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Exploring the Heterogenous Impacts of the Accessibility on Urban–Rural Disparity in Mountainous Regions of China

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Yelyu Tu
Yelyu Tu
Yelyu Tu
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Fanrong Jiang
Fanrong Jiang
Fanrong Jiang
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Tao Li
Tao Li
Tao Li
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Zhiping Chen
Zhiping Chen
Zhiping Chen
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Abstract and Figures

Most studies have explored the association between transportation and urban–rural disparity. However, research focusing on the impact of transportation accessibility on these issues has been relatively scarce. This paper contributes to the literature by examining the spatially varying impacts of multiscale accessibility on urban–rural income disparity (URID) in the Qinba mountainous region (QBM) of China. The results further highlight the differing impacts of county-level, prefecture-level, and provincial-level accessibility on URID. The MGWR model confirms that the effects of multiscale accessibility on URID are spatially heterogeneous. Specifically, county-level accessibility has a significantly negative effect on URID. In contrast, the impacts of prefecture-level and provincial-level accessibility are significantly positive in narrowing the URID, leading to a “diffusion effect.” The narrowing effect of prefecture-level and provincial-level accessibility on URID is more pronounced in the eastern and northern parts of QBM, respectively. In the western mountainous areas of QBM, where most counties experience relatively low accessibility and high URID, prioritizing the expansion of connectivity between mountainous and well-developed areas, optimizing the layouts of villages and towns, and improving overall accessibility is essential. The findings suggest that the implementation of accessibility improvements and transport plans should be place-specific, considering the geographical and socio-economic contexts.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy (2025) 18:24
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12061-024-09633-3
Exploring theHeterogenous Impacts oftheAccessibility
onUrban–Rural Disparity inMountainous Regions ofChina
YelyuTu1,2· FanrongJiang1· TaoLi1· ZhipingChen2
Received: 14 September 2024 / Accepted: 25 December 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025
Abstract
Most studies have explored the association between transportation and urban–rural
disparity. However, research focusing on the impact of transportation accessibility
on these issues has been relatively scarce. This paper contributes to the literature
by examining the spatially varying impacts of multiscale accessibility on urban–
rural income disparity (URID) in the Qinba mountainous region (QBM) of China.
The results further highlight the differing impacts of county-level, prefecture-level,
and provincial-level accessibility on URID. The MGWR model confirms that the
effects of multiscale accessibility on URID are spatially heterogeneous. Specifically,
county-level accessibility has a significantly negative effect on URID. In contrast,
the impacts of prefecture-level and provincial-level accessibility are significantly
positive in narrowing the URID, leading to a “diffusion effect.” The narrowing effect
of prefecture-level and provincial-level accessibility on URID is more pronounced
in the eastern and northern parts of QBM, respectively. In the western mountainous
areas of QBM, where most counties experience relatively low accessibility and high
URID, prioritizing the expansion of connectivity between mountainous and well-
developed areas, optimizing the layouts of villages and towns, and improving overall
accessibility is essential. The findings suggest that the implementation of accessibil-
ity improvements and transport plans should be place-specific, considering the geo-
graphical and socio-economic contexts.
Keywords Urban rural disparity· Accessibility· Transport infrastructures·
Multiscale geographically weighted regression analysis (MGWR )· Qinba
Mountainous Regions (QBM)
Introduction
Urban–rural inequality is a long-standing topic in the era of “Planetary Urbaniza-
tion” (Sun etal., 2023). Reducing urban–rural disparity (URD) and eradicating pov-
erty are not only challenges to global urbanization but also key objectives of the
Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
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