Analysis of the Temporal and Spatial Pattern and Convergence Characteristics of High-Quality Sustainable Economic Development of Urban Agglomeration

Based on the sample data of 149 cities in ten major urban agglomerations from 2004 to 2019, the entropy method, Dagum Gini coefficient, and three-dimensional kernel density estimation method are used to calculate and describe the spatial pattern of the high-quality, sustainable economic development of these ten major urban agglomerations. We then use the spatial econometric model to estimate the β convergence trend within the urban agglomerations and among the urban agglomerations at different levels. Our main findings include the following: First, the urban agglomeration tends to develop a high-quality economy, but the gap between the urban agglomerations can be large. Second, although the gap within the overall group of urban agglomerations is expanding, the gap between high-quality individuals and the average is constantly shrinking; the gap between groups is still the leading cause of the spatial gap, with a contribution rate of 70.51%. Third, all urban agglomerations have an absolute and conditional β convergence trend, and the convergence speed presents the characteristics of “high level slow, low level fast”. Government intervention, financial development, urbanization, and human capital contribute to the high-quality, sustainable economic development of each urban agglomeration. There is a heterogeneous influence; there is also absolute and conditional β convergence among urban agglomerations at all levels, and the convergence rate presents a gradient characteristic of “third level > second level > first level”, and by balancing the financial relationships between city groups within each level, development differences can promote the dynamic coordination of high-quality, sustainable economic development rates.