IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0338912.html

The effect of time–space compression in the Yangtze River Delta region under transportation integration: An accessibility-based analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Shuo Shang
  • Haibing Jiang

Abstract

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region is one of the areas in China with the highest level of transportation integration, featuring a well-developed high-speed rail network, multimodal transport system, interconnected intercity bus services, and intelligent transportation platforms. These developments have brought about significant effects of time-space compression in the region. Under the effects of time-space compression, the changes in the regional socio-economic spatial structure are worth further exploration. To this end, from the perspective of accessibility, this study explores the time–space compression effect in the YRD region using models such as economic linkage strength (ELS), central city isochronous-ring, daily accessibility (DA), and employment accessibility (EA) indicators. The results show: (1) The time distance between central cities and prefectural-level and lower-tier cities has greatly decreased, resulting in a network-based structure and a trend towards urban system flattening; within 1–2 hours of central cities, the scale of the population, number of cities, and regional coverage area have rapidly expanded, promoting regional integration and urban agglomeration. (2) Intercity time-space compression has significantly increased the total ELS between cities, intensifying the “strong center” economic linkage pattern. The radiation and driving capacity of central cities for the region has notably increased, and the equilibrium of urban economic linkage capabilities has improved. (3) Time-space compression strengthens the “competitive-cooperative effect” of central cities, facilitating the convenient sharing and equalization of high-quality urban public services, but also leading to tensions in the supply and demand of these resources. (4) A high-accessibility region has formed in the “Shanghai-Nanjing-Hangzhou” triangle, where high-accessibility cities possess larger market hinterlands and more employment opportunities, providing significant opportunities for the rise of small and medium-sized cities in peripheral areas. Based on these findings, in the context of time-space compression, these regions should actively build convenient, efficient, and resilient commuting and transfer networks. A networked spatial development strategy should be implemented, establishing efficient regional collaboration mechanisms and public service cooperation systems to promote coordinated regional development.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuo Shang & Haibing Jiang, 2026. "The effect of time–space compression in the Yangtze River Delta region under transportation integration: An accessibility-based analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 21(2), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0338912
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0338912
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0338912
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0338912&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0338912?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chou, Jui-Sheng & Chien, Ya-Ling & Nguyen, Ngoc-Mai & Truong, Dinh-Nhat, 2018. "Pricing policy of floating ticket fare for riding high speed rail based on time-space compression," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 179-192.
    2. Komei Sasaki & Tadahiro Ohashi & Asao Ando, 1997. "High-speed rail transit impact on regional systems: does the Shinkansen contribute to dispersion?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 31(1), pages 77-98.
    3. Holl, Adelheid, 2016. "Highways and productivity in manufacturing firms," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 131-151.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tian, Zhihua & Hu, An & Yang, Zhen & Lin, Yongran, 2024. "Highway networks and regional poverty: Evidence from Chinese counties," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 224-231.
    2. Das, Abhiman & Ghani, Ejaz & Grover, Arti & Kerr, William & Nanda, Ramana, 2024. "JUE insight: Infrastructure and Finance: Evidence from India’s GQ highway network," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    3. Yafei Xu & Guoli Ou, 2024. "A study on the impact of high-speed rail on the consumption structure of urban and rural residents in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(10), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Liwen Liu & Rong Huang, 2025. "A High-Speed Rail-Facilitated Evolution of the City-Network Structure in Less-Developed Regions: Evidence from Jiangxi Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Deng, Taotao & Wang, Dandan & Hu, Yukun & Liu, Shuang, 2020. "Did high-speed railway cause urban space expansion? ——Empirical evidence from China's prefecture-level cities," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    6. Long, Fenjie & Zheng, Longfei & Song, Zhida, 2018. "High-speed rail and urban expansion: An empirical study using a time series of nighttime light satellite data in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 106-118.
    7. Na Li & Haiyan Lu & Yongxin Lv, 2022. "High-Speed Railway Facilities, Intercity Accessibility and Urban Innovation Level—Evidence from Cities in Three Chinese Megacity Regions," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, July.
    8. Andersson, David Emanuel & Shyr, Oliver F. & Fu, Johnson, 2010. "Does high-speed rail accessibility influence residential property prices? Hedonic estimates from southern Taiwan," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 166-174.
    9. Jiao, Jingjuan & Wang, Jiaoe & Jin, Fengjun & Dunford, Michael, 2014. "Impacts on accessibility of China’s present and future HSR network," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 123-132.
    10. Weisong Cheng & Jingrun Shao & Liu Cui & Wenhao Song, 2025. "The Impact of Highway Construction on the Profits of Agricultural Enterprises: Evidence From China," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 56(6), pages 856-873, November.
    11. Zhang, Yanyan & Ma, Wenliang & Yang, Hangjun & Wang, Qiang, 2021. "Impact of high-speed rail on urban residents’ consumption in China—from a spatial perspective," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-10.
    12. Wu, Bingyu & Levinson, David M., 2024. "A multi-modal analysis of the effect of transport on population and productivity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    13. Wu, Rong & Li, Yingcheng & Wang, Shaojian, 2022. "Will the construction of high-speed rail accelerate urban land expansion? Evidences from Chinese cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    14. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Keola, Souknilanh & Sudsawasd, Sasatra & Yamanouchi, Kenta, 2022. "Impacts of an international bridge on households: Evidence from Thailand," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    15. Zhaohua Zhang & Zhao Zhang & Xin Wang & Derrick Robinson, 2023. "Unraveling the rectifying role of transportation improvement on resource misallocation among manufacturing firms in China–Facts and mechanism," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(8), pages 1-22, August.
    16. De Borger, Bruno & Mulalic, Ismir & Rouwendal, Jan, 2025. "Productivity and wage effects of an exogenous improvement in transport infrastructure: Accessibility and the Great Belt Bridge," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    17. Gibbons, Stephen & Lyytikäinen, Teemu & Overman, Henry G. & Sanchis-Guarner, Rosa, 2019. "New road infrastructure: The effects on firms," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 35-50.
    18. Hiramatsu, Tomoru, 2023. "Inter-metropolitan regional migration galvanized by high-speed rail: A simulation analysis of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen line in Japan," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    19. Maximilian v. Ehrlich & Henry G. Overman, 2020. "Place-Based Policies and Spatial Disparities across European Cities," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 128-149, Summer.
    20. Zhou, You & Zhang, Lingzhu & JF Chiaradia, Alain, 2022. "Estimating wider economic impacts of transport infrastructure Investment: Evidence from accessibility disparity in Hong Kong," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 220-235.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0338912. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.