Regional differences in spatial determinants of land urbanization in China

China has entered a critical stage of urbanization transition but still faces unbalanced regional development and uncoordinated urban-rural integration. Studying the regional differences in spatial determinants of land urbanization (LU) is crucial to achieving coordinated regional development of urbanization. However, the spatial determinants of LU remain unclear, especially in terms of their regional differences. Therefore, this study introduced dynamic distribution and spatial analysis to measure regional differences in spatial determinants of LU in China. During 1990-2020, the imbalance of LU in China was constantly decreasing, and the differences in LU among different regions were also decreasing. LU in China had significant spatial dependence and spatial spillover effects, and the trend of group development was gradually becoming obvious. LU in eastern region was more affected by natural factors than in central and western regions, while central and western regions were more affected by socioeconomic factors than in eastern region. This study can provide a scientific reference for understanding the spatial disequilibrium of LU and promoting the regional implementation of LU coordinated development.