The Spatial Pattern of Polluting Enterprises and the Effects of Local Regulation in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration

Xing Dang, Beibei Ma (), Dongqian Xue, Yongyong Song and Guy M. Robinson
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Xing Dang: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Beibei Ma: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Dongqian Xue: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Yongyong Song: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Guy M. Robinson: Department of Geography, Environment and Population, School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: In the context of actively undertaking the transfer of domestic and foreign industries in the central and western regions of China, local regulatory behaviors influence the spatial distribution of polluting enterprises (PEs). This study examined the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration (GPUA), the largest urban agglomeration in the northwest region of China and one of the main regions that undertakes industrial transfer, using kernel density estimation and geographically and temporally weighted regression to explore the spatial pattern characteristics and evolution of PEs and reveal the effects of local regulatory behaviors, including environmental regulation (ER) and local protection (LP). The results indicate that (1) The distribution of the PEs tended towards energy and mineral resources and agglomerated along the development axes, aligning with the strategic positioning of the major function-oriented zones. Agglomerated areas gradually concentrate in key development zones. Major agricultural production zones exit high-density areas, and those adjacent to high-density areas often become secondary agglomeration core areas. Key ecological functional zones do not form high-density areas. (2) Both ER and LP have a positive impact on the distribution of PEs, and the dominant influence shifts from ER to LP. Counties with strict ER have increased the tendency of PEs to exhibit a certain layout due to better pollution treatment facilities and more mature pollution control technologies. The “pollution haven effect” has not yet formed within the GPUA. (3) The role of LP was more prominent in key development zones and major agricultural production zones, whereas the role of ER was more evident in key ecological functional zones. (4) RE and LP have mutually reinforcing effects on the distribution of PEs; the “innovation compensation effect” gradually manifests, but an increase in ER leads to a decrease in regional industrial clustering. This study provides a reference value for understanding the impact of government regulation on the distribution of PEs in underdeveloped areas.

Keywords: polluting enterprises (PEs); environmental regulation (ER); local protection (LP); Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration (GPUA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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