Abstract: Based on the transformation of spatial research and the limitation of the economy of an administrative region, the linkage and cooperation between different administrative regions have become an important strategy for spatial governance of the interregional relationships. Cooperation has great influences in many regions of Europe, East Asia and North America. Different ways of cooperation are adopted in different regions as regional cooperation is sensitive to space scale. In Europe, as an example, the development of interregional cooperation is going through three stages in Euregios, Cross-border Regions and Cross-border Polycentric Metropolitan Region, respectively. Currently in the cross-border regions in Europe, money and resources have been already ensured for the improvement of the development. Interregional cooperation in North America shows a trend of industrial accumulation near the American borders both in Canada and Mexico. The cooperation in East Asia shows diversified trends to enlarge the economic influences. Spatial structure has specific influences and guidance on the urbanization and production effect flow. The research on spatial structure is divided into four parts: traditional pattern, activity pattern, structure pattern and information pattern. The method to assess the cooperation is based on economy and space. In economy part, border effect is the main research method while ESDA and DEA are the related research method. In space part, planning and governance modes are the main research method. The research method of city spatial structure studies city structure, space influence range, city potential mode and internal space structure, by using different space research methods. Based on related researches on regional cooperation and spatial structure worldwide, this paper attempts to review the thoughts and methodologies in the research on the development of the cooperation and its spatial effect. The focus of space research has changed from stable space to space flow. The research framework is based on the space economy, assuming that everyone is rational and conforms to economy maximum criterion. The research can be divided into four major parts: city's driving mechanism, cooperation, spatial effect and composite structure system. The first part discusses the components of city character, city activities and personal activities. The second part discusses the type, intensity and mode of cooperation. The third part discusses city form and city network. The fourth part discusses the structure cycle and special components. The results show that empirical research is dominant but the system is still lacking in China due to lack of data of relative flow between different administrative regions. The main characters for the research are traditional theories on location and transformation, and the systematic research is needed to improve the related researches on the regional characteristics. The research in China is divided into three topics: regional cooperation, governmental commission and single governmental dominance. The systematic research on regional cooperation's spatial effect can help recognize real developmental conditions and provide a theoretical basis for city cooperation and transformation.

Key words: border effect, interregional linkage, spatial effect, systematic research