Spatial Configuration and Structural Resilience in the Population Flow Network: An Analysis of the Yimeng Mountainous Region

A systematic spatial resilience analysis of population flow networks in underdeveloped mountain towns is essential for sustainable urban–rural integration. Using mobile signaling data from March 2023, this study constructs a population flow network across 69 towns in the Yimeng Mountainous Region. This study proposes a novel targeted-attack framework based on centrality and assesses structural resilience along the three dimensions of efficiency, transitivity, and connectedness. Population flows exhibit a twin-core north–south structure, characterized by a hub-and-spoke system in the south and a self-stabilizing triangular configuration in the north. The network demonstrates strong spatial agglomeration and heterogeneity, with modular clustering revealing four functional modules shaped by administrative boundaries. It exhibits small-world properties, attributed to high transmission efficiency and strong local clustering. The network shows robust resilience to disruptions. Targeted attacks based on betweenness centrality significantly compromise structural resilience; efficiency, transmission, and connectivity change linearly at low attack intensities but decline sharply at higher levels.