Examining the evolving geography of innovation and its divergent patterns within Chinese cities

This study typologizes the evolving geography of innovation within Chinese cities. The analysis characterizes innovation activities based on patent applications, employs a large-scale dataset of more than nine million patent records, and covers 234 Chinese cities for 2009–2020. The distribution of patent applications within cities is measured based on polycentricity, dispersion, and size of innovation centers. Employing hierarchical clustering and a decision tree model, the analysis clusters cities based on evolving spatial structures of innovation and associates these clusters with relevant socioeconomic factors. While the distribution of innovation activities has become more polycentric and less dispersed within Chinese cities, the study identifies six modes of spatial structural changes. Each mode reflects a distinctive evolution pattern of polycentricity, dispersion, and center size.