The Influence of Innovative Resources on the Comprehensive Carrying Capacity of China’s Urban Agglomerations: A System Dynamics Perspective

Abstract

The sustainable development of urban agglomerations greatly relies on their comprehensive carrying capacity (CCC). As society evolves, innovative resources emerge as core assets and serve as crucial pillars of this capacity. Despite existing CCC studies, the influence of innovative resources remains underexplored. This study analyzes the influence of innovative resources on the CCC of 19 urban agglomerations in China using a system dynamics approach. We find that innovative resources are an important subsystem of CCC. Increasing innovative resources is an effective strategy for enhancing CCC, yet the effects of different types of innovative resources vary. Merely increasing the number of universities and research institutions does not significantly improve the CCC level. Increasing the expenditures of higher education institutions, internal R&D, and the number of patents are effective approaches to enhance CCC. Moreover, these factors can form a virtuous cycle, mutually promoting innovation and CCC development, thus injecting new momentum into the sustainable development of urban agglomerations.