Research on Economic Spatial Agglomeration Characteristics of Prefecture-level Cities in Guangdong Province — Based on the Perspective of “Density, Distance, Division, Dependence”

This paper introduces a novel concept to the “3D” framework of density, distance, and division proposed by the World Bank, thereby constructing a “4D” analytical system to comprehensively explore the adjacency effects mentioned in “Reshaping Economic Geography.” Firstly, the comprehensive 3D scores of prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province were calculated in terms of density, distance, and integration characteristics using principal component analysis. This revealed the evolution of economic geographic patterns across these cities. Subsequently, the spatial agglomeration typologies of Guangdong's prefecture-level cities were analyzed through the calculation of Moran's index and the construction of Moran scatterplot. This analysis summarized the spatial distribution characteristics of high-value and low-value economic development areas. Finally, based on the “4D” framework, targeted recommendations are proposed to optimize the economic geographical pattern of prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province, with the aim of promoting high-quality economic development throughout the region.