Structural Evolution of Urban-Rural Integration in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Belt City Clusters: From Gradient to Core-Periphery Reshaping

In the grand narrative of the contemporary Chinese economy, the relationship between urban and rural areas has moved from early simple "division" to a complex process of "integration." Especially in one of China's most vibrant regions—the Yangtze River Economic Belt—the depth and breadth of this integration directly determine the region's resilience and sustainability. In-depth quantitative research on the level of urban-rural integration development (URIDL) across the three major urban clusters of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (such as the Yangtze River Cluster, Beijing-Tianjin Cluster, and Middle and Lower Yangtze River Cluster) provides a crucial empirical foundation for understanding this structural evolution.

Over the past decade, URIDL has shown an overall upward trend, which is undoubtedly a positive signal for regional economic synergy. However, more insightful is the heterogeneity in its spatial distribution. Research has found that high-integration-value areas are not uniformly distributed but exhibit significant spatial clustering effects: high URIDL values tend to concentrate in the eastern (northern) regions, while western (southern) regions show lower levels of integration. This spatial difference clearly outlines a distinct "gradient structure," suggesting that the inherent imbalance in regional development still acts as a structural contradiction constraining overall synergistic efficiency.

The driving mechanisms behind this spatial pattern evolution far exceed the explanation of single variables. Research confirms that the interaction between factors such as the proportion of non-agricultural population to the total population, per capita cultivated land area, and the volatility of industrial structure has a more significant impact on URIDL. In particular, the volatility of the industrial structure reflects the dynamic impact of uncertainty in the Chinese economic transformation process on urban-rural relations. This suggests that when promoting integrated urban-rural strategies, a one-size-fits-all approach should not be adopted; instead, differentiated policy tools and resource allocation plans must be designed based on the industrial foundations and demographic endowments of different regions.

From a governance perspective, this spatial difference means that the focus of urban governance must shift from "universality" to "precision." For core eastern regions, the emphasis should be on optimizing radiating effects and internal coordination mechanisms; for the low-value peripheral regions in the west and middle/lower reaches, the focus should be more on the equalization of basic services and resource import to effectively alleviate the development gap. This fine-tuned governance of spatial heterogeneity is the necessary path to achieving high-quality and sustainable urban-rural integration in the Yangtze River Delta.

However, the limitation of existing research is that most analyses remain at the micro-level within urban clusters, lacking comparative studies across different levels and regions, which makes it difficult to systematically reveal the common laws driving inter-regional differences. In the future, elevating URIDL research from "exploring mechanisms within urban clusters" to "structural comparison between regions" is an urgent direction for deepening the study of China's urban spatial strategy.