High-Speed Rail and Urban Growth Disparity: Evidence from China

Abstract

We investigate the effects of high-speed rail (HSR) operation on urban growth disparity in China. Using urban panel data from 2005 to 2019 and difference-in-differences estimation, we find that the operation of HSR has exerted a strong and robust positive effect on urban growth and total factor productivity (TFP) in core cities, while this effect is much weaker in non-core cities, especially in non-core cities close to provincial capitals. Meanwhile, high-speed rail has triggered relatively slower urban growth in the central cities compared with the suburbs in regional primate prefectures. The results suggest that the extension of HSR promotes centralization across cities and local decentralization within regional primate cities.