Megalopolis unbound Knowledge collaboration and functional polycentricity within and beyond the Yangtze River Delta Region in China, 2014

• Published in: Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 443 - 460
• Main Authors: Li, Yingcheng, Phelps, Nicholas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications Ltd 01.02.2018; SAGE Publications; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Area planning & development; Cities; Collaboration; Information sharing; Knowledge; Knowledge management; Linkages; Links; Metropolitan areas; Networks; Rivers; Urban areas; Urban studies; Yangtze River Delta; China; 功能多中心; 特大城市; 三角洲地区; 知识合作; 长江; knowledge collaboration; 城市网络; urban networks; Yangtze River Delta Region; functional polycentricity; megalopolis
• ISSN: 0042-0980; 1360-063X
• DOI: 10.1177/0042098016656971

Recent work on world city networks, urban polycentricity and megapolitan urban forms share an interest in the economic functionality of inter-city linkages. The intersection of these bodies of literature is in the often overlooked defining features of megalopolitan forms – their being the ‘hub’ that links national to international urban systems and the ‘incubator’ within national urban systems (Gottmann, 1976). With this intersection in mind, this paper measures the functional polycentricity of China’s Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR) at different geographical scales from an intercity knowledge collaboration perspective. The paper uses data on co-publications as an indicator of knowledge linkages between cities within and beyond this megalopolis. The YRDR can be seen as functionally polycentric at the megapolitan scale but this functional polycentricity decreases with increases in the geographical scale at which interurban linkages are considered. Furthermore, a multi-scalar analysis of functional polycentricity helps identify the hub role of Shanghai. The results show that Shanghai’s knowledge hub role is currently present at the national scale. It may take some time for Shanghai to become a knowledge hub at the global scale given its not-so-strong international links and relatively weak local links. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research agendas. 最近关于世界城市网络、城市多中心和大都市形式的研宄关注城市间联系的经济功能。这些研 宄文献交汇于大都市形式常被忽视的特征--它们是将国家和国际城市系统连接起来的“枢纽”， 也是国家城市系统内的“孵化器” （Gottmann, 1976)。鉴于这一交汇，本文从城际知识协作的角 度衡量了中国长三角地区在不同地理尺度上的功能多中心性。本文使用联合出版物的数据作为 大都市地区内外城市间知识联系的指标。长三角地区在大都市尺度上可以看作功能性的多中心, 但这种功能多中心性随着考察城际联系的地理尺度变大而减弱。此外，对功能多中心性的多尺 度分析有助于确定上海的枢纽角色。结果表明，上海目前在全国范围内扮演知识中心的角色。 由于国际联系不那么牢固，地方联系相对薄弱，上海可能需要一段时间才能成为全球范围内的 知识中心。本文对未来的研宄议程提出了一些建议。