EVOLUTION OF CORE FUNCTIONS AND ECONOMIC SPILLOVER EFFECTS OF CENTRAL CITIES IN THE YANGTZE RIVER DELTA URBAN AGGLOMERATION

DUAN Si-jie; CHEN Hao

doi:10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.04.012

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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4) : 112-121. DOI: 10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.04.012

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EVOLUTION OF CORE FUNCTIONS AND ECONOMIC SPILLOVER EFFECTS OF CENTRAL CITIES IN THE YANGTZE RIVER DELTA URBAN AGGLOMERATION

DUAN Si-jie, CHEN Hao

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Abstract

Strengthening the core functions of central cities and enhancing their spillover effects constitute an important pathway for promoting integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRD). Using panel data for YRD cities from 2003 to 2021, this study constructs an evaluation index system to examine the evolution of urban core functions and their economic spillover effects on peripheral cities. Based on matched data between central and peripheral cities, empirical analyses are conducted to identify both the magnitude and spatial extent of these effects. The results show that: 1) the level of core functions in YRD central cities has continuously improved, with increasingly prominent dominant functions, and a pattern of“differentiated yet coordinated”functional division has gradually emerged among cities. 2) The enhancement of core functions in central cities generates significant economic spillover effects and promotes economic growth in peripheral cities; transportation and scientific innovation functions serve as the primary transmission channels. 3) The effective radiation radius of the spillover effects is approximately 200 km. Beyond this threshold, the positive effects gradually weaken and may even turn negative. As the national central city of the YRD, Shanghai exhibits a larger spatial reach and stronger spillover intensity than other cities. 4) Improvements in transportation infrastructure and human capital accumulation in peripheral cities strengthen their capacity to absorb spillovers from central cities, thereby supporting high-quality economic development. These findings provide policy implications for coordinating the enhancement of central-city functions with the development of peripheral cities and for further advancing regional integration in the YRD.

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Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration / central city / urban core function / economic spillover effect

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DUAN Si-jie, CHEN Hao. EVOLUTION OF CORE FUNCTIONS AND ECONOMIC SPILLOVER EFFECTS OF CENTRAL CITIES IN THE YANGTZE RIVER DELTA URBAN AGGLOMERATION[J]. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. 2026, 41(4): 112-121 https://doi.org/10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.04.012

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