered some insights:Firstly,the urban-rural classification codes used in population statistics tend to merge numerous natural cities into a single urban unit.This aggregation makes it challenging to analyze population changes within individual natural cities.Secondly,the"resident population in physical urban area"data is not suitable to accurately reflect the population dynamics in nearly a thousand county-level small and medium-sized towns,which are crucial to understanding the broader urbanization trends.Due to these characteristics,the estimations of shrinking city numbers and proportions as defined by this data require further discussion.By applying the boundaries of 2444 natural cities in China and integrating multiple data sources like WorldPop and LandScan,our research found that the proportion of shrinking cities lies between 26.7％and 31.3％.This study underscores the importance of utilizing a diverse array of data sources and analytical methods to more accurately identify and understand the phenomenon of urban shrinkage in China.Such a comprehensive approach helps mitigate the uncertainties that single data sources may introduce,providing a more robust framework for policymakers and urban planners addressing the challenges of urban decline.
shrinking city identificationnatural citiessystematic literature reviewresident population in physical urban area
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
