Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of China’s Regional Coordinated Development—An Analysis Based on Data from 286 Prefecture-Level Cities

Regional coordinated development is crucial for both human well-being and high-quality economic and social progress. This study examines 286 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, constructing a comprehensive evaluation system for regional coordinated development across four dimensions: economic development, public services, infrastructure, and technological development. The entropy weighting method is employed to measure comprehensive development, while the coefficient of variation is used to assess the level of coordinated development, enabling a systematic analysis of China’s spatio-temporal characteristics of regional coordinated development. The results indicate that China’s comprehensive development level has continuously improved, with coordinated development among prefecture-level cities gradually rising. Regional disparities persist, showing a decreasing spatial gradient from east to central to west. The North–South development gap shows a pattern of fluctuating widening, with uncoordinated development between these regions intensifying. Coordination in economic development, public services, and technological development continues to improve across regions, whereas infrastructure coordination shows a declining trend. Considering both comprehensive development and intra-regional coordination, the South shows high development but low coordination, while the North presents low development alongside high coordination.