Application and improvement of the DO index in measuring industrial Co-agglomeration: The case of the BTH region in China

IF 5.4 2区地球科学 Q1 GEOGRAPHY

Applied Geography Pub Date : 2025-09-09 DOI:10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103771

Wei Sun , Han Sun , Qianyu Guo

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Industrial co-agglomeration is the most prominent geographical feature of economic activities and also a worldwide phenomenon, yet existing methods primarily rely on discrete spatial units such as administrative divisions, causing issues like the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP). To address this, Duranton and Overman proposed the DO index. Building on this, the study develops an improved framework incorporating three dimensions—intensity, scale, and location—and applies it to analyze spatiotemporal patterns and features of manufacturing co-agglomeration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. Results show: (1) In intensity, the overall pattern remains stable with a slight decline, exhibiting a Matthew effect. (2) In scale, dominant co-agglomeration distances shifted from 25 to 68 km in 2008 to both within 55 km and 75–103 km in 2018, indicating a simultaneous contraction of intra-provincial collaboration radius and strengthening of inter-regional co-agglomeration. (3) In location, the proportion of the scope of occurrence of agglomeration decreased from 44.40 % to 39.76 %, reducing the overall scope of agglomeration, and the spatial pattern evolved from a dual-core (Beijing-Tianjin) concentration to a more polycentric, resulting in a more balanced distribution. (4) Methodologically, this study enhances the DO index by optimizing threshold selection, reducing kernel density partitions, increasing the critical co-agglomeration value, and incorporating location information. These improvements provide methodological references for similar studies and empirical evidence for exploring mechanisms and optimization paths of industrial co-agglomeration.

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DO指数在产业协同集聚测度中的应用与改进——以北京地区为例

产业共集聚是经济活动最突出的地理特征，也是一种世界性的现象，但现有的方法主要依赖于行政区划等离散的空间单位，导致了MAUP等问题。为了解决这个问题，Duranton和Overman提出了DO指数。在此基础上，本研究构建了包含强度、规模和区位三个维度的改进框架，并应用该框架分析了京津冀地区制造业共集聚的时空格局和特征。结果表明：(1)在强度上，总体格局保持稳定，略有下降，呈现马太效应；②从规模上看，优势协同集聚距离从2008年的25 ~ 68 km转变为2018年的55 km以内和75 ~ 103 km以内，省内协同半径收缩的同时，区域间协同集聚能力增强。③区位上，集聚发生范围占比由44.40%下降至39.76%，整体集聚范围缩小，空间格局由双核（京津冀）集中向多中心演变，分布更加均衡。(4)在方法上，本文通过优化阈值选择、减小核密度分区、提高临界共集聚值和纳入位置信息等方法增强了DO指数。这些改进为类似研究提供了方法论参考，为探索产业共集聚机制和优化路径提供了实证依据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Applied Geography GEOGRAPHY-

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

2.00%

发文量

134

期刊介绍： Applied Geography is a journal devoted to the publication of research which utilizes geographic approaches (human, physical, nature-society and GIScience) to resolve human problems that have a spatial dimension. These problems may be related to the assessment, management and allocation of the world physical and/or human resources. The underlying rationale of the journal is that only through a clear understanding of the relevant societal, physical, and coupled natural-humans systems can we resolve such problems. Papers are invited on any theme involving the application of geographical theory and methodology in the resolution of human problems.