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Synergistic evolution and transition mechanism of urban resilience and efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, China
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  • Published: 05 February 2026

Synergistic evolution and transition mechanism of urban resilience and efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, China

  • Yingjie Gao1,
  • Yating Yang1,2,
  • Boyang Wu3,
  • Shengnan Zhao4 &
  • …
  • Lingyun Fan1,4 

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Development studies
  • Geography

Abstract

Balancing urban resilience (UR) and urban efficiency (UE) is essential for achieving sustainable development within China’s high-density urban agglomerations. We investigate their synergistic relationship in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, one of the world’s most densely populated regions. UR and UE between 2010 and 2022 were quantified via an integrated AHP-EWM-TOPSIS approach and the Super-EBM model. The improved Haken model was utilized to describe their synergistic relationship. Furthermore, the dynamic evolution and transition mechanisms of UR-UE synergy were examined from the perspective of spatiotemporal interactions. The key findings are as follows: (1) UR acts as the dominant order parameter driving sustainable development. (2) Synergy levels remain suboptimal throughout the study period, with a spatial distribution pattern of “core metropolitan-driven, provincial capital-synergized.” (3) Four distinct transition patterns were identified, demonstrating significant path dependency and spatial lock-in effects in synergistic state evolution. This study establishes UR as the dominant factor for sustainability in mature, high-density agglomerations. The findings advance understanding of complex system dynamics in such regions and provide a theoretical foundation for diagnosing developmental bottlenecks, designing targeted policies to optimize UR-UE synergy, and fostering sustainable development.

Data availability

Data are provided within the manuscript or Supplementary Information files.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51978432), the Young Innovative Talents in Guangdong Universities (Grant No. 2024KQNCX025), and the Program of Philosophy and Social Science Planning in Zhanjiang City (Youth Program) (Grant No. ZJ24QN16).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Architecture and Urban Plannning, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China

    Yingjie Gao, Yating Yang & Lingyun Fan

  2. College of Urban Construction, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao, China

    Yating Yang

  3. School of Architecture and Engineering, Zhanjiang University of Science and Technology, Zhanjiang, China

    Boyang Wu

  4. School of Architecture and Urban Plannning, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China

    Shengnan Zhao & Lingyun Fan

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  1. Yingjie Gao
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  2. Yating Yang
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  5. Lingyun Fan
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Contributions

YG: conceptualization, writing—review and editing, writing—original draft, visualization. YY: software, methodology, data curation. BW: methodology, visualization, funding acquisition. SZ: investigation, data curation. LF: writing—review and editing, supervision.

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Correspondence to Yingjie Gao or Lingyun Fan.

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Gao, Y., Yang, Y., Wu, B. et al. Synergistic evolution and transition mechanism of urban resilience and efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, China. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06552-1

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  • Received: 10 March 2025

  • Accepted: 16 January 2026

  • Published: 05 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06552-1

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