Spatial patterns and determinants of ethnic minority cultural integration in megacities: The case of Shanghai

Abstract

This study investigates the spatial patterns and determinants of ethnic minority cultural integration in Shanghai using multi-source spatial data. Six cultural systems were identified based on ethnic composition, with cultural facility data extracted through text mining of multidimensional cultural lexicons. To quantify cultural spatial integration, five metrics (Cultural Density, Typological Diversity, Cultural Dominance, Proximity Mixture, and Cultural Coexistence) were formulated at the subdistrict level. Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering was then applied to these metrics to identify four patterns of spatial integration: Deeply-Integrated, Single-Dominant, Scarce-Discrete, and Sparse-Mixed. Modeling results of SAC reveal that cross-regional spatial association is the primary driver, showing significant positive spillover effects. Demographic factors (with migrant proportion showing inhibitory effect and youth proportion demonstrating promotional effect) and economic conditions (commercial density and average housing price) also contribute. MGWR reveals pronounced spatial heterogeneity and shows that cultural infrastructure density (non-significant in OLS) exerts significant local effects, while other public service resources remain largely non-significant. Findings suggest that cross-regional collaboration, rather than relying solely on local intervention, is essential for promoting ethnic minority cultural integration. This study contributes to theoretical insights into the differentiated nature of cultural integration and can inform cultural space governance in megacities.