Spatial and Temporal Evolution Characteristics of China’s City Size Distribution Based on New Criteria
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript uses population data to measure the size of Chinese cities and analyzes dynamic changes from 2010 to 2020. However, there are still major issues, and only after revision can they be allowed to be published. The comments are as follows:
1. Lines 26-28: What are the other structures? Please add.
2. Lines 33-34: “Regarding the size structure of urban systems, western scholars have been exploring the law of city size distribution for a long time.” What research do orientalists have? How is Western scholars defined?
3. Please clarify the second and third introductory paragraphs. Incompleteness in research methods, findings and conclusions.
4. The authors should clarify the aims of the study.
5. Please give the full name of OLS when it first appears.
6. Did the study only use population data? Authors should clarify the data used and how the data is preprocessed. It is highly recommended to increase the data to judge the size of the city with population data.
7. Lines 233-242: This part is not a result. Please place it in a suitable position. Other sections of the results section have a similar situation. Please improve.
8. Please modify Table 4.
9. In chapter 3, it is good to conduct a more specific analysis of the possible reasons for these results. Please pay attention to the rationality of such explanations.
10. According to the fifth paragraph of the introduction, I have not found any difference between the author's study and previous research. Please clarify.
11. The author has consulted a total of 44 references. Only 6 after 2015? Why?
Author Response
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Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
This study investigated the spatial and temporal characteristics of China’s cities from 2010 to 2020. Some conclusions are interesting, but several issues should be addressed before I recommend publication.
1. Although the authors have uncovered a few characteristics of the distribution and temporal changes in city size, no hypothesis are explicitly tested. The theoretical or methodological contribution should be enhanced. The authors should try to generate conclusions which are not limited to China and are widely useful for cities around the world. For example, the authors may consider to explore potential driving factors or mechanisms of the temporal changes in city size. Besides population, the authors may also consider to compare the results by using other measures of city size, so as to provide methodological implications for future studies.
2. It is inappropriate to regard City Size Index and Centralization as the measurement of spatial distribution of city size, because there is no spatial relationship (e.g. spatial weighted matrix) included in such measurement.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
A very good paper which is of interest. The authors manage to correctly present the mathematical model and the methods used. The obtained results are supported by graphical representations. Bibliographic references are adapted to the research topic.
However, I have a set of observations. I did not find in the work a justification of the need for such research. Also, their usefulness and the way in which the obtained results are beneficial for society must be better described by the authors.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The aim of the research is not well stated. Please complete the introduction by asking a question.
The innovation of the research needs further elaboration.
No new references have been used in the literature review section. Much research has been done on urbanization. Refer to them for the richness of your research. For example:
Kuddus, M. A., Tynan, E., & McBryde, E. (2020). Urbanization: a problem for the rich and the poor?. Public health reviews, 41(1), 1-4.
Molaei Qelichi, M., Murgante, B., Yousefi Feshki, M. et al. Urbanization patterns in Iran visualized through spatial auto-correlation analysis. Spat. Inf. Res. 25, 627–633 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41324-017-0128-0
Liang, W., & Yang, M. (2019). Urbanization, economic growth and environmental pollution: Evidence from China. Sustainable Computing: Informatics and Systems, 21, 1-9.
Meshkini, A., Normohamadi, M., & Zarghamfard, M. (2019). Developing an optimal pattern for state intervention in urban land management: case of Iran, Tehran city. Spatial Information Research, 27(6), 695-708.
Guan, X., Wei, H., Lu, S., Dai, Q., & Su, H. (2018). Assessment on the urbanization strategy in China: Achievements, challenges and reflections. Habitat International, 71, 97-109.
All methods used in the paper should be explained to the reader. Why were these methods used instead of more traditional ones?
Although the research method is clear but there needs to discuss the accuracy and processing of used datasets. How datasets were taken into spatial form and are their accuracy high enough to test and conclude the hypothesis of the study?
The section on the study area should be developed. In particular, I would welcome some information on the development of China's cities. The information on the exact geographical location of the city (lon and lat) are superfluous.
The findings section is very well written. Only the tables need to be interpreted further. Also Images resolution should be increased.
In the conclusion section, compare your research with other relevant research. In addition, what new knowldge has your research added to knowledge?
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Thank you for your revision and I have no more comments.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
This study investigated the spatial and temporal characteristics of China’s cities from 2010 to 2020. Some conclusions are interesting, but several issues should be addressed before I recommend publication.
1. Although the authors have uncovered a few characteristics of the distribution and temporal changes in city size, no hypothesis are explicitly tested. The theoretical or methodological contribution should be enhanced. The authors should try to generate conclusions which are not limited to China and are widely useful for cities around the world. For example, the authors may consider to explore potential driving factors or mechanisms of the temporal changes in city size. Besides population, the authors may also consider to compare the results by using other measures of city size, so as to provide methodological implications for future studies.
2. It is inappropriate to regard City Size Index and Centralization as the measurement of spatial distribution of city size, because there is no spatial relationship (e.g. spatial weighted matrix) included in such measurement.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 3
Reviewer 2 Report
Although the authors add elaborations in the introduction part, several issues remain regarding the theoretical and practical significance of this study.
1. It seems that the authors want to test whether urban development follows Zipf’s law. The question should be addressed: what is the practical significance of Zipf’s law to urban development? The authors find that China’s city size deviates from Zipf’s law. Do the authors have any policy implications based on this finding?
2. Driving factors of changes in city size should be further explored. The authors may also explore or discuss the relationship between population-based city size and other indicators of city size in terms of economy, environment and society.
3. Discussions should be organized before conclusions.
Author Response
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