[Objective] Public data access is a crucial measure to unlock the value of digital resources, offering resource-based cities new opportunities to accelerate their transformation. Unveiling its impact on transformation efficiency and the underlying mechanisms provides a scientific basis for promoting the high-quality development of resource-based cities from the perspective of new quality productive forces. [Methods] This study treated the construction of data access platforms by local governments as a quasi-natural experiment, and used panel data from 114 resource-based cities in China from 2006 to 2021. A non-radial directional distance function was employed to measure transformation efficiency, considering the scenario where capital, labor, land, technology, and energy inputs are variable, as well as an alternative scenario where only energy input is variable. A multi-period difference-in-differences model was used to examine the effects and mechanisms of public data access on the transformation of resource-based cities from the perspective of new quality productive forces to ensure the accuracy of the results. [Results] (1) The study found that public data access resulted in an average improvement of 5.1% in the transformation efficiency of resource-based cities with all five inputs variable, and a 5.8% improvement under the alternative scenario, thereby significantly expediting the transformation of these cities. This conclusion remained valid after endogeneity treatment and robustness tests. (2) Mechanism analysis revealed that public data access facilitated the transformation of resource-based cities through three channels: green technology innovation, enhanced synergistic agglomeration of manufacturing and productive services, and the perfection of digital financial services. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicated that the public data access had a more pronounced effect on the improvement of transformation efficiency in resource-based cities located in the central region, in the regeneration stage, and belonging to the old industrial base. [Conclusion] The key role of data access in introducing data elements into the transformation of resource-based cities should be emphasized. Actively leveraging the important role of data platforms in technological innovation, industrial development, and financial services provision could help resource-based cities develop new quality productive forces and transform towards high-quality development.

[Objective] This study aimed to explore the pattern of change of knowledge base in resource-based cities and analyze the driving effect of innovation cooperation, so as to provide some guidance for these type of areas to develop new quality productivity in accordance with local conditions and break their path dependency. [Methods] Based on a sample of 90 resource-based cities at the prefecture level, this study investigated the dynamic change process of knowledge base from the perspectives of scale, quality, structure, and branching, and examined the driving effect of innovation cooperation from local, cross-city and transnational spatial scales, using the data of invention patent applications from 2001 to 2021. [Results] (1) The scale of knowledge grew rapidly and non-linearly. The breadth and depth of knowledge changed inversely, with the former increasing and the latter decreasing. Dominant knowledge distributed in clusters and showed a clear orientation towards natural resources. The related and unrelated diversification of knowledge evolved synergistically, and the position of a city in the diversification Boston matrix was determined by its life cycle stage, geographical location, and resource endowments. Knowledge branching was dominated by new knowledge entry, which had significant features of unrelated diversification and touched on advanced frontier areas. Each dimension of the knowledge base showed the same differentiation pattern of regenerating city > mature city > declining city > growing city, eastern city > central city > western city > northeast city, and mineral city > other types > forestry city. Each dimension index of resource-based cities’ knowledge deviated from the national average significantly. Specifically, knowledge breadth, unrelated diversification, and related diversification showed a catch-up trend, while the gaps in other dimensions tended to widen. (3) Innovation cooperation was becoming increasingly more frequent, and the cooperation partners evolved from level I city (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) dominant to a multi-level balanced mode. Transnational cooperation inhibited knowledge diversification, cross-city cooperation promoted knowledge branching, and only level I cross-city cooperation enhanced knowledge uniqueness slightly. Local cooperation enhanced the activity of knowledge branching, but was not conducive to the improvement of knowledge quality and structure. [Conclusion] Although the knowledge base of resource-based cities was gradually consolidated, knowledge quality is still low, knowledge structure is still poor, and new knowledge is still difficult to enter. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen local capacity, coordinate local and cross-city cooperation, promote the mutual development of industry and knowledge, and pay more attention to the relationship between related and unrelated diversification of knowledge.

[Objective] The green credit policy aims to promote sustainable and high-quality development of enterprises. But there is still a gap in academic attention to the effects of new quality productive forces for resource-based enterprises in policy implementation, especially the systematic effects of financing constraints, technological changes, and green transformation awareness on resource-based enterprises, which need to be further explored. [Methods] Based on the quasi natural experiment implemented by the original China Banking Regulatory Commission’s Green Credit Guidelines (2012), relevant data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2008 to 2022 were selected, and the difference-in-differences (DID) method was used to empirically test the systematic effect of the green credit policy on the formation of new quality productive forces in resource-based enterprises. [Results] This study found that the green credit policy effectively synergized the functions of environmental regulation and financial resource allocation, and significantly assisted resource-based enterprises in forming new quality productive forces by alleviating financing constraints, driving technological change, and enhancing awareness of green transformation. Heterogeneity tests indicated that the promotion effect of the green credit policy on the new quality productive forces of resource-based enterprises was stronger in areas with lower marketization than in areas with higher marketization, and stronger in non-state-owned enterprises than in state-owned enterprises. The effect was also stronger in enterprises in the decline period, weaker in enterprises in the growth period, and the weakest in enterprises in the maturity period. [Conclusion] The green credit policy can significantly promote the development of new quality productive forces in resource-based enterprises. Therefore, it is necessary to fully leverage the guiding function of the policy, actively promote its improvement and innovation, and vigorously optimize the basic conditions of the policy to accelerate the formation of new quality productive forces in resource-based enterprises.

[Objective] Data factor has introduced new impetus for China’s high-quality development. Investigating the impact of data factor on the low-carbon development of resource-based cities and its mechanisms can offer fresh insights for the sustainable growth of these cities. [Methods] From the perspective of new quality productive forces (NQPF), this study examined how data factor influenced the low-carbon development of resource-based cities. Using the quasi-natural experiment created by the launch of provincial public data access platforms across various provinces in China, and drawing on a panel dataset of 1014 county-level resource-based cities from 2011 to 2019, a difference-in-differences model was employed to empirically test the relationship between data factor and the low-carbon development of these cities. [Results] (1) The data factor released through provincial public data access platforms significantly reduced carbon emissions of resource-based cities. Compared with other resource-based cities, the carbon emission intensity of resource-based cities affected by this policy was about 18.1% lower. (2) In terms of mechanisms, the data factor released by public data access platforms reduced carbon emission intensity of resource-based cities through two important mechanisms: enhancing green NQPF and digital NQPF of resource-based cities. (3) From a heterogeneity perspective, the data factor released by public data access platforms were broadly inclusive, benefiting different types of resource-based cities. However, the magnitude of the impact varied depending on factors such as the city’s development stage, primary resource type, and geographical location. [Conclusion] The public data access platforms release a wealth of data factor, which aids resource-based cities in developing NQPF and consequently reducing carbon emissions. Resource-based cities should seize the opportunities presented by the continuous integration of data factor into traditional production functions to foster NQPF and achieve low-carbon development.

[Objective] To scientifically assess the level of transition from old to new economic drivers (TONED) in resource-based cities, it is essential to analyze the spatial evolution of the TONED and its underlying mechanisms. These would provide both theoretical and practical foundations for the green transition of resource-based cities. [Methods] This study comprehensively applied geospatial analysis techniques and Markov chains to study the spatial evolution characteristics of the TONED in 109 resource-based cities in China from 2011 to 2021, and analyzed the mechanism of influence of the TONED in terms of internal factors and external factors by applying obstacle models, optimal parameter geodetectors, and spatiotemporal geographically-weighted regression methods. [Results] First, the average index of the TONED in resource-based cities increased from 0.115 to 0.153, indicating a positive trend. Spatially, the TONED showed a pattern of high in coastal regions and low inland, with a reduction in spatial clustering effects. Second, neighboring areas played a significant role in the TONED, with observable path dependence. Third, internally, the primary barrier to the TONED was the changes in development methods. Key obstacles to the TONED include capital productivity, percentage of utilized foreign capital, labor productivity, and number of invention patents. Externally, factors such as city size, topography, temperature, and industrial scale played a dominant role in influencing the TONED, and had spatial differentiation characteristics. The interaction between factors exhibited characteristics of nonlinear enhancement and dual-factor reinforcement. Finally, heterogeneity analysis indicated that the percentage of utilized foreign capital was a major barrier to the TONED in growing and regenerative resource-based cities, while capital productivity hindered the TONED in mature and declining cities. City size primarily drove the TONED in mature and growing cities, temperature in declining cities, and topography in regenerative cities. [Conclusion] The TONED in resource-based cities exhibited significant regional disparities and spatial clustering effects, influenced by a combination of internal and external factors. Therefore, resource-based cities should balance differentiated construction and integrated development, focus on green transition, and fully leverage the leading role of new economic factors.

[Objective] The constraint of environmental targets is a regulatory means for resource-based cities to alleviate the conflict between environmental protection and economic development according to local conditions, providing new opportunities for factor flow in the path constraint of resource dependence for resource-based cities. Clarifying the multi-factor interaction mechanism is of great significance for exploring the realization mechanism of high-quality economic development in resource-based cities. [Methods] In this study the authors manually compiled the main environmental pollutant target constraints at the city level since the 11th Five Year Plan period for 98 resource-based cities from 2006 to 2022 and quantified their differences. The fixed-effect model is used to test the impact of environmental target constraints on the high-quality economic development of resource-based cities, and the moderating effect of factor flow and the threshold effect of resource constraints are analyzed. [Results] (1) The constraint of differentiated environmental targets promoted high-quality economic development of resource-based cities, and the conclusion still holds after endogeneity and robustness tests using instrumental variables, replacement variables, and other methods. (2) The constraints of environmental targets have a positive interaction effect with the inflow of labor and capital. (3) After resource constraints exceeded the threshold value, the promoting effect of environmental target constraints on high-quality economic development of resource-based cities and their interactive moderating effect on factor flows weakened. [Conclusion] Environmental target constraints and factor flows formed a good positive interactive relationship, which helped the high-quality development of resource-based cities. However, resource constraints still limited their direct and moderating effects. Therefore, resource-based cities should take environmental governance as a breakthrough point, form a good interactive relationship between regional factors, gradually break away from resource dependence, take advantage of circular cumulative causal effects, and promote high-quality development.

[Objective] The development of resource-based cities is trapped in a dilemma due to a singular industrial structure and a closed development model. Exploring the mechanism of impact of network externalities on the economic performance of these cities is of great significance for promoting their economic growth and sustainable development. [Methods] This study first elaborated on the mechanism of impact of urban network externalities on the economic performance of resource-based cities, then analyzed the characteristics of change of the Chinese urban network from 2001 to 2019, and finally established an econometric model to test the impact of agglomeration economic externalities and urban network externalities on the economic performance of both resource-based and non-resource-based cities. [Results] The findings are as follows: (1) The network embeddedness of resource-based cities in the national organizational network had increased significantly, but there was still a considerable gap compared to non-resource-based cities. Resource-based cities had relatively fewer connections with core cities in the network and were generally located on the periphery of the urban network. (2) Investment, innovation, and urban network externalities significantly promoted economic growth. Particularly in the early stages of network embeddedness, resource-based cities showed greater heterogeneity and benefit potential in leveraging urban network externalities compared to non-resource-based cities. However, agglomeration economic externalities did not have a significant impact on the economic growth of resource-based cities. (3) Innovation and investment had a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between urban network externalities and economic growth, and urban network externalities also significantly enhanced the positive impact of innovation and investment on economic growth, aligning with the principle of interaction symmetry. [Conclusion] Actively integrating into broader regional urban networks and enhancing the investment attractiveness and innovation capacity of resource-based cities are key strategies for promoting the transformation and economic growth of these cities.

Under the current global political economic environment with multiple uncertainties, the issues of economic recession, social unrest, and political discontent in special-type regions (such as ethnic minority areas, resource cities, old industrial zones, and border areas) are particularly prominent. How to revive the economy and how to forge new industrial paths have become focal points of policy support and academic research in these places. This study started from the perspective and dynamics of economic geography research, and reviewed the literature on the development of new industrial paths in special regions in China and internationally. The study showed that: (1) The regional structural approach under evolutionary economic geography is insufficient for fully explaining the mechanisms by which new industries are shaped, and there has been a “turn” towards agency and subjectivity. But this turn tends to treat regional structure as a kind of “static” prerequisite, neglecting its own multi-scalar nature, spatial differences, and systemic logic of cause and effect. (2) A consensus has gradually emerged in the academic community that the impact of structure on agency, and vice versa, varies according to different contexts and gives rise to different outcomes. However, there has been a lack of empirical exploration and theoretical construction on this issue. (3) In the process of shaping new industries, the interplay between structure and agency assumes complex characteristics in different contexts. How to identify the patterns of interaction between structure and agency in various geographical contexts, understand the path emergence and effects of different combinations on regional economies, is the key to studying this topic. On this basis, the article proposed relevant issues for future research on the process and mechanisms of new industrial path development in China’s special-type regions, aiming to expand the empirical scope and theoretical progress of current regional industrial dynamic studies.

[Objective] The high-quality development of resource-based cities is an important part of the high-quality development of Chinese cities. At present, the shrinkage of resource-based cities in China is obvious. Exploring the mechanism of influence of resource industry dependence on urban shrinkage can provide a reference for the transformation of resource-based cities and promote the high-quality development of cities. [Methods] Based on the cross-sectional data of 792 resource-based cities at or above the county level in China in 2010 and 2020, this study empirically tested the influence of resource industry dependence on the shrinkage of these cities and its mechanism by using the least square regression model, the mediation effect model, and the moderating effect model. [Results] (1) The benchmark regression results showed that resource industry dependence had a significant promoting effect on urban shrinkage after controlling the influence of other factors on urban shrinkage. (2) Mechanism analysis showed that the resource industry relied on impeding the accumulation of human capital to promote urban shrinkage. (3) The results of moderating effect test showed that resource price had a negative moderating effect on the influence of resource industry dependence on urban shrinkage. (4) The influence of resource industry dependence on the shrinkage of resource-based cities and the intermediary effect of human capital were heterogeneous. The promoting effect of resource industry dependence on the shrinkage of resource-based cities was more significant in mature cities, while the intermediary effect of human capital was more significant in mature and declining cities. [Conclusion] Improving the level of human capital and paying attention to resource price forecasting are feasible measures to promote the population growth of resource-based cities which depend on the development of resource industries. It is suggested that resource-based cities should change the development mode of resource-dependent industries, pay attention to the accumulation of human capital, and improve the ability of resource price forecasting.

[Objective] In order to provide a theoretical basis for the transformation and development of resource-based cities, the contraction states of different types of resource-based cities are revealed and their contraction tracks are simulated. [Methods] Taking 116 prefecture-level resource-based cities in China as the research object, the multi-dimensional shrinkage identification method was used to measure the shrinkage intensity of different types of cities, fit the shrinkage process, and analyze the evolution characteristics. [Results] (1) From 2000 to 2020, 56 resource-based cities in China will experience population contraction (48.28%), 42 will experience economic contraction (36.21%), and 26 of them will experience double population and economic contraction (22.41%). (2) In terms of development stage, the proportion of shrinkage in declining, mature and growing cities is higher, 65.22%, 63.49% and 60.00%, respectively. From the perspective of resource type, the shrinkage ratio of forestry, oil and gas and comprehensive resource-based cities is higher, and the shrinkage of forestry cities is particularly significant, 80% of cities have double shrinkage of population and economy. (3) Resource-based shrinking cities are mainly distributed in the north of Dandong and Panzhihua Line, and clustered in the northeast and Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, Mongolia, and other regions. (4) There is a certain regularity in the evolution trajectory of resource-based shrinking cities, which can be divided into two categories: smart contraction and typical contraction, and the typical contraction is further subdivided into contraction appearance, contraction advancement and contraction significance. The number of cities whose trajectory type is contraction propulsion is the largest, accounting for 33.33%. The trajectory types of contraction were mainly concentrated in two types of cities, namely regeneration type (63%) and decline type (47%). [Conclusion] The dual-dimension measurement of population and economy can identify the contraction of resource-based cities more comprehensively, and the simulation and classification of contraction trajectories of different types of resource-based cities can provide references for the transformation and development of resource-based cities.

[Objective] The construction of the human settlement environment holds great significance for the high-quality development of cities in the Yellow River Basin. The human settlements of different types of resource-based cities are heterogeneous. Exploring the change of the human settlement resilience level and obstacle degree of these cities is conducive to providing targeted policies for the construction of human settlements in different types of cities. [Methods] This study developed a comprehensive evaluation indicator system of human settlement resilience of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin based on the human-natural-living space-social-support subsystems, and used HP filter analysis, three-dimensional kernel density estimation, hotspot analysis, and the obstacle degree model to examine the spatiotemporal change characteristics of the human settlements from 2007 to 2021. A scientific diagnosis was conducted to identify the obstructive factors that influenced the resilience of human settlements. [Results] (1) From the perspective of temporal evolution characteristics, the human settlement resilience of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin showed a fluctuating and increasing trend, and had gone through three stages of low-level stagnation, gradual improvement, and sudden increase with fluctuation. The rising resilience of human settlements in different types of resource-based cities was obvious, among which the resilience of mature-type and regen‐eration-type cities was significantly higher than that of growth-type and decline-type cities. The growth-type, mature-type, and regeneration-type cities all showed an agglomeration of high resilience cities, while the decline-type cities with high resilience level tended to be dispersed. (2) From the perspective of spatial evolution, the resilience level of urban human settlements presents a spatial pattern of “periphery is higher than center, downstream is higher than upstream. The spatial agglomeration changes are relatively stable, forming the characteristics of spatial agglomeration of hot spots in the periphery of the Yellow River Basin. (3) From the criterion level, the variation of obstacle degree of each subsystem was relatively stable, and the total size was as follows: supporting system resilience > natural system resilience > social system resilience > human system resilience > living space resilience. The key impediments at the factor level were water resources per unit area, the amount of R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, and the comprehensive pollutant index. The primary obstacles to human settlement resilience in various types of resource-based cities were spatially heterogeneous. [Conclusion] The resilience of human settlements in resource-based cities within the Yellow River Basin was increasing, with significant spatial and regional variations. In the future, it is urgent to optimize the resilience of human settlements from the aspects of water resources, regional innovation, and environmental pollution.

[Objective] The aim of this study was to analyze the change of resilience and its main obstacle factors in resource-based cities from a social-ecological system (SES) perspective, clarify the relationships between system vulnerability, coping capacity, and resilience, and provide scientific evidence for the successful transformation of resource-based cities. [Methods] Using set pair analysis, ridge regression analysis, and obstacle degree models, we quantitatively measured and analyzed the vulnerability, coping capacity, and resilience of the SES of Panzhihua City and its social, economic, and ecological subsystems. We explored the effects of vulnerability and coping capacity on resilience and analyzed the driving mechanisms of SES resilience. [Results] (1) The vulnerability of Panzhihua City’s SES showed a fluctuating downward trend, remaining at a moderate level overall. Social vulnerability had a significant positive impact on resilience, ecological vulnerability had a significant negative impact, while economic vulnerability had no significant impact. (2) The coping capacities of Panzhihua City’s SES and its subsystems all showed upward trends. Social and economic coping capacities had significant positive impacts on resilience, whereas the positive impact of ecological coping capacity was relatively weak. (3) The resilience index of Panzhihua City’s SES increased steadily overall; the main vulnerability and coping capacity factors of each subsystem had significant impacts on resilience. (4) Obstacle degree analysis indicated that in the early stages, the main limiting factors for resilience were ecological environment constraints, which later shifted to factors related to technological upgrading of industries and coordinated economic development. [Conclusion] The vulnerability of Panzhihua City’s social-ecological system (SES) has exhibited a fluctuating downward trend, while its coping capacity has significantly improved, leading to a continuous enhancement of resilience. In the context of urban transformation and development, it is initially proposed that strengthening social and economic coping capacities and optimizing the ecological environment are critical measures for enhancing the resilience of Panzhihua City.

[Objective] Mining and urbanization have transformed the ecological and socioeconomic aspects of coal resource-based cities. This study aimed to measure the spatial characteristics of ecosystem services supply and demand matching in coal resource-based cities based on the urban-mining-rural tri-structure and to simulate future scenarios, and constructed the ecological protection and urban development pattern of Huainan City based on the supply and demand of ecosystem services. [Methods] This study focused on Huainan, a typical mature coal resource-based city in Anhui Province. Using land use data from 2005 to 2020, the PLUS model simulated future land changes in Huainan under four scenarios: natural, urban development, mining development, and ecological protection. The InVEST model then evaluated the supply-demand matching of six ecosystem services for 2035. [Results] (1) By 2035, the natural scenario increased construction land, while other lands decreased. Urban development significantly expanded urban land. Mining development boosted mining and subsidence areas. Ecological protection enhanced cropland, forest, grass, and water areas and construction land increase slowly. (2) Urban and mining scenarios improved matching for carbon sequestration and erosion prevention compared to the natural scenario., while ecological protection scenario enhanced water production, recreation and tourism, water purification, and food supply. (3) Urban development scenario expanded low matching degree areas but stimulated economic growth, whereas ecological protection scenario improved overall supply-demand balance and increased ecological land [Conclusion] The ecological protection scenario optimized supply-demand matching, while urban development degraded it but stimulated the economic growth of the Huainan City. The economic protection pattern of “one axis, three corridors, and multiple cores” and the urban development system of “one main, one auxiliary, and multiple nodes” are constructed. This study offers a foundation for balanced development in coal resource-based cities.