Research on Urban Resilience and Influencing Factors of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle

Abstract

Building resilient cities is the foundation and guarantee for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to achieve high-quality and sustainable development. This research uses the entropy TOPSIS method to evaluate the urban resilience level of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and uses the Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) approach to analyze the configuration of contributing factors. Research indicates that the overall urban resilience level is relatively low, with more than 70% of the areas being less than 0.3. Overall, Chengdu (Level 1) and Chongqing central districts (Level 2) are 1–3 levels higher than their surrounding areas, which indicates insufficient spatial balance. The consistency scores of the single-antecedent condition necessity analyses were all less than 0.9, and the consistencies of all configuration analysis results were all greater than 0.8. This research proves that the creation of urban resilience is the result of a combination of factors, rather than the independent influence from any individual factor. Financial and innovation forces are the key driving factors that affect the level of urban resilience. The multiple driving model also helps to improve the level of resilience. The lack of cultural and innovation forces in Chongqing area has been proven to inhibit the level of urban resilience, and the lack of openness and political focus has resulted in a low level of resilience in the Sichuan area. We propose to promote the construction of a “dual core”, to create synergies between Chongqing and Chengdu, and to achieve balanced and integrated development in the entire region. We focus on the key factors affecting the resilience level of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. In the future, we suggest further opening the market and implementing a developing strategy that is driven by economy and innovation. Regarding the construction of the Sichuan and the Chongqing areas, we encourage the two regions to adjust policies based on local conditions. First, the administration should solve the driving force deficiencies for development, then adopt differentiation strategies for regional development.