Exploring the Temporal and Spatial Evolution of the Urbanization of “Belt and Road” Region Based on Nighttime Light Data

The “Belt and Road” area is one of the most economically dynamic and promising regions in the world. Exploring the level of urbanization and the evolution of time and space in the region has important practical significance for the “Belt and Road” construction. Taking the nighttime light detain 2003, 2008 and 2013 as the research data, this study extracts the city lights of the “Belt and Road” countries using the threshold method, and constructs the light intensity and light range index to measure the intensity and range of urbanization level in different countries. Statistical analyses are conducted to reveal the spatial and temporal evolution of the urbanization of the “Belt and Road” area. The results of this study indicates: (1) According to the spatial characteristics of urbanization in different regions, urbanization in the “Belt and Road” area includes three different models: the point model, the linear model, and the planar model. (2) Overall intensity and range of urbanization in the “Belt and Road” area has increased over the past 10 years. However, there are significant variations between different countries and regions. (3) Considering the intensity and range of urbanization, the types of urbanization in the “Belt and Road” area can be into six major categories: comprehensive, extended, lifted, stable, agglomerated, and stagnant. Based on these findings, development proposals are proposed for promoting urbanization in the “Belt and Road” area.