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Significant differences are observed in the urbanisation process between China and countries in the Western world, and also within China between its western regions and coastal areas. The western region of China experienced rapid urbanisation after 1997 when Chongqing, one of the most important central cities in the region, came directly under central government control. This article examines the urbanisation process in Chongqing from 1997 to 2015. The authors use the coordinated degree index, land use change intensity index and land use spatial index to analyse the urban construction process, its spatial variability and impact on cultivated land resources from a human geographer’s perspective. They show how rapid urban growth kept pace with the rate of industrialisation and was characterised by a ‘centre–periphery’ spatial structure. They find that urban growth lagged behind the rate of urban construction, measured by the rate of population urbanisation. In line with the government’s ‘new urbanisation strategy’, which was supported by research evidence, arable land was not used for construction, in contrast to other coastal cities. In identifying the characteristics of the urbanisation process in Chongqing and the challenges it raised, the authors comment on the reciprocal relationship between research evidence and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating regional connections and their influencing factors from the perspective of "flow" space is one of the foundations of promoting regional development. In this article, the data we used includes actual highway passenger flow data, National Polar-orbiting Partnership/Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP/VIIRS) nighttime light remote sensing data, and socioeconomic data. We analyzed the spatial distribution pattern, connection intensity and spatial autocorrelation of highway passenger flow in Chongqing during the working day, weekend and May Day and revealed the influencing factors by means of a geographic detector. Three key conclusions resulted from this research. First, highway passenger flow in Chongqing districts exhibits spatial agglomeration that is clearly higher in western Chongqing than in eastern Chongqing and forms an obviously dual-core "star" structure, with the main urban area and Wanzhou serving as the core. Second, a factor detector notes that the nighttime light area index (0.9251, 0.9512, 0.9541) has the strongest explanatory power for the spatial differentiation of passenger traffic in Chongqing districts, which is the key factor. Third, interaction detection shows that the interaction between the two factors displays an enhancement effect at different times. The nighttime light area index shows the strongest explanatory power under the synergy of tourist attractions, which are 0.9850, 0.9903 and 0.9908. But the per capita GDP and highway mileage have the most obvious enhancement effect after interaction (0.9544, 0.9661, 0.9652). Therefore, in future planning and development, we should pay attention to cooperation and exchanges between districts and use the nighttime light area index as an important reference factor to provide a scientific basis for the construction of public transport and economic construction in Chongqing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]