Ecological Niche Measurement and Effect Analysis of Hub Cities Based on Logistics Network Integration

Abstract

In recent years, academic research on regional economies has gradually shifted toward policy studies with cities as the primary spatial carriers. Against the backdrop of globalization and digitalization, resource elements such as capital, technology, and human resources have transcended traditional economic boundaries, establishing new carriers for economic development between cities and regions. Cities are no longer confined to their immediate hinterlands but are forming connections with broader areas, intensifying inter-city competition. The Outline for Building China's Comprehensive Three-Dimensional Transport Network, released in February 2021, proposed establishing a "trinity" national comprehensive transport hub system, emphasizing the accelerated development of approximately 20 international comprehensive transport hub cities and 80 national comprehensive transport hub cities to promote a new regional spatial development model characterized by "hub-network" connectivity. As core carriers of regional economic development, hub cities leverage platforms in transportation, logistics, and information to perform critical functions in the aggregation, radiation, and diffusion of economic factors. These cities serve as innovation leaders in regional network structures, acting as key nodes connecting global and domestic supply chains and as central elements in building efficient supply chain service systems. This study primarily employs niche theory models to measure and comprehensively analyze the development of hub cities' ecological niches, providing constructive recommendations to help each hub city clarify its current developmental status. By adjusting urban development strategies and industrial structures based on their ecological niches, cities can focus on enhancing core competitiveness to drive high-quality regional economic growth. The research specifically examines the impact of hub cities' ecological niches on logistics industry agglomeration. Control variables include labor input, government intervention, openness, and government support, with a bidirectional fixed-effects Durbin model used to explore how niche fitness influences industrial agglomeration. The results indicate that niche fitness has a significantly positive effect on logistics industry agglomeration. Among the control variables, human capital and openness exhibit positive spatial spillover effects on logistics industry growth in both local and neighboring cities. Based on these findings, the study proposes four key strategies to promote high-quality development of China's hub cities: (1) Implementing a "dual coordination" strategy to strengthen internal and external resource integration and regional collaboration, thereby enhancing logistics network resilience; (2) Adopting differentiated positioning strategies to guide hub cities in ecologically overlapping regions like East and Central China toward specialized development, establishing coastal-inland synergies; (3) Building a symbiotic logistics network system through policy coordination and resource sharing to form an integrated "corridor-hub-network" framework; (4) Deepening openness and cooperation by optimizing trade policies and cultural coordination to boost international logistics competitiveness. These strategies collectively provide theoretical foundations and practical pathways for optimizing China's national logistics hub system and fostering coordinated regional development.