Apply fringe identification to understand urban economic development in China: in case of Wuhan

Abstract

Based on point of interest (POI) data from 2010 to 2020, this paper uses kernel density method and natural point discontinuity method to identify urban fringe areas and analyzes the internal structure and spatial expansion characteristics of new urban fringe areas in two stages from the aspects of expansion quantity, expansion intensity, and expansion direction. By analyzing the spatial characteristics and influencing factors of the expansion degree of Wuhan urban fringe from 2010 to 2020, there are spatial differences in the degree of urban expansion. From 2010 to 2015, Wuhan’s urban growth was dominated by marginal expansion, while the main urban area, suburban new urban area, and other peripheral areas were dominated by infill expansion, marginal expansion, and leaping expansion, respectively, and the expansion degree increased in turn. On the contrary, from 2015 to 2020, the growth of Wuhan is mainly internal filling, and the speed of marginal expansion is relatively slow. In general, the southern part of Wuhan Central urban area was expand the most from 2010 to 2020, and the city center will move southward, indicating that the southern part is the focus of urban expansion in the study period. With the development of the southeast New Town Group and the southern New Town Group, this situation may continue.