Evaluation and Suggestions on Logistics Level of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration Based on Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis

Abstract

As the "neural network" of economic integration, the development level of the logistics system determines the efficiency of cross-regional flow and allocation of factor resources. Currently, although the economic aggregate of the Yangtze River Delta region accounts for nearly one-fourth of the national total, the imbalance in logistics development has become a key bottleneck restricting in-depth regional collaboration. To comprehensively evaluate the logistics development level of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, this paper constructs an evaluation system for regional logistics level of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration by selecting 9 indicators from 4 dimensions. The comprehensive scores of each city are calculated through factor analysis. The results show that Shanghai, Wuxi, and Nanjing have the highest logistics development level, followed by Jiaxing, Ningbo, and Nantong. Based on the scores of each common factor and the comprehensive scores obtained from the above factor analysis, a cluster analysis can be conducted on the regional logistics level of the cities in the Yangtze River Delta. According to logistics scale, openness, logistics network density, and industrial contribution, the 14 cities are divided into three categories. By analyzing and identifying the advantages and disadvantages of urban logistics development, revealing the spatial differentiation law of logistics development in the Yangtze River Delta, and proposing differentiated countermeasures, this paper puts forward policy suggestions for promoting the integration of the Yangtze River Delta region.