Radiation Effect of Urban Agglomeration’s Transportation Network: Evidence from Chengdu–Chongqing Urban Agglomeration, China

Recent years have seen the global proliferation and integration of transportation systems in urban agglomeration (UA), suggesting that transportation networks have become more prominent in the sustainable development of UA. Core cities play a radiating and driving role in affecting their adjacent cities to formulate transportation networks. Such a phenomenon is called the radiation effect of transportation networks and can be imaged using a field strength model as proposed in the study. The field strength model was verified using the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) as a case. Case data concerning transportation routes and traffic volume were collected for the past 20 years. The data analyses results indicate a relatively stable pattern of transportation networks in the UA. UA cities’ radiation effects follow the same compactness trend. The core cities’ radiation spheres go beyond their territories, and they can envelop the surrounding cities, highlighting the core cities’ dominance in the entire transportation network. Moreover, two development stages of UA transportation—focus and spillover—are also identified. This study contributes to the literature by providing an innovative quantitative method to detect the interaction between a city’s transportation system and peripheral cities or regions. The radiation effect of cities’ transportation systems should be considered in the UA transportation development plan, so as to meet the needs of spatial structure planning and coordinated development of the UA.