Understanding coordinated development through spatial structure and network robustness: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

In the context of accelerated globalization, intercity factor flows are becoming increasingly dependent on a reasonable and orderly spatial structure. Therefore, an in-depth study of the optimization and adjustment of spatial structure is essential for coordinated development. This study quantitatively evaluated urban development levels and introduced network analysis methods to analyse the spatial structure and robustness of development. The results indicated the following: (1) The urban development level in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region increased in all dimensions, and the transmission efficiency significantly improved. (2) The spatial structure of the BTH region has been relatively stable, as illustrated by the main pattern of the spatial distribution of central cities, with a trend towards contiguous development. (3) The ranking of network robustness is environment>society>economy, and the core network and key nodes are primarily located within the radiation of the three central cities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang. (4) The coordinated development of the BTH region is effective but still needs to be optimized and adjusted, and the strategic significance of edge cities has not been completely exploited. This study aims to provide an emerging analytical perspective for optimizing regional spatial structure and promoting regional coordinated development.