Location Preferences and Changes in Pollution-Intensive Firms from the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

This study examined the location preferences and changes in pollution-intensive firms by analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution and drivers in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a transitional manufacturing region in China. To analyze the distribution of firms under natural growth conditions prior to the implementation of the national “Great Protection of the Yangtze River” policy in 2016, this study utilized data on newly expanded industrial land use from 2007 to 2016. The results indicated that new pollution-intensive firms predominantly focused on water pollution, occupying over 40% of the total area annually. The new pollution-intensive firms preferred the geographic agglomeration siting strategy, mostly along the Yangtze River or in urban agglomerations, while gradually moving westward. The total area and number of new pollution-intensive firms in the Yangtze River Economic Belt showed an overall trend of “inverted U-shaped” variation during the study period, and the average size of the pollution-intensive firms gradually decreased. GeoDetector analysis revealed that geographical factors have always been significant. Local economic factors attracted new pollution-intensive firms, but later in the study period, these factors showed some inhibitory effect on the increase in pollution-intensive firms in the lower reaches. Government intervention worked less effectively but was significantly enhanced after interaction with other factors. Finally, the results suggested that local governments should build a stronger synergy between industrial land policies and environmental regulations to ensure sustainable growth and rational allocation of pollution-intensive firms.