Nuancing Regional Geography: An Analysis of the Evolution and Mechanism of Intercity Cooperation Network in the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the evolution and mechanisms of the intercity cooperation network of the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Based on spatial analysis, social network analysis, and zero‐inflated negative binomial regression analysis, the following key findings are reported: First, the GBA's intercity cooperation network unfolds a strong trend away from a centralized structure towards a polycentric pattern and networked regional governance. Second, the GBA's intercity cooperation is marked by unevenness and path dependence, with high‐level linkages almost exclusively the purview of the area's most economically developed cities. Third, heavily cultivated by economic globalization and national power, the heightening of intercity cooperation is the result of condensed switching among jurisdictions where both endogenous and exogenous factors have rearranged and characterized by uneven development trends.