Analysis of regional differences in the influence of China’s urbanization modes on rural sustainable development

• DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.938897
• Publication Date: 2022-08-05T05:15:44Z
• Authors: Dongmei Huang; Qingchang Zheng
• Keywords: 9. Industry and infrastructure; 05 social sciences; 1. No poverty; industrial structure; spatial structure; 15. Life on land; 12. Responsible consumption; urban population scale; Environmental sciences; foreign investment; 0502 economics and business; 11. Sustainability; GE1-350; agglomeration effect

During the process of rapid urbanization in China, rural development has become increasingly dependent on cities. Policies to promote rural development emphasize the formation of an urbanization mode for the coordinated development of large, medium, and small cities as the driving force for rural development, but the policies do not specify the spatial organization relationship between cities in a given region. This study uses provincial panel data of China from 2004 to 2017, and analyzes the effect of regional spatial structure on rural sustainable development in different regions through the dynamic system generalized method of moments. The results show 1) that China’s urban spatial structure has significant regional differences: it is flat in the eastern region and more concentrated in the central and western regions. 2) China’s rural sustainable development efficiency has been declining. It is higher in the central region than in the eastern and western regions. 3) At present, the provincial urbanization modes in different regions of China mainly stimulate rural sustainable development through three factors, that is, urban population scale, industrial structure, and foreign direct investment. This study will help optimize the provincial spatial structure according to local conditions and promote rural sustainable development and regional balance.