The Nexus between Urbanization and Traffic Accessibility in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomerations, China

Fengjian Ge, Wanxu Chen, Yuanyuan Zeng and Jiangfeng Li
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Fengjian Ge: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Wanxu Chen: Department of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, No. 388 Lumo Road, Wuhan 430074, China
Yuanyuan Zeng: 4th Planning & Design Office, Guangdong Urban & Rural Planning and Design Institute, No. 483 Nanzhou Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510290, China
Jiangfeng Li: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: China has entered the stage where urban agglomerations underpin and spearhead the county’s urbanization. Urban agglomerations in China have become economic growth poles, and the constantly improving transport networks in these agglomerations bring about opportunities for redistributing labor forces and promoting regional economic development, trade, and social progress for all. This is the foundation and fuel for urban development. However, lack of knowledge of the spatial features of, and the interrelationship between, regional urbanization and traffic accessibility constrains effective urban planning and decision-making. To fill this gap, this study attempted to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of urbanization levels and traffic accessibility in 1995, 2005, and 2015 in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomerations (MRYRUA), China. The spatial interaction, spatial dependence effect, and spatial spillover effect between urbanization and traffic accessibility were tested by employing the bivariate spatial autocorrelation model and spatial regression models. The results showed that the urbanization level and traffic accessibility in the MRYRUA shot up over time and manifested similar spatial distribution characteristics. The global bivariate spatial autocorrelation coefficients were positive and significant during the period studied, and the main relationship types were the high urbanization and high traffic accessibility types and low urbanization and low traffic accessibility types. The spatial regression results showed that there was a significant positive association between urbanization and traffic accessibility, but with a significant scale effect. Urbanization is not only affected by the traffic accessibility of the individual grid unit but also by those in the adjacent or further grid units. The findings in this study provide important implications for urbanization development and transportation planning. The spatial dependence effect and spatial spillover effect between urbanization and traffic accessibility should be considered in future urban planning and transportation planning. The rational allocation of resources and inter-regional joint management can be an effective path toward regional sustainability.

Keywords: urbanization; traffic accessibility; bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis; spatial regression; the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomerations; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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