Study on City Networks of the Three Large Urban Agglomerations in China Based on the Site Distribution of Large Enterprises

Abstract

This study analyzed the city networks of the three large urban agglomerations in China by focusing on the internal connections of large enterprises based on their site distribution. The study aimed to accomplish three goals: first, to clarify the characteristics of enterprise networks for each urban agglomeration; second, to indicate the functional structure of each urban agglomeration; and third, to identify why each urban agglomeration forms that kind of network structure. The study found that the whole network of the Beijing-Tianjin Hebei urban agglomeration (BTH) has a relatively narrow connection range but strong connection strength, while the whole network of the Yangtze River delta urban agglomeration (YRD) has a wide connection range but weak connection strength. The whole network of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD) also has a wide connection range and weak connection strength, but both are weaker than the YRD. It was also found that BTH has a monocentric functional structure, while YRD has a polycentric functional structure and PRD has a dual-centric functional structure. In addition, corporate ownership, industry type, and establishment time of enterprises can significantly influence the network structures of urban agglomerations. This study found that a high proportion of state-owned enterprises can strengthen the monocentric structure. Also, the existence of the division of labor can strengthen the polycentric structure. Furthermore, the concentration of central cities is emphasized during the early rapid growth period but changes differently later on by urban agglomerations.