Chinese Urban Polycentricity Dynamics: A City-Level Dataset of Population Subcenter (2001-2021)

This dataset provides a comprehensive analysis of urban population density and polycentricity dynamics across Chinese cities from 2001 to 2021. The data are meticulously collected and processed to reflect the evolution of subcenters within metropolitan areas, capturing changes in spatial structure and population distribution over a two-decade period. Each entry represents a city-level snapshot that includes metrics such as population density at different subcenters and the degree of polycentricity.

The dataset is valuable for researchers, policymakers, and urban planners interested in understanding the trends and patterns of urban development in China. It can be used to support studies on urban sprawl, economic geography, transportation planning, and sustainable development policies. By providing detailed spatiotemporal information, this resource facilitates comparative analyses between cities and regions, contributing to a deeper understanding of urbanization processes.

Key Features:

• Temporal Coverage: Annual data from 2001 to 2021
• Geographical Scope: 336 Cities throughout China, including the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and Taiwan Province.
• Data Metrics: Population density at various subcenters, polycentricity index, and related urban indicators
• Format: Two final CSV files with accompanying 21 Shapefiles metadata
• Attributes for each shpfile: The Area means the area of this subcenter, and the SUM means the total population of this subcenter.

*Please note that the English names of the cities in the CSV files are collected from the website. The names of cities in Chinese shall prevail, which can be referred to in the City Name.xlsx.

Researchers should cite this dataset and the relevant paper when using it in publications or presentations. Detailed data collection and processing can be found in the relevant published paper:

Gu, X., Yu, M., & Liu, X. (2025). A city-level dataset of population subcenters in Chinese cities for urban polycentric detection (2001–2021). Big Earth Data, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964471.2025.2560164

For further information or questions regarding the dataset, don't hesitate to get in touch with the corresponding author.