A city-level dataset of population subcenters in Chinese cities for urban polycentric detection (2001–2021)

Abstract

Urban areas across the globe are experiencing a shift towards polycentric development, characterized by the emergence of multiple subcenters within cities that can respectively function as economic, social, and residential hubs. In response to this trend, we generate a city-level dataset of population subcenters covering 336 cities in China to serve dynamic urban polycentric detection from 2001 to 2021 though analyzing Landscan data. Our dataset has been validated by diverse socio-economic factors, demonstrating that it can provide a relatively accurate depiction of urban structural changes. It comprehensively captures the evolution of urban polycentric structures within China’s rapidly transforming cities, offering detailed insights into the formation and dynamics of population subcenters over two decades. These findings can facilitate policymakers with evidence-based tools to optimize infrastructure and services distributions, thereby fostering efficient urban environments. Moreover, the dataset supports advanced spatiotemporal analysis and modeling, which are essential for understanding urban sustainable development. The dataset is beneficial to explore patterns of urban growth, assessing policy impacts, and developing predictive models for urban structure evolution. All data, figures and relevant results are publicly available on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14279505.