Population Dynamics in China’s Urbanizing Megaregion: A Township-Level Analysis of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region

Abstract

China is currently in a period of accelerated urbanization, and the population pattern of urbanizing megaregions is undergoing drastic changes. Accurately grasping the population density patterns and evolution trends has become essential. Based on the township-level population data, through population density classification, population concentration index, and regression analysis, this research investigated the evolution of the spatial pattern of population density and the influencing factors in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Results showed that the population continued to concentrate in the municipal districts of Beijing and Tianjin and the township units where county governments were located, thereby causing a more unbalanced population distribution and a wider urban–rural disparity. Population dynamics are influenced by the market and the government. County-level administrative centers have continued to appeal to the population. The strategy of decentralizing the non-capital functions of Beijing has promoted the decentraliztion of population, albeit to a limited extent. However, key township policy has played a minor role in population change. Owing to particularities in the development stage and social system, the population dynamics in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region differ from those of other developed countries.