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Urban spatial structures significantly influence the quality of production, living, and ecological spaces within cities. Development zones serve as essential spatial carriers in China's rapid industrialization and urbanization, facilitating horizontal urban expansion. This study examines the impact of development zone site selection on urban space expansion through both theoretical analysis and empirical evidence. Results reveal that the dispersion of development zones leads to urban geometry loosening. Potential mechanisms, such as land expansion, are closely linked to various heterogeneous factors like official turnover and city size. With the establishment of development zones, there is an increase in the intensity of industrial and commercial/residential land transfers within a 5-km radius, confirming that the industrial suburbanization and passive residential suburbanization catalyzed by the development zones are the primary drivers of horizontal urban space expansion. Additionally, dispersion fosters competition for homogenization among industrial parks in the same administrative area. To promote organized and effective urbanization, strategies should prioritize compact development, strengthen boundary regulations, reform institutional land development practices, and optimize industrial resource integration within the city's existing parks.
Zhou et al. (Thu,) studied this question.