Spatial Pattern Evolution and Influencing Factors on Industrial Agglomeration: Evidence from Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration

In order to clarify the spatial pattern and influencing factors on industrial agglomeration in urban agglomerations, based on the data of prefecture-level cities from 2006 to 2018, this paper uses spatial standard deviation ellipse to analyze the spatial pattern evolution of manufacturing, producer services, consumer services, and foreign-invested industries and takes a dynamic spatial Durbin model to empirically test the influencing factors of industrial agglomeration in Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) the degree of industrial agglomeration is at a low level and the difference in the industrial agglomeration level between cities is mainly manifested in the service industries; 2) manufacturing and foreign-invested industries have entered the stage of industrial diffusion, and all types of industries show an east (by south)-to-west (by north) pattern, with a trend of expansion to the south and north; 3) the agglomeration level of service industries and foreign-invested industries on the east bank of the Pearl River is higher than that on the west; and 4) from the empirical results, there is a general inertia effect in the industrial agglomeration and a siphon effect in the manufacturing agglomeration. Economic scale, transportation infrastructure, government intervention, opening up, and urban environment can all positively influence the agglomeration in some industries, with the apparent spatial spillover effects of each influencing factor. In addition, from the long-term factors of industrial agglomeration, the coordinated development of urban agglomeration is beneficial to the agglomeration of manufacturing and producer services. The research significance of this paper is that it can practically provide a more comprehensive reference for the impact mechanism of industrial agglomeration in urban agglomerations of China.