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Does China's Urban Development Satisfy Zipf's Law? A Multiscale Perspective from the NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light Data
Yizhen Wu1,2,3, Mingyue Jiang1,2,3, Zhijian Chang1,2,3
1School of Geographical Sciences, State Cultivation Base of Eco-Agriculture for Southwest Mountainous Land, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|February 28, 2020
Summary
China
Area of Science:
- Urban studies
- Geographic information systems
- Spatial analysis
Background:
- Zipf's law is a principle describing the relationship between rank and size in various systems.
- Its applicability to urban development scales in China remains underexplored.
- Nighttime light data offers a novel approach to assess urban dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether China's urban development adheres to Zipf's law across multiple scales.
- To analyze urban development trends using satellite-derived nighttime light data.
- To evaluate the spatial distribution and concentration of urban development in China.
Main Methods:
- Utilized corrected National Polar-Orbiting Partnership's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) nighttime light data.
- Applied the Zipf's law model to assess urban development at provincial, prefectural, and county levels.
- Analyzed Zipf index (q) values and correlation coefficients (R) from 2012 to 2018.
Main Results:
- Corrected NPP-VIIRS data accurately reflect China's urban development status.
- Zipf index (q) generally decreased from 2012 to 2018 across all administrative levels.
- Provincial and prefectural development closely approximated ideal Zipf's law (q ≈ 1, R > 0.70).
- County-level development showed stronger monopoly capacity (q > 1, R > 0.70).
- Multiscale development exhibited equilibrium with minimal differences (R > 0.90) when q < 1.
Conclusions:
- China's urban development exhibits scale-dependent adherence to Zipf's law.
- The findings provide insights into the hierarchical structure and concentration of urban development in China.
- Results offer valuable implications for urban planning and policy-making.
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