Measuring urban spatial interaction in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration, Central China: A spatially explicit approach

Abstract In the context of globalization and integration, urban agglomeration gradually becomes the basic unit of regional competitions. In addition to urban agglomeration system, spatial interaction has become a popular topic and a key element for sustainable urban development. This paper investigates the typical agglomeration area in Central China-Wuhan Urban Agglomeration (WUA) and uses a spatially explicit approach based on the data field to analyze urban spatial interaction inside the region. Four years of cross-section data are used as case studies to analyze the spatial structure of urban interactions and the dynamic interaction variations. The results indicate that the spatial patterns of “one nucleus and multitude weak” and “the east is stronger than the west” exist in the study area. Spatial interactions among non-core cities were small during the study period. Due to the “Rise of Central China” strategy and integrated construction in the WUA, spatial interactions have increased since 2006. Notably, spatial interactions have become more integrated, and the narrow trend of interaction differences has been represented. Regional spatial interaction gradually develops in a positive direction and leads the urban development into a sustainable way.