Niche Suitability Evaluation and Path Selection for the High-Quality Development of Cities in the Yellow River Basin

Abstract

The urban development in the Yellow River basin (YRB) varies widely. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a development path that fits the characteristics of each city to achieve high-quality development. The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of how to choose a characteristic path for high-quality development and clarify its suitability for YRB cities. Firstly, based on data from 50 YRB cities from 2011 to 2020, the suitability evaluation was carried out from the perspective of an ecological niche, followed by the measurement of sub-dimensional niche breadth and overlap. The results confirmed the great diversity of development between cities and the intense competition for resources. Then, based on the classification approach using the k-means method, this study proposes a method for selecting a suitable path for high-quality development. It classifies the suitable paths into 3 major types with 7 minor types and recommends policies for the suitable paths for YRB cities. The systematic thinking and specific path selection method for the high-quality development of YRB cities is not only of practical significance for implementing city classification strategies but also provides a reference for the sustainable development of basin cities in other countries.

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“…Specifically, the state could consider building an innovation research and development base and intellectual property trading center in the Yellow River Basin, with Xi'an and Zhengzhou as the twin nuclei, which, through intellectual property trading, could stimulate the full spillover of market-based innovations to cities, including Yinchuan, with weak innovation capacity. In addition, the nation could also use the Yangling Agricultural High-Tech Industry Demonstration Zone in the suburbs of Xi'an as a basis for upgrading the science and technology level of agriculture and downstream industries in the Yellow River Basin, cultivating a team of professional farmers and expanding the development and growth of the processing and manufacturing industries of agricultural and livestock products in cities such as Yinchuan [50].…”