Measurement of spatial agglomeration level and the characteristics of space–time evolution of China’s construction industry

Abstract

Industrial agglomeration is the most prominent performance in current economic activities. In this study, the output value of construction engineering is taken as the core index. The relevant data of 31 provinces and cities in China from 2008 to 2019 are selected. The spatial agglomeration level and spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of Chinese construction industry in 10 years are studied using the Gini coefficient and the strongest gravity model. Results show that the spatial agglomeration level of China’s construction industry has been increasing annually, and the industry has experienced the development process of “disequilibrium to gradual equilibrium.” (1) The distribution of construction industry in 31 provinces and cities of China is characterized by spatial imbalance. (2) The agglomeration areas of high–high construction industrial elements are mainly concentrated in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. Low–low industrial element agglomeration areas are concentrated in the urban agglomeration of southwest China. (3) The center of gravity of the spatial agglomeration of the elements of China’s construction industry is moving from the east to the central and western regions and gradually tends to be balanced.