Coordination Characteristics and Paths of New Urbanization and Rural Revitalization in Northeast China from the Perspective of Urban-Rural Integration

The integration of urban and rural areas in China in the new period is a transformation process of the social and economic structure jointly promoted by new urbanization and rural revitalization. Focusing on Northeast China from 2004 to 2019, this paper reveals the characteristics and types of coupling coordination between new urbanization and rural revitalization via a multidimensional quantitative evaluation and comparison, and puts forward a path for the promotion of the coordinated development of both sides against the background of urban-rural integration. The results reveal the following. (1) The new urbanization and rural revitalization in Northeast China are respectively affected by the separation of industries and cities and the separation of residences and industries, resulting in a low overall development level and slow development speed. Moreover, the spatial patterns of the two are different. (2) New urbanization and rural revitalization have a strong correlation but lack coordination. During the study period, the average coupling degree was found to be above 0.9, but the average coupling coordination degree was always in the primary coordination state (0.6,0.7]. The high value of coordinated development is distributed in the four central cities and the two major urban agglomerations in Northeast China. (3) New urbanization and rural revitalization exhibit the characteristics of economic, social, and spatial multi-dimensional correlation, as well as the coexistence of the allometric unsynchronization of the development process and a heterogeneous unbalanced development pattern. The correlation between new urbanization and rural revitalization in 34 prefecture-level cities in eastern China can be divided into four types: high-level coordinated synchronous development, high-level coordinated rural revitalization lagging, high-level coordinated new urbanization lagging, and low-level coordinated dual urban and rural lagging. Corresponding approaches are proposed, such as the multi-dimensional integrated development of urban and rural areas, the coordinated development of agricultural industrialization and rural multi-functionality, the promotion of urban and rural employment via the integration of industries and cities, and the coordinated promotion of urbanization and communization