Progress in Global City-Regions studies from the relational perspective

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-9479.2026.01.20240895

Abstract

Abstract:

Under the profound influence of urban globalization and regional development, global city-regions have become an important geographical phenomenon and spatial form in the era of globalization, and are also a key issue in the field of urban and regional research. However, current theoretical research mainly focuses on descriptive summaries, lacking in-depth theoretical sorting and analysis. This paper attempts to systematically review the development and research trends of this topic in the academic community,both domestically and internationally from a relational perspective. Research has found that: ① Global city-regions are spatial products formed after geographical scale production and correlation scale reconstruction; ② Cross scale connections have promoted the formation of global urban regions, and research has shifted from simply emphasizing regional differences to exploring interactions within and outside regions; ③ The functions of global urban regions have undergone restructuring at different times and geographical contexts; ④ The interactive relationship between global and local is the driving force for the development of global city-regions, and diverse connections are the root cause of the differentiation in the development of global city-regions. Finally, this article discusses the limitations of current research and points out future research directions.

Key words: relational perspective, Global City-Region, scale reconstruction, space connection

摘要：

在城市全球化与城市区域化发展的深刻影响下，全球城市区域已成为当今全球化时代重要的地理空间现象和空间形态，同时也是城市与区域研究领域的关键议题。然而，目前相关理论研究主要以描述性概述为主，缺乏深入的理论梳理与剖析。因此本文试图从关系视角出发，系统梳理国内外学术界对该议题的发展脉络及研究动态。研究发现：① 全球城市区域是地理尺度生产和关联尺度重构的空间产物；② 跨尺度联系促进了全球城市区域的形成，研究从单纯强调区域差异转向探讨区域内外的相互作用； ③ 全球城市区域的功能在不同时间和地域背景下发生了重构； ④ 全球-地方的互动关系是全球城市区域的发展动力，多样化的联系是全球城市区域发展差异化的根源。最后，本文论述了当前研究的局限性，并指出未来的研究方向。

关键词: 关系视角, 全球城市区域, 尺度重构, 空间联系

Bo LIU, Desheng XUE, Zifeng LI. Progress in Global City-Regions studies from the relational perspective[J]. World Regional Studies, 2026, 35(1): 62-76.

刘博, 薛德升, 李子枫. 关系视角下全球城市区域研究的进展[J]. 世界地理研究, 2026, 35(1): 62-76.

Figures/Tables 2

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