Abstract:

Scientific zoning of urban economic linkage structure is essential for improving and optimizing the functional layout of metropolitan areas, as well as for guiding integrated economic development. Based on the relative gravity vector introduced in this article, the conventional gravity model had been improved and applied in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area for exploring the economic linkage structure and gravity zoning. The results show that: the improved gravity model can indicate the actual conditions of unsymmetrical relative gravity between two cities. It shows three types of economic linkage structure, including driving, dependent, and complex structures in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area, and Wuhan was the single city that showed strong driving economic power in relation to other cities in the area. According to the gravitational attraction that represents economic linkage structure, cities in the area were divided into three zones, namely the "Xiaogan-Wuhan-Xianning", "Huangshi-Ezhou-Huanggang", and "Xiantao-Tianmen-Qianjiang"urban cooperation groups, with the former as the "center" and two latter groups form the "wings".

Key words: urban gravity model, relative gravity vector, gravity zoning, Wuhan Metropolitan Area