Spatial Pattern Evolution and Location Choice of Software and Information Technology Service Enterprises in the Main Urban Area of Chongqing

As an emerging strategic industry with high added value, wide application, and low energy consumption, the software and information technology service industry plays an important role in promoting the development and transformation of the national economy. The reasonable layout of the software and information technology service industry is of great significance to issues such as industrial development and optimizing the urban spatial structure. Based on the registration data of industrial and commercial enterprises, this study uses spatial analysis methods, such as Kernel Density(KDE) and Multi-Distance Spatial Cluster Analysis(Ripley's K), to study the spatial pattern evolution characteristics of software and information technology service enterprises in the main urban area of Chongqing from 2002 to 2017. In addition, this paper uses the Tobit model to explore the impact of location , transportation, industrial agglomeration and policies on the location of enterprises. The research shows that: (1) From the current distribution, the urban middle circle, which is 4-12 km away from the city center, has become the main space for the distribution of software and information technology service enterprises in the main urban area; it forms a "double peak" circle distribution. The spatial distribution pattern is expressed as "one main twice," and the agglomeration feature is remarkable. (2) From 2002 to 2017, while the distribution of enterprises was suburbanized, a large number of enterprises were concentrated 6-8 km away from the city center. The circle distribution changed from a "double peak" structure to a "single peak" structure, and the spatial pattern gradually evolved from a single center to "one main twice"; further, the intensity and scale of agglomeration also increased continuously. (3) Industrial agglomeration has the most significant impact on the location selection of software and information technology service enterprises in the main urban area. The location conditions and intra-city traffic factors have significant impact. The factors of spatial planning policy and external transportation facilities on the selection of enterprises' location are not significant. These research results show that the spatial distribution of the software and information technology service industry in the main urban area of Chongqing presents the characteristics of being concentrated in the middle layer of the city, having multiple centers, and of suburbanization. Compared to software companies in Shanghai, Nanjing, and other cities, the special landscape pattern and relatively backward development stage make the software and information technology service companies in the main urban area of Chongqing have a stronger preference for the urban middle circle. Additionally, the results of the influencing factors of location choice indicate that with the deepening of industry development, the role of various factors in the choice of enterprises' location is also changing. For Chongqing, which is undergoing industrial upgrading, these research findings can provide reference and guidance for the upgrading and transformation of Chongqing's industrial structure, and also provide a basis for understanding the optimization of the urban spatial structure of the main urban area. Nevertheless, due to problems such as data acquisition and the difficulty of quantifying some corporate location factors, this research is possibly inadequate and more in-depth research is needed