Research on the Measurement and Effects of Urban–Rural Integration and Modernization in National Central Cities

In promoting China’s comprehensive modernization in pursuit of the grand revitalization of the Chinese nation, the relationship between industry and cities has become increasingly interconnected. National central cities, as the country’s economic, cultural, and financial centers, play a pivotal role in driving the development of their surrounding regions. Therefore, this paper focuses on nine national central cities in China and constructs an assessment index framework for urban–rural integration and modernization. This index system covers two aspects: industrial modernization (with a focus on the modernization of the service sector and industry) and urban modernization (with a focus on the harmonious development of people and nature). Using data from 2021, we determine the weights of individual indicators through the entropy weight method. Moreover, the coupling coordination model is utilized to compute the coupling coordination degree for each city, assessing the level of urban–rural integration and modernization. Using Hubei Province as an illustration, we incorporate the measured coupling coordination degree into the analysis of urban–rural integration effects. Spatial autocorrelation using Global Moran's I is applied to explore the spatial radiation effects of the national central city, Wuhan, on its surrounding cities. Simultaneously, 13 prefecture level cities in Hubei Province were selected as radiation areas, and relevant data from 2017 to 2021 were collected. The Durbin, robust regression, and panel model were employed to analyze the economic radiation impact, learning effect, and transportation accessibility effect of Wuhan as a national central city on surrounding cities. Our findings unequivocally demonstrate the paramount role of the service sector in shaping urban–rural integration, as evidenced by Shanghai emerging with the highest level of such integration and modernization, while Zhengzhou lags with the least progress. Moreover, the innovative prowess inherent in Wuhan, which functions as a national central city, exerts a positive influence on the innovation capacity witnessed in its radiating vicinity. Concurrently, the transportation accessibility quotient between peripheral cities and the central city manifests a positive correlation with the economic development level within the radiation zone. These results furnish invaluable insights into strategies aimed at elevating the echelon of urban–rural integration and modernization within national central cities.