China's hybrid global city region pathway: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta

As the number of global cities grows and the extent of their city region hinterlands expands it is increasingly important to understand connectivity of cities within global city regions to the core city as well as connectivity of both the core city and the entire city region to other cities in the world city network. By investigating multi-scalar network connectivity of Shanghai both to cities in its hinterland and the world city network from 2000 to 2013, this article concludes that Shanghai's status as a global city is based both on connections to cities within the region and connections of Shanghai municipality to other cities in the world city network. Based on measures of connectivity such as connectedness of advanced producer service firms, airport arrivals and departures, and container TEUs, since 2000 Shanghai has become one of the most connected cities in the world. However, Shanghai's global connectivity is not the same as its importance in the world economy. The market value of firms listed on the Shanghai stock exchange, foreign exchange turnover, and international transshipments from the Port of Shanghai are modest compared to other leading global cities. City network analysis within the Shanghai mega-city region provides a novel explanation for this apparent paradox. Shanghai's global connectivity is strongly influenced by its close connection with its hinterland, the Yangtze River Delta, and elsewhere in China. Shanghai's rapidly growing global connectivity is largely a result of the emergence of the Yangtze River Delta as a global city region. Shanghai, as the core city in the city region, is both a hub connecting flows of goods, capital, people, and information within the Yangtze River Delta region and a gateway through which other cities in the city region connect to the world city network. Scholars worldwide can apply the methods used in this article to illuminate the hybrid global city pathway.