Measurement and spatiotemporal evolution analysis of urban attractiveness based on amenities theory: a case study of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

Urban attractiveness is an important indicator for measuring the comprehensive competitiveness of cities and the sustainable development of a region. Taking the city cluster in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River as the study area, the study constructs an evaluation model of urban attractiveness based on amenities theory, and uses spatial and temporal statistical tools such as trend analysis to reveal the spatial and temporal evolution trends and distribution patterns of urban attractiveness in the study area between 2011 and 2022. The results show that: (1) the level of attractiveness of the city cluster in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River has increased significantly during the study period, especially in the period of 2015 to 2019, which is the fastest rate of increase. The effectiveness of regional cooperative development is obvious, but the local differences between core cities and peripheral cities are still obvious, and the inter-cluster effect has not yet been formed. (2) The city cluster has entered the stage of multi-center synergistic development, with core cities and emerging cities jointly promoting the attractiveness, and cities such as Xiangtan, Yiyang, and Jiujiang showing greater growth potential. (3) The radiation-driven role of Wuhan has not yet been fully realized, and it is necessary to focus on strengthening Wuhan's radiation effectiveness to narrow the regional gap in the future.