Abstract:Water transport, a component of integrated transport systems, is a key strategic resource for achieving sustainable economic and social development, particularly in the Yangtze River Economic Zone (YREZ). Unfortunately, systematic studies on water transport efficiency are not forthcoming. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index as a model framework, this paper measures water transport efficiency in YREZ, conducts spatial analysis to identify the leading factors influencing efficiency, and provides scientific evidence for a macroscopic grasp of water transport development and the optimization of YREZ. The results indicate that water transport technical efficiency (TE) in YREZ is low and in fluctuating decline. Therefore, it has seriously restricted performance and improvements in the service function. Additionally, the spatial pattern of TE has gradually changed from complexity and dispersion to clarity and contiguity with a larger inter-provincial gap. Water transport efficiency has slightly improved through technological change (TECHch), whereas deteriorating pure technical efficiency change (PEch) is the main cause of a TE decrease. According to our findings, decision-makers should consider strengthening intra-port competition and promoting water transport efficiency.

The past decade has witnessed a blossoming of megaregional plans throughout China. However, it is still unclear whether megaregions delineated in these plans are based on a functionally integrated foundation or imagined by the government. This study takes the Central Yangtze River Megaregion (CYRM)—a cross‐jurisdictional megaregion planned as a leading regional integration platform in Central China—as a case to examine the mismatch between the governmentally designated regions and functionally integrated regions. Specifically, this research employs the community detection algorithm to identify functionally integrated regions within the CYRM based on producer services networks, then associate the formation of these network‐based regions with territorial factors. The results show that the integration of identified first‐tier functional regions is subject to the provincial administrative divisions; whereas, the locally planned regions comply with the second‐tier functionally integrated regions spatially. Besides, the regression results indicate that the territorial factors are significantly associated with the above spatial patterns. Hence, the region‐making practices initiated by the local governments rather than the central government, are more consistent with the conditions of regional economic development.

Most scientific attention on port studies centers on deep sea ports, especially container ports. In this paper, in contrast, attention is focused on the spatial–temporal development of inland waterway ports on the Midstream Yangtze River from 2001 to 2013. The aim of this study is to assess two relevant and complementary questions of the hinterland evolution: its geographical extent and the coordination relationship with the inland port. To conduct the study, it was necessary to first identify the boundaries of the ports' hinterlands within the given timeframe. Then, the coupling coordination degree model was introduced to explore the underlying relationship between the port service and hinterland economy. Furthermore, to better depict the intricate economic characteristics of the hinterland, the development stage theory was applied in the models. The results highlight the emergence of a discontinuous hinterland at Wuhan Port and its reinforcement of primacy with respect to fierce hinterland rivalry. It also demonstrates that an interplay between major ports and their corresponding hinterlands evolves from the transitional stage, characterized by lagging port service, to the multi‐stage, wherein the supply of ports partly outstrips hinterland demand.

Megaregions are the new engines of global and regional economic growth, and they often are considered a principal urbanization platform in China. To understand megaregional processes’ responses to China’s regional policies, this study focused on two aspects of integration development in the Central Yangtze River megaregion between 2000 and 2014: The internal collaborative networks using enterprises’ headquarters-branch locations as a proxy measurement and the role of regional transportation in the integration networks. Based on a three-step network analysis, the Central Yangtze River megaregion was increasingly similar to a polycentric urban system with Wuhan, Changsha, and Nanchang as the dominant service cities, and there were some indications of a preliminary urban network formation. However, integration development remained a government-led administrative process with administrative boundaries that significantly influenced the network structure. A panel regression analysis further suggested that transportation accessibility to the three central cities was the key determinant of network participation for the peripheral cities compared to economic performance. This work contributes to the debate on the hierarchical-administrative properties of China’s megaregions and transportation implications of the economic integration process.