Study On Characteristics And Driving Mechanisms Of Inter-City Freight Logistics Connection Network In Yangtze River Economic Belt

Recently,there has been a continuous emphasis on the principles of interconnection,mutual promotion,and coordinated development within the Yangtze River Economic Belt.This region,which encompasses the three major urban circles in the east,middle,and west,as well as the three growth poles,has become a crucial support belt for the overall economic development of the country.The implementation of an integrated development strategy has spurred a rapid rise in logistics demand,creating more opportunities for growth in the logistics industry.The State Council’s "14th Five-Year Plan for Modern Logistics Development" released in 2022 recognizes that the modern logistics industry serves as a vital link between production and consumption,acting as a bridge and conduit for the smooth transportation of goods and services between cities and ensuring the stable operation of industrial and supply chains.This "Plan" outlines a blueprint for the logistics industry within the Yangtze River Economic Belt to transform from "big to strong".Therefore,the development of the logistics industry within this region plays a pivotal role in facilitating inter-regional trade,promoting the exchange of goods,fostering regional integrated development,and advancing inter-regional economies,making coordinated development of utmost strategic significance.From the perspective of flow space,this study focuses on examining the intercity freight logistics connection network pattern and driving mechanism within the Yangtze River Economic Belt.Initially,the intercity logistics connection network of this region is constructed utilizing order data from the "Yunmanman" online freight platform.Subsequently,the study deconstructs the characteristics of the network space connection and analyzes the overall structure characteristics of the network and the network nodes utilizing the social network analysis method.Finally,the formation mechanism of the total amount of urban spatial connections and the driving mechanism of the intercity spatial connection network are analyzed using the GWR model and the QAP analysis method to examine the network node characteristics.The primary findings are as follows:(1)Analysis of the inter-city freight logistics spatial connection pattern: The inter-regional logistics connection exhibits significant regional differences,with the downstream region demonstrating strong cross-regional logistics connection capabilities,while the upstream and midstream regions exhibit relatively fewer cross-regional logistics connections.In terms of intraregional logistics connection,the downstream region has surpassed provincial boundaries,with relatively frequent freight traffic between cities in the region.However,intra-regional connections within the midstream and upstream regions are still concentrated within each province,with weak inter-provincial connections.As a result,the overall connection strength is characterized by the "East is strong and west is weak" feature.(2)Analysis of the intercity freight logistics connection network characteristics reveals a significantly hierarchical structure within the Yangtze River Economic Belt.The downstream area alone has developed a relatively complete network structure,primarily featuring a network structure with a "multi-core" spatial configuration.The midstream and upstream areas,however,exhibit relatively simple network structures with a linear and radial structure,respectively,reflecting a development pattern of "one-core multi-point" and "dual-core multi-point." Overall,the network density presents the characteristics of being "dense in the east and sparse in the west," with a relatively evident trend in logistics group development.The overall network structure,in general,displays features of being multi-level,complex,and geographically unbalanced.The Yangtze River Economic Belt has gradually established a logistics core area with dominance from the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration,the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration,and the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration.(3)Identification of logistics hub cities and their influence: The cities with high degree centrality in the intercity freight logistics connection network are mainly located in the Yangtze River Delta and capital cities in the central and western regions.These cities are crucial for regional logistics development and have strong connectivity with other cities.The cities with high betweenness centrality are mostly provincial capitals and act as the center of logistics resource aggregation and dispersion.The cities with high closeness centrality are concentrated in important network channels,providing high accessibility and communication capabilities.The urban nodes in the Yangtze River Economic Belt display a clear hierarchy,which leads to the categorization of key nodes into national,regional,and local logistics hub cities based on their characteristics,location,and supporting transportation and logistics infrastructure.(4)Factors influencing urban freight transport volume: Different factors have varying impacts on the total volume of freight transport in each city,with noticeable spatial differences in the regression coefficients.Proximity and betweenness centrality play an essential role in promoting the total amount of urban freight connections,particularly in the middle reaches of the region.Mobile phone users and the total volume of import and export of goods also have a positive impact across all regions,with mobile phone users having a more significant effect on the total volume of freight connections in the Yangtze River Delta region,while the volume of imports and exports of goods has a greater impact on the total volume of freight connections in the border areas of Sichuan and Yunnan.Conversely,the proportion of the tertiary industry has an inhibitory effect on the increase in the total volume of freight connections in all regions.(5)The intercity freight network pattern in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is the result of multiple factors.Spatial adjacency,distance,difference in openness,traffic accessibility,talent base,and consumption level of residents are significant positive factors that influence logistics.Cities with larger differences in these factors are more likely to generate logistics.Spatial correlation and geographical proximity are the most significant factors driving the flow of logistics between cities.Additionally,the differences in economic development level,industrialization level,population size,and informatization level are also significant factors.Cities with smaller differences in these factors are more likely to have logistics exchanges.